Essay: (5) The Title The Dead obviously refers to the figure of Michael Furey. Or does

it? Discuss who you believe to be the “dead” of the title..

This essay is regarding the above statement based in the story of the Book The

Dubliners: The Dead by James Joyce. The title make us think what is the relation

between it and all the events that can appear in the story, the title make the reader

reflect about this relation during all the story. But in the end it’s shown the dead is not

referring to Michael Furey, a dead man loved by main character’s wife in her

younghood, who makes to define what is alive and dead in life and in dead. Michael

Furey’s dead presence makes the main character reflect about his own life and what

being dead really means, semantically or pragmatically speaking.

The first clue that shows us the literal life is when the story begins; it is shown in a

party. Gabriel Conroy and Gretta, his wife go to visit his family in Dublin. They attend to

a party at his aunts’ home. During this party some events make him think about the life

after the party, in the hotel he thinks about the dead.

The Conroys are very well received by their hostes and most of the people in the party.

But then, during the party when Mrs. Ivors, the only one who did not like Gabriel’s

behavior during the latest time, finished his little chat and dance with Gabriel while he

met his wife again and tells her he was asked and invited to go for a trip to the west of

Ireland and he had said he wouldn’t and his wife clasped her hands excitedly and gave

a little jump praying him to go…he coldly answered she could go if she liked. When

Mrs. Ivors left the party her wife didn’t realize about the situation. All these events show

a very literally alive life.

During the next steps it is shown the difference of life and dead when Conroys were on

their way to the hotel Gretta was walking on before him so lightly and so erect that he

longed to run after her noiselessly, Moments of their secret life together burst like stars

upon his memory. He watches all the way back and thinks then to be alone with her.

During this trip Gretta was almost staring at lots of things but seemed to be lost in her

own thoughts as she would tell him later in the hotel room. Meanwhile, he has been

thinking about a honeymoon they could have in the hotel. But entering into the room in

the hotel, she was lost in her own thoughts again and he couldn’t catch her attention

and make her come to him. He even thinks she is annoyed about something. When

she started to tell him what she was thinking of he feels betrayed by her. Gretta’s

thoughts could not be focused on him but on her reminiscing with the dead Michael

Furey and, that makes everything get a frame, that is of extreme importance. This

Furey was dead, but he was so alive in her memory. (Page 230) “ The smiled passed

away from Gabriel’s face. A dull anger began to gather again at the back of his mind

and the dull fires of his lust began to grow angrily in his veins.”…(page231) And Gabriel

thinks about their trip home, while he had been full of memories of their shared past,

"she had been comparing him in her mind with another." His rage gives way to shame

and self-degradation: he sees himself as "a ludicrous figure,... therefore, Furey was

alive in her mind. Michael Furey is the final eruption of the past in her.

These last stanzas show that all these feelings are replaced by shame and that leads

to the thoughts of dead/alive. Gabriel is realizing what happens in his proper life.

Gabriel realizes very clearly he has been in another stage meanwhile he has no idea

who his wife is, what she feels, what she thinks and what she wants for life. This

realization also brings truth of himself; he is not who he thought he was. He is a

pathetic human being, more dead than alive. He could not win the dead that was more

alive than he ever. He was almost no contendant, no strong, not even a good company

for her, he could have been felt empty and alone, worst than dead and the dead brings

out new realizations of Gabriel’s life and interfere with the way he is living it. He feels

destroyed, defeated, dead.

While the title of the book says the topic is the dead the book shows what we consider

the alive and dead people are. Semantically or pragmatically thought. Living deads or

dead alived. Furey is not dead in Gretta’s mind and Gabriel is the dead and all the

other ones. Aren.t they? Who are the dead ones?

Woks Cited

“Thee Dubliners”, “The Dead”, James Joyce