Subjects:
readers, especially those who are familiar with the political situation in
Ireland at the time about which the Joyce wrote the final story in
Dubliners. In exploring the meaning of James Joyce's long short-story,
"The Dead", there are many critical approaches to take. Each approach
gives readers a lens, a set of guidelines through which to examine and
express ideas of the meaning of "The Dead." Joyce himself said that the
idea of paralysis was his intended them of all the stories in The Dubliners
of which "The Dead" is the final story.Of all critical approaches, reader
response works best for me. This approach examines the images, symbols,
point-of-view, characterization and setting of "The Dead" in such a way as
to reveal the theme of paralysis that Joyce intended. The two characters
that appeal to me are, Gabriel and his wife Gretta who are invited every
year to a family gathering by Gabriels two aunts on New Years eve. Gabriel,
who is a university professor, does not want to be identified with Ireland.
He wants to be identifies as a citizen of the world.
His arrogance is revealed in his interaction with others. A
. . .
world comes hurdling down when Gretta informs him that she has been
thinking about her life when she was an adolescent and had a seventeen
year old boy who was madly in love with her. Snow also
plays a major role as it interprets the reader to be on the alert, as
things at the end are not going to be as smooth as Gabriel had predicted. Despite the fact that he was
suffering from tuberculosis, he waited in the rain just to have a glimpse
of her.
In conclusion the narrators attitude towards the events is perhaps
how he wants the reader to interpret the events. " The "…polished lenses and the bright gilt rims of the
glasses which screened his delicate and restless eyes…. At this moment Gabriel realizes that he has failed as a
husband and that his ideas about love and relationships were all wrong and
he was not as perfect as he thought he was.
This seen in the shift of mood when after the party had concluded, Gabriel
and his wife are heading towards the hotel and he's in a very romantic mood
and looking forward to a night of romance. He's built
a screen around himself, which stops him from identifying himself with the
"Common Man. Rabinowitz informs one that in reader response
criticism the "…activity of reading always alters the text at hand. "A Symbol of Something": Interpretive Vertigo in "The
Dead. Gabriel who is tallish and stout symbolizes authority and also
wants to be perfect for all times. This aggravated his condition and eventually he died.
Essay's Topics
All research is for reference purposes only.