The Dead" is a story saturated in music. In it, the Morkan women - Aunt Julia, Aunt Kate, niece Mary Jane, all music teachers - are giving their annual Yuletide fete, complete with song and dance. Most of the "The Dead" takes place at a Christmas party in Dublin about a century ago. The annual celebrations is right around Christmas time and takes place in a very traditional Irish fashion.
             Among the guests is their nephew Gabriel Conroy, a teacher and writer who acts as a somewhat pompous master of the rebels. In my view he is one of the main characters and a lot of focus is put on the annual speech he is giving at the dinner feast as well as the influence that someone from the dead has on his life. Gabriel does not want to be identified with Ireland. He wants to be identified as a citizen of the world. His arrogance is revealed in his interaction with others.
             A primary example would be the way he treats his wife Gretta as an object. The images reflect Gabriel's ego in a sense, at the same for his marital relationship, and at the end death, which may not be physical but spiritual. Gabriel who is tallish and stout symbolizes authority and also wants to be perfect for all times. He suffers from a mental block, which makes him believe that he is more superior and different than others are. Gabriel believes the others in the room might have a hard time understanding his speech. He's built a screen around himself, which stops him from identifying himself with the "common" people.
             Much of the evening is given over to song. Because each of the main characters sings a party piece, the temptation is to go with the flow and drift into soft Victorian nostalgia. Many of these songs reveal truths about the guests' lives or the inner workings of their hearts.
             Aunt Julia's expresses the touching memory of a lost love while the delicate intimacy of the love between Gretta and Gabriel can almost be felt. This assu
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