The Dead is fifteenth and also the last short story of collection Dubliners by James Joyce. The story can be divided into three sequences: the first one is during the dance and the dinner; the second  is when their way to the hotel and the last one is when Gabriel and Gretta are in the hotel.

In the first sequence the narrator introduces the characters, the set and the time of the story. It is the annual party held  in the Dublin by uncle's Gabriel.The fact that the party is the same every year, that the people who take part in it are always the same to demonstrate paralysis of Irish people that are considered the dead, they cannot divide from the routine and the actions know. Another important hint is of alcoholism spread in Ireland that the reader can see in the character of Freddy Malins like in Friuli. Also there is the hint to the religiosity in the words of Mary Jane, but also in the priests' acts who do their tasks.

Gabriel seems to be the unique character who is aware of this situations in his country and he is unique who tries to run away from it:he isn't a nationalist character. The reader can see this especially in his dialogue with Mrs. Ivors, supporter of Irish culture. But the principal characteristic of all Joyce's character, inability of action, is present also in Gabriel, who would like to go away he cannot. This is the characteristic of anti-heroes, because Joyce does not like to represent traditional heroes.Another important character is Gretta, Gabriel's wife, because from her love story revealed in the last sequence Gabriel understands many things, changing his idea about life expressed during his traditional speech held during the dinner because he was the point of reference for the society, man of letters.

In the second sequence the story is told by Gabriel's point of view who watching his wife on the way to the hotel remembers their love story and courtship when they were young and this provokes in him passion, desire and sexual attraction for Gretta, but she doesn't accept it.In the last sequences Gabriel is still taken by passion and desire Gretta reveals him the reason of her strange mood and she tells him about the dead of young man who died for her love, he was ill but he wanted to see her because her departure and he said that he did not want to live. This words does not allow Gabriel to sleep because he thinks about his life, his morality but also about life generally.