Gabriel realized that his life is not what he thought it was. Through symbolism and imagery, the reader gets a glimpse of Gabriel's personality and inner thoughts. The reader of “The Dead” by James Joyce gets to ride on the emotional roller coaster that are Gabriel’s thoughts.
The author uses many techniques to fully reveal Gabriel's character. Gabriel is portrayed as a thoughtful shallow man. He realizes he is a failure of a husband. Through symbolism the reader sees the emotions that are personified onto the objects around the setting. Gabriel is watching his wife sleep. Symbolism comes in clutch because the reader infers that the name Gabriel has something to do with God. Anything relating God has life. The title of this narration is “The Dead.” Along the story, he says his “Aunt Kate would be sitting beside him, crying and blowing her nose...” This symbolizes an upcoming death that will bring everyone to tears. Gabriels name is a reference to a fallen angel. Additionally, this quote introduces a new character, “but he knew that it was no longer the face for which Michael …show more content…
“It hardly pained him now to think how poor a part he, her husband, had played in her life.” What a terrible thing to realize. “A petticoat string dangled to the floor.” This quote brings sentiments of loss and relinquishment. His emotions are overturning and he can't help but to feel at a loss. “He wondered at his riot of emotions…” He was clearly shook that his life was not going as planned. Gabriel points out the location of his wife’s boots. “One boot stood upright, its limp upper fallen down: the fellow of it lay upon its side.” Using imagery, he pulls our attention on the atmosphere of the narration. The feelings of despair and abandonment are an external way of showing how Gabriel really feels. “The blinds would be drawn down” add a further sense of impending doom to the
The author uses many techniques to fully reveal Gabriel's character. Gabriel is portrayed as a thoughtful shallow man. He realizes he is a failure of a husband. Through symbolism the reader sees the emotions that are personified onto the objects around the setting. Gabriel is watching his wife sleep. Symbolism comes in clutch because the reader infers that the name Gabriel has something to do with God. Anything relating God has life. The title of this narration is “The Dead.” Along the story, he says his “Aunt Kate would be sitting beside him, crying and blowing her nose...” This symbolizes an upcoming death that will bring everyone to tears. Gabriels name is a reference to a fallen angel. Additionally, this quote introduces a new character, “but he knew that it was no longer the face for which Michael …show more content…
“It hardly pained him now to think how poor a part he, her husband, had played in her life.” What a terrible thing to realize. “A petticoat string dangled to the floor.” This quote brings sentiments of loss and relinquishment. His emotions are overturning and he can't help but to feel at a loss. “He wondered at his riot of emotions…” He was clearly shook that his life was not going as planned. Gabriel points out the location of his wife’s boots. “One boot stood upright, its limp upper fallen down: the fellow of it lay upon its side.” Using imagery, he pulls our attention on the atmosphere of the narration. The feelings of despair and abandonment are an external way of showing how Gabriel really feels. “The blinds would be drawn down” add a further sense of impending doom to the