Analysis of "the dead":

"The dead" is the last chapter of James Joyce's "Dubliners", a collection of short stories talking about his city, Dublin, and its inhabitants.

From the title is possible guess the topic, though initially the tone is cheerful, not grim as the title. It will be about death and about the memory of the dead.

The chapter is divided into three parts which characterize the three moments in history: the ball, dinner, and time to go home: in the last Gretta, Gabriel's wife, remembers Michel Fury, a childhood friend, who is dead because of the love for Gretta.

Three of the most important characters in the story are the two sister Morkan, Miss Kate and Miss Julia and their nephew Mary jane, those who gave the party. There are three music teachers and during the ball they did show their pupils, with great success. They are very hospitable and this aspect will be underline during Gabriel's speech. Gabriel Conroy is a teacher and a writer and revews books for an English newspaper and because of it Molly Ivors, a colleague of Gabriel, Irish very patriotic, accuses him of being pro-British. He looks like a character ready to solve problems such as to hold off Freddy Malins, an alcoholic Gabriel's friend, or pronounce the final speech. Freddy Malins is considered dangerous by the sisters Morkan but during the ball and the dinner does not intervene almost never speak except for the University of the child and of the monks.Bartell D'Arcy, a famous tenor, does not sing during the party but when people have gone home, angering sisters Morkan. Last but not least Gretta Conroy, Gabriel's wife, hasn't an important role during the evening but only when, together with her husband, she returned to the hotel: here she starts to cry because of the song sung by Bartell D'Arcy as he remembered Michel Fury: the memory of this dead guy seems to be more of the same husband who is living in the room with her. In this last part there is the message of the tale: important is the memory of the dead, especially if they are relatives or loved ones as in the case of the friend of ifanzia, because their condition is not different from what all feel.

Joyce uses language that is not a common language and, at times, use the search terms. He alternates with very detailed descriptions dialogue, used precisely to increase the speed in reading, which would otherwise be tedious.