The Dead Essay

Submitted By 15wrighta
Words: 651
Pages: 3
Open Document
Amanda Wright
Mr. D'Ambrosio
AP English Literature/Comp, Period 5
07 November 2014
"The Dead" "Yes, yes: that would happen very soon." Indeed, very soon and in such little time one is able to understand the character of Gabriel on a deeper level. In just a few short paragraphs James Joyce is able to provide for us, through clever words, techniques, diction, motifs, and imagery, tremendous insight into who Gabriel truly is as a person in the short story, "The Dead." By using third person narration with a stream of consciousness, Joyce enabled the readers to delve deep into the mind of Gabriel, allowing the audience to grasp an understanding of the character's inner qualities. The use of a third person narrator reveals Gabriel's detachment from his marriage. He looks at his wife "as though he and she had never lived together as man and wife." This allows the audience to infer that Gabriel and his wife are not as close as a happily married couple should generally be. Joyce uses another technique, stream of consciousness, to describe the emotions and thoughts that Gabriel is experiencing while observing his wife as she is sleeping. As he looks at her, he remarks on her physical appearance as he "thought of what she must have been then, in the time of her first girlish beauty." These words leave the readers wondering if the characters were once two people in a loving relationship that became weak due to the struggles of life. Also revealed are a few character traits of Gabriel's, weakness and cowardice. He thinks to himself while looking at his wife's face, "it was no longer the face for which Michael Furey had braved death." This statement unveils the fact that Gabriel is a coward who will not give up his life for a loved one. These words along with "she had had that romance in her life: a man had died for her sake," reveal to the reader that Gabriel's wife was once very much in love with another man who died to save her life. The imagery throughout the story aids in the creation of the mood but also allows to readers to concur that Gabriel is an observer. As he looks around the room he takes note of the clothes flung carelessly in the room, "One boot stood upright, its limp upper fallen down: the fellow of it lay upon its side." The motif "limp" represents Gabriel's weakness as a man. Another example of imagery is "dressed in black, his silk hat on his knees." This image leads the readers to picture
Show More

Related Documents: The Dead Essay

The Dead Living And Dead

The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion…

Words 3137 - Pages 13

The Dead Essay

“The Dead” Essay Ngan Nguyen Hour 1 “The Dead” “The Dead” by James Joyce is a captivating short story that move many readers today. This uneventful but beautifully written modern literature has spontaneity, precise language, and most importantly, an ambiguous ending. Through Gabriel’s speech, Joyce reveals Gabriel’s true character, Dublin’s dying city, and the theme of self­awareness. Gabriel’s speech emphasizes his disconnection with the world and his arrogance. In the beginning, it seems like he is happily married…

Words 877 - Pages 4

God's Not Dead

The film “God’s not Dead” is a popular Christian film produced by Russell Wolfe, co-founder of the Christian entertainment company known as Pure Flix. (Lowe 2015) Wolfe’s purpose for making this film, as well as all the others, was to change our culture one heart at a time. (Winston 2015) The movie jumps to different scenarios of where people are having problems putting their faith in God. This gives the movie a way to easily reach out to many different people facing similar issues. The primary…

Words 746 - Pages 3

Essay on The Dead

“The Dead” (published in 1914), is the longest and final short story of all of James Joyce’s collection; Dubliners. It is considered to be one of the most beautifully produced stories and is thought to be “the masterpiece of Joyce’s most accessible collection of work.” The final paragraph is recognized to be the greatest paragraph of all time in English literature and is listed at number eleven on the “ 100 Best Last Lines from Novels” on the American Book Review. In this paragraph, Joyce is…

Words 523 - Pages 3

the dead Essay

The Dead The short story "The Dead" deals with the significance of life. This title is significant and develops several aspects of the story. First it reveals that the characters are unable to be emotional, they are physically living but emotionally dead. Second it subsidizes to the main subject of the story, Gabriel's epiphany. The title contributes to these facets of the story by adding meaning and acting as a reminder of the overall theme of the story. It also shows us how Gabriel tries to fit…

Words 564 - Pages 3

Spiritually Dead

spiritually dead. To be spiritually dead means people are unable to resolve that trouble and let it go. They make it become a central event in their life and can’t forget or forgive by anyway. It is difficult to heal their injury because it is locked into the past. For example, when a child is abandoned, his spirit which will be injured makes him hate his natural parents and also refuse the love of anyone for him. “The Dead” is one of the famous stories of James Joyce about spiritually dead. It takes…

Words 902 - Pages 4

Mound Of The Dead

Mohenjo-daro, also known as "Mound of the Dead" (1), was once the largest city amongst the four ancient civilizations and which a max population of about five million (1). It is one of the most important civilizations of South Asia (2). The city was laid out along a grid; there were eleven blocks belonging to residents and the twelfth street was dedicated to the fortress (1). It is located in Pakistan near the Indus River (2). The river provided to be very reliable because it would have a bi-annual…

Words 294 - Pages 2

The Dead Imagery

In James Joyce’s story The Dead, Gabriel Conroy is known by his family members to take the reins and control many situations. For example, at the party he volunteered to carve the goose and prepared a long speech to give at the supper table. Ultimately, Gabriel portrays an immense amount of confidence in himself, especially during the holiday party. However, after being partnered with Miss Ivors for the waltz, he finds himself unable to properly answer her questions and began ranting about his boredom…

Words 646 - Pages 3

walking dead Essay

Walking dead short write The article “walking dead”: still a white patriarchy explains the problems with racism and sexism in the show “Walking dead.” It’s first example is the child in the show named Carl. Throughout the seasons we see Carl grow and now being a mere teenager he posses some of the most authority in the group. This is because unlike the older women in the group he is a male and not a female. That was just one example of how the show has become increasingly sexist. The women in…

Words 365 - Pages 2

Analysis Of Randall Kenan's Let The Dead Bury Their Dead

Randall Kenan’s story “Let the Dead Bury Their Dead” is a story about the origins of a town called Tearshirt which is now known as Tim’s Creek and a mound that’s located in the town. The story starts with a slave named Pharaoh and through his set of skills he could convince his master Senator Owen Cross to give him a high position within his plantation. Pharaoh took advantage of his position to learn the land and smuggle weapons to other slaves within the plantation and one day they revolted leaving…

Words 232 - Pages 1