The term Epiphany was coined by James Joyce, it designates the moment in a narrative when events, images, ideas, or any combination of these have reached critical mass and produce for the reader an explosive recognition of meaning. There are two Epiphanies in The Dead: the first one begins when Gretta hears the song "The Lass of Aughrim" and is fully explored when she returns to the hotel; the second one begins when Gabriel hears his wife talk of her love for Michael Furey and is fully explored in the last few pages of the story. The ritual is very important in the 20^th century. In The dead: every year people organize parties and a person like Gabriel makes a talk; Gabriel keeps going on believing his wife is still thinking to Michael. The dead are people who lived with rituals and habits.