JBais - Analysis of The Dead
The Dead is the last short story of the collection Dubliners by James Joyce.
Reading the title "The Dead", the reader can immediately think to a story of death: but the dead are a symbol which indicates the paralysis of the Irish society.
The whole story is narrated from the point of view of the main character, Gabriel, a cultured and well-educated man, the point of reference for the family.
The short story can be divided into three sequences. The first sequence deals with the annual party, organized by the two sisters Julia and Kate, Gabriel's aunts. The function of this sequence is to introduce the characters, the set, time, relationships between characters and to convey to the reader some important information about Ireland. The party is an annual one, there are always the same people, friends and Morkan family, there is always the "ritual" of the dinner: all these elements make the reader comprehend the effective paralysis of the Irish society.
Gabriel arrives to the party with his wife Gretta: the reader can immediately understand she's not an ordinary wife and she's a strong and an independent woman, because she doesn't obey her husband.
After the presentation of important characters as Lucy, the servant, Gretta and the Morkan sisters all the sequence turn around the party itself, so the dance, the music and meetings, and around the dinner, an important and sacred moment of union for all the family.
The most significant meeting of Gabriel is when he meets Mrs. Ivors, a talkative and spirited woman, a nationalist; the dialogue shows important elements of Irish culture and make the reader understand another aspect of Gabriel: he's a man of letter a little presumptuous because he thinks to be the only cultured person of the party.
Another important moment of the party is when Freddy Malins arrives: he's drunk and this fact shows the terrible vice widespread in all the Ireland.
The second part of the sequence deals with the dinner, which has got an hidden religious significance. All the family is united and Gabriel has got the task to make a speech for his aunts and his cousin. This fact makes the reader understand the great consideration the Morkan family has got for him. From the symbolic point of view, he plays the role of a priest.
After the party, there is the most important moment of the short story: Gabriel's epiphany. He sees her wife upstairs listening a music and crying.
The second sequence deals with the trip Gabriel and Gretta take to arrive in the hotel. During the trip, Gabriel has got a lot of doubts and questions about the reason her wife was crying for. But he also reminds himself their love story and he's pervaded by passion and desire of her.
The third sequence is the end of the story. It's very important because it reveals the reason Gretta was crying for: she explains Gabriel that when she was young there was a fellow, Michael Fury, who loved her so much that he went out in the rain to see her the last time even if he was very ill. Then Gretta falls asleep. While Gabriel is looking her he understands he can never love Gretta like Michael Fury loved her.
The reader can understand Gabriel is an anti-hero because before he ardently desires something but after he isn't able to act.