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What is the difference between the living and the dead? Is simply walking, breathing, and going through the motions of a living being applicable enough for one to be called alive, or are such unemotional, detached actions more appropriate for the dead? James Joyce deals with such questions in the novella The Dead, as he portrays a story of the living dead, in which the antagonist, Gabriel, comes to the realization of his false attempts at full livelihood. Through Gabriel, Joyce illuminates the struggles and tensions that live within the human spirit as he brings about this central theme.
As Gabriel attends Misses Morgan annual dance, the full force of Gabriel's incomplete knowledge of himself, his country, and his wife, are illuminated. This lack of self becomes obvious to Gabriel, as he reaches his epiphany towards the end of the story. As Gabriel is first introduced, he is shown interacting with a symbol of the living dead -- Lily. Lily, the caretakers daughter is described as having a pale complexion (Joyce 327), implying a deathly state, and her name, no less, is of the flower that is commonly symbolic of a funeral. In addition to discovering that Lily is no longer in school, Gabriel discovers that Lily has no intentions of marrying, and for that matter, no intentions of furthering her life. Hence, she will always be nothing more than the caretakers daughter.
As Lily's tone grew bitter as a result of Gabriel's prying questions, Gabriel coloured (328) as he was embarrassed the he had insulted her. Gabriel realized both his failure to appear perfectly agreeable, and the possibility of being inclusive among those men that Lily denounced -- those men she would not marry who were of all palaver and what they can get out of you (328). This remark triggered an uneasy realization in Gabriel, in that it dawned on him that he too was a man of all palaver and no action, with intentions that were not always as they seemed. As Gabriel was a man of all talk and no action, he talks the talk that the people want to hear regardless of whether or not he agrees with what he is saying. In addition, he never openly acts upon his own ideals, and is therefore a man of no action. And as for intentions, it becomes evident at the end of the story that Gabriel was clearly not married to his wife out of love, as in fact he was married to her out of lust.
As Gabriel felt like a failure and did not want to be perceived as anything other than a total success, he trusted a gold coin into Lily's hand in hopes of exiting smoothly from the previously heated situation. Gabriel has entered into the land of the dead, as he compromises his true self for the approval of others, and as he is one step closer to the realization of his own meaningless life. While Gabriel tries to pass in a world where he is not fully comfortable being himself, he outwardly pretends to be a someone he is not. He is living this double life in which his outward self expresses noting of his true inner self. Although it is evident that he does have opinions of his own, he looks for the approval of others instead of from himself. Gabriel's contradiction from within is evident when he contemplates what quote to center his speech around.
As Gabriel pondered, The indelicate clacking of the mens heels and the shuffling of their sole reminded him that their grade of culture differed from his. (328). Gabriel thought of himself as an educated man who was far superior to those bungling men that surrounded him. Gabriel thought He would only make himself ridiculous by quoting poetry to them which they could not understand (328). Deferring to the lesser educated people at the party, Gabriel chose a simple quote that everyone would understand, instead of the quote that he truly wanted to use. As Gabriel tries to be the epitome of all men, he realizes that he must compromise his own ideals and ways of thinking in order to achieve this status. He can speak as the educated man that he really is and be as he called himself, an utter failure (328), or he can sacrifice himself and speak to those around him and be a success.
Gabriel is stuck between two conflicting images of who he wants to be -- himself, or who others want Because Gabriel has lost touch with his Irish roots he does not wholly understand himself. He feels Ireland is not as civilized as, for example England, and he therefore feels too superior to be inwardly comfortable with his old fashioned heritage. Now Gabriel, on the other hand, was very modern compared to those around him, and he seemed to keep up with the new trends on the continent (330), as he arrived at the party wearing galoshes. Gabriel was the only person wearing them at the party, and Gabriel's Aunt Julia didnt even know what they were. In addition, Gabriel also took up writing for The Daily Express, an English newspaper.
Although he only signed his initials, G. C. , in hopes that no one of Irish acclaim would recognize his name. Although someone did -- Miss Ivors. Now arent you ashamed of yourself? , exclaimed Miss Ivors. And of course she went on to accuse him of being a West Briton (334), even though Gabriel did not claim to be loyal to the English. As their conversation continued, Miss Ivors invited Gabriel for an excursion to the Aran Isles -- islands off of Galway.
Gabriel declined as he had previously arranged to go for a cycling tour outside of Ireland. Miss Ivors was distraught at the fact that Gabriel would visit other countries instead of visiting [his] own. (335). As Gabriel became extremely bothered with the conversing going on he exclaimed, Im sick of my own country, sick of it (335). Gabriel did not care to acknowledge the Irish in him.
He obviously did not know the part of himself that he would have known if he took pride in, and honestly participated in his Irish roots. Aside from Gabriel...
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Research essay sample on End Of The Story Educated Man
