From a distance, James Joyce’s "The Dead" might appear extensively spread story without general theme that covers various distinguishable themes. Gabriel quickly ends the conversation by giving Lily a holiday tip, willingness to let money speak for him. This, although, little exaggerated, suggests that he relies on the comforts of his class to maintain distance. Another theme, during his dance with Miss Ivors, questions about his nationalistic views floods and perplex him. After all, when Gabriel starts his speech about people must not linger on the past, but embrace the present, it gets even more abstruse to figure out what Joyce really wanted to convey to the readers. Only the chaos remains.
However, on the other hand, special epiphany of Joyce, an inadvertent revelations, as he explained to his brother Stanislaus, when he noted 'little errors and gestures - mere straws in the wind - by which people betrayed the very things they were most careful to conceal.' explains his "clever tactic" he used in Dubliners. In this sense, we could turn our attention to very “inadvertent” theme, a setting, the holiday. The events of the party repeat each year: As usual, women prattles, Freddy Malins arrives drunk, everyone, same people who attended the party last year and will be attending, dances the same memorized steps. Like the horse that circles around and around the mill in Gabriel’s speech, these Dubliners settle into an expected routine at this party. The characters are in a state of paralysis with this tedium party. They are unable to break from the activities that they are engaged, they live life without new experiences, numb to the world.
Therefore, it is perhaps more accurate to assume that "The Dead" is not only broaching and reemphasizing the different topics that have been brought up with previous stories in Dubliners, but also cleverly criticizing, or warning numbness of the society to these topics. In this sense, The Dead perfectly concludes the long march of short stories in Dubliners with lighting the previous topics as well as conveying subtle message of societal negligence.
Personally, “The Dead” was fascinating story for me as I read more closely. Initially, a number of characters in the introduction frustrate readers. No one really knows who Mr. Fulham is; Lily, Miss Julia, Miss Kate, Mary Jane, and even background, all are introduced at once in a single paragraph of the introduction. Even later, Gabriel switches his conversation partner so frequently that it is hard to see the overall picture of what “The Dead” is depicting. At the very first glance, I only appreciated the chaotic description of the party – most parties have chaotic images in my mind. However, as the holistic plot became more familiar, various themes that Joyce enrooted within her story became more visible. Just like “Where’s Waldo”, reading “The Dead” was more of picking up the themes: some nationalistic themes, past and future, themes about authority, and even allusion to another stories.
Thus, just like a flavor, if readers have acerbic painful memories about love, the story enables the reader to empathize with dear protagonist Gabriel. It is very painful or even jealous if someone who we love talks about other people; same for Gabriel “whose admiring and happy eyes had been wandering from her dress to her face and hair”, I could see how he would have been jealous and mournful when Gretta talked about her old lover. Though every man wants to be “cool” in their relationship, it seems like Gabriel wasn’t one of those cool men. This was mere conjecture but still was funny and made me feel little sympathetic to Mr. Joyce.
All in all, although I still don’t fully understand the intention of the author, especially an idea “Whatness” or “Joycian epiphany”, “The Dead” was, so far, most realistic story that I read. If Dubliner was an essay, “The Dead” is a brilliant conclusion I would say.
However, on the other hand, special epiphany of Joyce, an inadvertent revelations, as he explained to his brother Stanislaus, when he noted 'little errors and gestures - mere straws in the wind - by which people betrayed the very things they were most careful to conceal.' explains his "clever tactic" he used in Dubliners. In this sense, we could turn our attention to very “inadvertent” theme, a setting, the holiday. The events of the party repeat each year: As usual, women prattles, Freddy Malins arrives drunk, everyone, same people who attended the party last year and will be attending, dances the same memorized steps. Like the horse that circles around and around the mill in Gabriel’s speech, these Dubliners settle into an expected routine at this party. The characters are in a state of paralysis with this tedium party. They are unable to break from the activities that they are engaged, they live life without new experiences, numb to the world.
Therefore, it is perhaps more accurate to assume that "The Dead" is not only broaching and reemphasizing the different topics that have been brought up with previous stories in Dubliners, but also cleverly criticizing, or warning numbness of the society to these topics. In this sense, The Dead perfectly concludes the long march of short stories in Dubliners with lighting the previous topics as well as conveying subtle message of societal negligence.
Personally, “The Dead” was fascinating story for me as I read more closely. Initially, a number of characters in the introduction frustrate readers. No one really knows who Mr. Fulham is; Lily, Miss Julia, Miss Kate, Mary Jane, and even background, all are introduced at once in a single paragraph of the introduction. Even later, Gabriel switches his conversation partner so frequently that it is hard to see the overall picture of what “The Dead” is depicting. At the very first glance, I only appreciated the chaotic description of the party – most parties have chaotic images in my mind. However, as the holistic plot became more familiar, various themes that Joyce enrooted within her story became more visible. Just like “Where’s Waldo”, reading “The Dead” was more of picking up the themes: some nationalistic themes, past and future, themes about authority, and even allusion to another stories.
Thus, just like a flavor, if readers have acerbic painful memories about love, the story enables the reader to empathize with dear protagonist Gabriel. It is very painful or even jealous if someone who we love talks about other people; same for Gabriel “whose admiring and happy eyes had been wandering from her dress to her face and hair”, I could see how he would have been jealous and mournful when Gretta talked about her old lover. Though every man wants to be “cool” in their relationship, it seems like Gabriel wasn’t one of those cool men. This was mere conjecture but still was funny and made me feel little sympathetic to Mr. Joyce.
All in all, although I still don’t fully understand the intention of the author, especially an idea “Whatness” or “Joycian epiphany”, “The Dead” was, so far, most realistic story that I read. If Dubliner was an essay, “The Dead” is a brilliant conclusion I would say.
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