A Look at "The Dead"

From the reading of James Joyce’s “The Dead”, many instances occur to reveal the main character, Gabriel Conroy, is not really the person he and others think he is. Supporting characters include Gabriel’s wife, Gretta, Lily, Gabriel’s aunts, Kate and Julia Morkan, Gabriel’s cousin, Mary Jane, and a guest at the party, Molly Ivors. Throughout this story with the help of these supporting characters, Gabriel comes to term with the differences in lifestyle and attitude that he portrays. This story is described as “…it centers around the consciousness of Gabriel Conroy, a teacher and literary man in turn of the century Dublin” (Begnal).

At the beginning of the story, Joyce portrays Gabriel as a very self-assured and responsible man, but as the story goes on, it is shown that this is not the case. His aunts, Kate and Julia Morkan host an annual dance at their residence. They depend on Gabriel to make sure everything flows smoothly throughout the night. An example of this would be when one of their guests, Freddy Malins arrives. Kate and Julia were already expecting him to show up drunk. “Slip down, Gabriel, like a good fellow and see if he’s all right, and don’t let him up if he’s screwed. I’m sure he’s screwed. I’m sure he is” (Sipiora 300).

An example of Gabriel being different then his family and friends is shown when Miss Molly Ivors decided to speak with him. She is very upset that Gabriel is writing an article on a regular basis for the The Daily Express. Gabriel is astonished. “Why should I be ashamed of myself?” (Sipiora 303) Miss Ivors then proceeds to call him a traitor by stating, “I didn’t think you were a West Briton.” (Sipiora 303) She also questions him when he says that for his vacation he is not visiting his own land. “I’m sick of my own country, sick of it!” (Sipiora 304)

Gabriel’s realization of himself is seen when his wife, Gretta, reveals a past love to him. She speaks of Michael Furey when an Irish ballad is played at the party. “I think he died for me.” (Sipiora 320) To no surprise, Gabriel was upset and hurt by this remark. All of this time and he thought that Gretta was truly in love with him, but she actually loved Michael Furey. At this point Gabriel is forced to see that he is not living the life that he should be living. “Ultimately, Gabriel can only revel in self-pity, as he celebrates what he considers to be his own worthlessness” (Begnal).


Sipiora, Phillip. “The Dead.” Reading and Writing about Literature. Pearson Education, Inc., 2002. 297-322.

Begnal, Michael H. “The Dead:Overview.” Reference Guide to Short Fiction, 1st ed., edited by Noelle Watson, St. James Press, 1994.