With Life There's Always Death

When I read Joyce's "Araby" I found myself a bit lost. As I read, Joyce's "The Dead," I found myself wondering about the idea of the story. I feel that Joyce is an eccentric writer. He's writes in deep conversation with his characters. Joyce leads you to wonder about the reasoning for certain things in the story. I feel that that is why the story can cause you to be confused. I am glad Joyce at least gives you an idea of when and where the story took place. You can at least picture the characters interacting in a specific setting.

After reading about ten pages of Joyce's "The Dead," I assumed it was only a story about an annual family get together. The peculiar family in the story was enjoying the festivities of dance, song, conversation and dinner. Gabriel, who I find to be the main character in the story, seems to be having a hard time throughout the get together. It all started, "As Lily, the caretaker, helps him of with his overcoat. He jokes that she will probably be married someday soon, but he is confused and taken aback by a bitter reply. He can only thrust a coin at her to resolve an awkward situation and even this gesture is more insulting that considerate."(Begnal) This is how Gabriel's night started. As the fest continued, the rest of the family seemed to enjoy the company of each other. Gabriel then comes in contact with Mrs. Ivors, a guest at the party, and has another falling out. She asked him questions, such as, "Why he would go to France and Belgium, instead of his own country?" This question, a long with the entire conversation with Mrs. Ivors worked on his nerve. Not only did Gabriel have to deal with thinking about the mishaps with Lily and Mrs. Ivors, but he was worried about having to give a speech at dinner. From what I concluded his speech didn't go over well either.

At the end of the party, it seemed that he would finally be able to relax with his wife, Gretta. He and his wife went to their hotel room. He had hopes of being intimate with her, but it seemed she had other things on her mind. Before Gabriel and Gretta left the party, Mr. D'Arcy, another guest at the party, sang a song that touched Gretta. Gretta then told Gabriel that the song was sang by a man that use to love her, named Micheal Furey. I feel Gretta must have loved Gabriel to be able to tell him the story of Micheal Furey. The story of Micheal and his wife made Gabriel realize that she had loved another. This hurt Gabriel even though Gretta told him Micheal was dead. I think that Gabriel felt like he was nothing at this point. He then spoke of his aunts dying and that he would join them soon. "Rather than striving to celebrat his own life for what it is, with its significant milestones that have accured over the years, he gives up passively to the sleep that absolves him from the responsibility of objective self-examination: His soul had approached that region where dwell the vast hosts of the dead. He was conscious of, but could not apprehend, their wayward and flickering existence."(Begnal)

This story was hard for me to blog on. Even after this is published I will go back and reread the story of Joyce's "The Dead" for more understanding about the purpose and meaning behind it all.

WORK CITIED
Micheal H. Begnal, "The Dead: Overview" in Reference Guide to Short Fiction, 1st ed., edited by Noelle Watson, St. James Press, 1994.