The Dead is the last story by James Joice that belongs to Dubbliners. It is the last in the collection, and it unites the themes found in the earlier stories. In his book, Joyce wanted to give the history of Ireland. The prominent characteristic he saw in Ireland, and particularly in Dublin, was the spiritual paralysis of its people. 

The mayor characters present are Gabriel and Gretta. Joyce is interested in the thoughts of his characters. In fact through the actions and the thoughts he wants to convey what their inner part is. The thoughts don’t have a chronological development, but they start from a sensorial experience and they develop themselves through associations and analogies.

We know a lot of Greta's feelings because the all story is told by Gabriel's point of view and we see Gretta by Gabriel's prospective. In Gabriel we can see his paralysis in the incapacity of deep love.

The title, an adjective turned into a noun, refers to the important considerations Gabriel did when her wife shared her secret with him: alive people are incredibly closed and linked to died people.