The Dead from the collection of Dubliners by James Joyce is a short story that narrates a grandiose celebration of an annual New Year’s dinner party hosted at the Morkan’s house by two elder Irish aunts, who invite numerous people, including their favorite nephew Gabriel Conroy, the main character, and his wife Gretta. In the beginning, the caretaker’s daughter Lily greets Gabriel, but Gabriel annoys her by questioning about her romantic relationships. After chatting with two drunkards, Mr. Browne and Freddy Malins, Gabriel meets his colleague, Miss Ivors, who stigmatizes him for not loving his home country and abandoning Ireland. During choir and dancing performances and dinner, Gabriel remains active with his compliments, speeches, and telling stories about life. However, he spots Gretta’s thoughtful mood, which makes him feel puzzled with suspicion. Leaving the party toward their hotel, Gretta suddenly bursts into tears because she hears a familiar song played during the party which makes her reminisce of a former lover, Michael Furey, who sang the same song. Feeling stunned, Gabriel falls into deep uncomfortable jealousy about his wife’s past relationship.
Throughout Irish cultural history, there has been an emblematic stereotype of women in society. Women are believed to be responsible for performing the dominant role of being a housewife, serving their husbands and supporting the whole family in daily life. This unfair gender inequality agitates many Irish females because they dislike men’s attitude toward them and feel seriously despised and underestimated of their actual ability. In The Dead, a typical representative of a middle-aged man, Gabriel, is both shocked and embarrassed by three women: Lily, Miss Ivors, and Gretta. Starting the conversation, everything appears fine with Gabriel having a conservant, mannered attitude toward the maid Lily till the point where he inquired about her marriage, which angers Lily because it makes her possess a feeling that a young lady has nothing to do but wait for marriage. Her sharp response of “The man that is now is only all palaver and what they can get out of you.” ironically satirizes Gabriel’s useless sensational outpourings toward his wife. Compared to Lily’s reaction, the Irish nationalist Miss Ivors seems to criticize Gabriel even more for his unpatriotic manner. When Gabriel loses his patience and claims that he never feels any shame or disgrace of himself because he’s sick of his own country, Miss Ivors decides to skip dinner and leave the party. Gretta’s bygone love with Michael Furey shocks Gabriel the hardest. The song “The Lass of Aughrim” is engraved in Gretta’s memory. The quotes “ I think he died for me” and “he died when he was only seventeen…” implies Gretta undergoing pain, sympathy, and nostalgia of her young, former lover, who is willing to sacrifice his life for her. This makes Gabriel contemplate his relation with Gretta; he never feels ungrudging to die for his wife, rather, their hearts are seldomly faithful, only with seemingly affections. Evidently, women back in Irish history receive no understanding and respect from men.
Anti-patriotism refers to people with cosmopolitan views, usually opposing the nationalism of their home country. These people are considered as anti-nationalist due to their hatred of the lagging government system. Gabriel Conroy is a representative of a high-class anti-nationalist, who feels superior to other European nations, except Ireland. According to Miss Ivors, he attempts to escape from his own nation by planning on travels to other countries instead of the Irish isle. His job is writing literary columns of the anti-nationalist in Daily Express every week.
He wants himself alienated from traditional Irish cultural life. In the story, the ironic symbol of “gollosh”, a shoe product from the continent, suggests Gabriel’s pretense of high-quality luxuries in front of his two ignorant aunts. During his speech, Gabriel sticks to his appreciation of Shakespear’s literature, rather than Irish. Anti-nationalism is widespread in Ireland. Not only Gabriel, but many other famous Irish singers, escape to developed foreign cities like Paris, London, and Milan. However, those anti-nationalist have no true realization of the outside world; they simply detest Ireland and categorize everything as attractive except for their home country, revealing their own nescience and ridiculous conceit.
Examining the title The Dead, death stands as an important theme of the entire story. In life, death is inevitable and inescapable. However, death can be interpreted not only physically (people already dead), but also spiritually, often called the “walking dead”. In the story, death symbols the decline of society. The setting of the cold, bitter winter and the falling snow symbol the indiscriminate nature of death and the dying season, where elderly people easily catch diseases. For example, the two alcoholic men Mr. Browne and Freddy Malins, live on wine instead of life because they view life as unmeaningful. Even though their bodies remain alive, their spirits are long gone. The death of people greatly influences the living ones too. After the death of Patrick Morkan, Aunt Kate and Julia decided to move into a dark gaunt house on Usher’s Island. Gabriel’s mother, although responsible for nurturing two successful children, was not a good mother-in-law by opposing Gabriel’s marriage. Michael Furey’s death was the reason for Gretta's uncontrollable crying, which resulted in her suffering for many years. Grandpa Patrick’s horse, once taken out of the mill, forever walked in circles. The horse resembles Gabriel because once they’re released for freedom, they fail to learn how to live by sticking to the old things.
Stories like The Dead in the Dubliner’s story collection strongly reveal complicated social situations occurring in Ireland. The Dead includes several aspects of death, femininity, and anti-nationalism. Lots of comparisons are made in the story, all hidden in the symbol of the “window”. The window indicates a metaphorical barrier between the living and the dead, between passion and emptiness, and the separation between warmth and coldness. The last description of the falling snow story expresses a meaningless life, blanketing everyone in Ireland.
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