Debbie Kim

11/19/2014
Lit 105
Professor Colon
The Dead
James Joyces short story The Dead is rather a difficult piece of literature to digest

because of the many complexities and themes it contains. It is evident that Joyce wants his

readers to understand the weight and gravity that the past and the dead have on the present and

living through the protagonist, Gabriel Conroy. Initially, Gabriel believes that there exists a

dichotomy between the past of the dead and the present of the living. Joyce, then, actually

includes complications in what it seems to be Gabriels simple belief in this difference, in order

to portray complexities within Gabriels character. Eventually, Gabriel reaches an epiphany that

this chasm is actually false. Joyce successfully unravels that the theme of the past having a

heavier impact on the present is ultimately due to an encompassing emotion. Joyce utilizes

setting, irony, and symbolism to frame separation, while Gabriels stream of consciousness and

symbolism also lead to the great epiphany that Gabriel finally discovers.

The story begins with a thorough description of the setting a dinner party to celebrate

the Day of Epiphany in Ireland. This holiday is vital because it foreshadows the eventual

epiphany that Gabriel will undertake. It is also important to understand that the venue of the

party is at a traditional house which belongs to Gabriels old-fashioned aunts, and that the age

range of the guests includes both the older generation and the current generation. Joyce does this

to create a chasm between the two types of people at the party and for us readers to realize that

Gabriel immediately acknowledges and believes in this chasm. Evidence of Gabriel accepting

this difference between the older generation (past) and the current generation (present) is
displayed in Gabriels insecurity on page 148. The indelicate clacking of the mens heels and

the shuffling of their soles reminded him that their grade of culture differed from his. He would

only make himself ridiculous by quoting poetry to them which they could not understand (Joyce

148). Furthermore, the dinner party itself represents an even deeper dichotomy between the past

and the present. For example, the entire party has been a tradition for many years, indicating that

every single event that happens during the party is a repeat of last years and the year before,

and the year before. Parties are intended to be lively, jolly, and upbeat. However, this party

doesnt seem to fit that mold. Yes it outwardly appears to be a party, but Joyce juxtaposes the

supposed-to-be lively party with the mundane and repetitive programs it hosts. To illustrate,

Freddy Malins arrives drunk every year. Gabriel cuts the goose and gives a speech. There exists

mindless dancing and singing. Joyce strategically utilizes the setting of the dinner party to set up

the contrast between the past generation and the present generation as well as the contrast

between the intended lively party and deathly mundane events, to reveal the division that Gabriel

believes to be true.

Joyce illustrates a complexity within Gabriels seemingly progressive personality by

utilizing irony to create actually two chasms of the difference between the past and present. At

the party, Gabriel converses with Miss Ivors, an opinionated lady who firmly believes in fighting

Britain for Irelands independence. She proceeds to call Gabriel a west Briton, indicating that

he isnt part of the fight for Irelands freedom. This adds complexities because although Gabriel

appears to be a man who favors the present and moving forward, the interaction with Miss Ivors

actually portrays the two chasms of progressive hierarchy aunts being traditional, Gabriel being

progressive, and Miss Ivors being even more radically forward. Gabriel is actually closer to the

past in comparison with Miss Ivors. This irony that Joyce sets up still portrays Gabriels fondness
for the present in comparison to his aunts, but it is the first indication where we, as readers, see

Gabriels idea of the dichotomy between the past and present to be shortened than initially

thought.

To continue expanding on Gabriels faltering idea of separation, Joyce also uses

symbolism through Gabriels speech. During the party, Gabriel still stands firmly in the belief of

the difference between the past and present, which in this case is the older and younger

generation. In his speech, Gabriel states that this new generation will lack those qualities of

humanity, of hospitality, of kindly humour as an attack to Miss Ivors (Joyce 161). He continues

to discuss the rise of a new generation and of its new ideas and principles. Gabriel recognizes

the difference between the old and the new, which points to the greater difference between the

past and the present. However, Joyce portrays a complexity here that is a bit difficult to fully

grasp. The speech is symbolic in that it is a physical declaration of Gabriels stance of the

contrast. He is publicly claiming here that he is disassociating himself from the new

generation. Although from Gabriels perspective this is a subliminal attack on Miss Ivors, we as

readers understand that his so-called firm belief in the separation is actually slowly diminishing.

Gabriel is gradually coming closer to unifying the past with the present, without even realizing it.

At this point, Gabriel still values the present and progression in his mind, but the readers are led

to side with Joyces intention of joining the past with the present.

The majority of this short story is told from an omniscient perspective, but towards the

end Joyce heavily focuses on Gabriels stream of consciousness to reveal the means in how

Gabriel reaches this epiphany of love unifying the past of the dead and the present of the living.

As some of the literary devices previously stated exude Gabriels initial idea of division,

Gabriels stream of consciousness explicitly displays his personal epiphany, while we the readers
have already picked up on Joyces indications of the gap between the past and present to be

smaller. It is also through Gabriels stream of consciousness where we and Gabriel both realize

that love is the encompassing emotion that unifies the gap. The text says that he knew that such

a feeling [towards Gretta] must be love (Joyce 172). This is the first time that Gabriel used the

word love to describe any of his emotions, which indicates that this love is the first part of his

epiphany. Shortly after, the text says that his soul had approached that region where dwell the

vast hosts of the dead. He was conscious of, but could not apprehend, their wayward and

flickering existence. His own identity was falling out into a grey impalpable world: the solid

world itself which these dead had on time reared and lived in was dissolving and dwindling

(Joyce 172). These two passages work together in explaining Gabriels reached epiphany, that

there in fact isnt such a chasm or difference between the past of the dead and the present of the

living, and that love is the constant. Upon this realization, the whole story starts to come

together. Although Gabriel isnt in favor of the past in relation to his aunts, he agrees to attend

the traditional party, cut the goose, and make a speech every year because of the obligatory love

he has for them. Miss Ivors loves Ireland and its past of Irish culture; therefore she wants to

move forward in the present and gain independence from Britain. Gabriel loves Gretta, therefore

the impact of Grettas dead former lover hits home for him presently. The past of the dead clearly

isnt separate from the present of the living because it affected Gabriel so personally and

powerfully.

Symbolism plays a huge role in this short story, evidently portrayed by Joyces use of the

speech. However, Joyce uses another to unite life and death snow. Snow is mentioned in the

beginning of the story on page 147, where Joyce says that a light fringe of snow lay like a cape

on the shoulders of his overcoat and like toecaps on the toes of galoshes (Joyce 147). Snow is
also the very last thing he mentions. Now this last ending of snow is very critical in

understanding the unification of life and death because this is the description that Joyce gives of

snow immediately after Gabriel has reached his epiphany. His soul swooned slowly as he heard

the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end,

upon all the living and the dead (Joyce 172). This appears to be Joyces final and strongest

argument in claiming that the living and the dead are all unified. It indicates that the snow covers

the living people and also the grave of Michael Furey. It is as this moment where Gabriel finally

understands that the dead do in fact have a bigger impact on the living and that the dichotomy is

actually false. The snow is only a physical representation of what spans both the dead and the

living. However, the true encompassing factor that covers the past and present as well as the dead

and the living is love.

Joyce ultimately strives to argue that the past of the dead and the present of the living

have more commonalities than Gabriel originally thought. He uses literary devices such as

setting, irony, and symbolism to initially begin with a preconception of separation but then

utilizes stream of consciousness as well as symbolism to eventually reach the epiphany of love

being the encompassing factor in joining the past of the dead with the present of the living.