Plot summary
The story centers on Gabriel Conroy on the night of the Morkan sisters' annual dance and dinner in the first week of January 1904, perhaps the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6). Typical of the stories in Dubliners, "The Dead" develops toward a moment of painful self-awareness; Joyce described this as an epiphany (a moment of truth). The narrative generally concentrates on Gabriel's insecurities, his uneasiness, and the defensive way he deals with his discomfort. The story culminates at the point when Gabriel discovers that, through years of marriage, there was much he never knew of his wife's past.
Upon arriving at the party with his wife, Gabriel makes an unhappy joke about the maid's marriage prospects, after which he feels uneasy, …show more content…
When preparing to leave the party, Gabriel sees his wife, Gretta, on the stairs, absorbed in thought. He stares at her for a moment before recognizing her. Her thoughtful mood arouses his desire, he longs to be alone with her in the hotel room and misinterprets all her actions, sure that she feels the same. But in the hotel room he finds her indifferent and asks her what is bothering her. Gabriel learns that she was feeling nostalgic after hearing Mr. D'Arcy singing The Lass of Aughrim. Being pressed further, Gretta tells Gabriel that the song has reminded her of the time when she was a young girl in Galway and used to see a young boy named Michael Furey. At the time, Gretta was staying at her grandmother's home before going to a convent in Dublin. Michael was terribly sick and was ordered to remain in bed. When it came time for her to leave Galway, she wrote him a letter saying that she would be back in the summer and hoped to see him then. The rainy night before she left, she heard gravel against her window. He was there, in her garden in the cold, shivering. She told him to go home, fearful for his health, but the boy said he did not want to live. He did go back home, but a week after Gretta had left he
The story centers on Gabriel Conroy on the night of the Morkan sisters' annual dance and dinner in the first week of January 1904, perhaps the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6). Typical of the stories in Dubliners, "The Dead" develops toward a moment of painful self-awareness; Joyce described this as an epiphany (a moment of truth). The narrative generally concentrates on Gabriel's insecurities, his uneasiness, and the defensive way he deals with his discomfort. The story culminates at the point when Gabriel discovers that, through years of marriage, there was much he never knew of his wife's past.
Upon arriving at the party with his wife, Gabriel makes an unhappy joke about the maid's marriage prospects, after which he feels uneasy, …show more content…
When preparing to leave the party, Gabriel sees his wife, Gretta, on the stairs, absorbed in thought. He stares at her for a moment before recognizing her. Her thoughtful mood arouses his desire, he longs to be alone with her in the hotel room and misinterprets all her actions, sure that she feels the same. But in the hotel room he finds her indifferent and asks her what is bothering her. Gabriel learns that she was feeling nostalgic after hearing Mr. D'Arcy singing The Lass of Aughrim. Being pressed further, Gretta tells Gabriel that the song has reminded her of the time when she was a young girl in Galway and used to see a young boy named Michael Furey. At the time, Gretta was staying at her grandmother's home before going to a convent in Dublin. Michael was terribly sick and was ordered to remain in bed. When it came time for her to leave Galway, she wrote him a letter saying that she would be back in the summer and hoped to see him then. The rainy night before she left, she heard gravel against her window. He was there, in her garden in the cold, shivering. She told him to go home, fearful for his health, but the boy said he did not want to live. He did go back home, but a week after Gretta had left he