Commentary on “ The Dead” Dubliners, a collection of short stories by James Joyce is set in the early twentieth century Dublin. Dubliners overwhelms its’ readers with the harsh realities of Ireland’s culture during this chaotic period of time. In the final story, “ The Dead”, readers are introduced to Gabriel Conroy, the favorite nephew of the Morkan sisters, who are hosting their annual party celebrating the ‘ Feast of the Epiphany’. Being perceived as Protestant during a Catholic affair, Gabriel comes across various conflicts throughout the evening, that expose more of his personality.
Ultimately, Gabriel becomes the first, and only protagonist of all Joyce’s stories to have his own realization. This realization is identified in the last three paragraphs of the story, highlighting the difference between Gabriel and the other protagonists. It occurs after the party has ended and he is alone with his wife Gretta in a hotel room, during which he feels a major shift in Gretta’s manners. He discovers she had been reminiscing about her teenage lover who had died many years ago, which puzzles, shocks, and saddens Gabriel. This revelation about Gretta’s past gives Gabriel an opportunity to examine himself, that causes him to come to terms with his own truth.
This passage concludes this story by giving his final thoughts about his new understanding of himself. In this excerpt, Joyce uses imagery, repetition and metaphors to emphasize Gabriel’s epiphany and conclude Dubliners. In the first paragraph, Joyce uses slow and steady imagery to create the feeling of every movement and thought that Gabriel has is carefully premeditated, and executed with caution. “ He stretched himself cautiously along under the sheets and lay down beside his wife” (412) This initiated a requirement of reading the passage with the same state of mind as Joyce had in writing it. Before this passage begins, Gretta explains how her lover perished because he did not want to live without her, which.
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