James Joyce’s “The Dead” is a reknown known famous fiction long story and considered one of the best stories from his Dubliner’s collection. He uses literary techniques to have readers thinking if he is spiritually dead or has experienced a reawakening. The main character is Gabriel. He is too smart for his own good and his mouth seems to always get him in trouble with his blunt remarks. This attitude Gabriel possesses has mad many other authors and winters to believe he is a sexist when in fact Gabriel is just a man who by the end of the story through his humbling experience with his wife, realized his ego got the best of him. When Gabriel and his wife arrives Lily helps him with his things, so to start a conversation he…show more content… He is afraid that the guests will think he is trying to be superior over them due to his social class and doesn't want to make himself even more displeasing as he did Lily. This self conscious lends to “win” the approval of the guests doesn't make Gabriel a sextist. He knows that he is a teacher/writer and a bit more educated than his family and friends and want to be seen as their equal not as a foolish know it all. Gabriel is aware he is the black sheep and he takes that into consideration when making his speech trying not to push anyone's…show more content… “she was walking before him so lightly and so erect that he longed to run around her noisiness, catch her by the shoulders and say something foolish and affectionate into her ear” (Joyce). Gabriel realized how beautiful his wife is and wanted to make her feel warm and show her compassion. When his wife explains to him that the song played made her think of Michael Furey. He was madly in love with her and she with him. Gabriel felt frozen with shock that his wife in self conscious mind thinks of another man and not him. He blames himself for his ego and always feeling the need to see himself as an ludicrous figure. To conclude Gabriel is not a sexist but instead a man torn between his ego and Infatuation of being this precarious figure and being a man who is there for his wife emotionally and affectionately. He realizes too late that he lacked passion and truly didn't live life because he never had real love. Gabriel is not a sexist or some patriarchal figure but instead a man blinded by his ego and realizes through an epiphany with his wife that he was living
