Essay on Vitality and Death in James Joyces The Dead

Vitality and Death in The Dead In his short story The Dead, James Joyce creates a strong contrast between Gabriel, who is emotionally lifeless, and the other guests, who are physically aging and near death. Though physical mortality is inevitable, Joyce shows that emotional sterility is not, and Gabriel ultimately realizes this and decides that he must follow his passions. Throughout the story, a strong focus on death and mortality, a focus that serves as a constant reminder of our inevitable end of physical life, is prevalent in Joyces selection of details. In the story, the unconquerable death ultimately triumphs over life, but it brings a triumph for the central character, not a loss. Despite the presence of death, the†¦show more content†¦was gray; and gray also, with darker shadows, was her large flaccid face (2348). She adds little to the conversations, but she does exhibit her exuberance when she sings with all her youthful vigor, hailed as her best performance yet as Mr. Browne exclaims, Miss Juli a Morkan my latest discovery! (2356) Joyce sarcastically describes Aunt Kate’s face as being healthier than her sister’s, ...all puckers and creases (2348). She is livelier than her sister, though, and argues with her niece about the honour of God. Without shame, she fiercely criticizes the pope, a sentiment that takes much fortitude to assert. Mr. Browne is no exception to this pattern of death, as he sports a wizened face that reveals many wrinkles upon smiling. However, he has quite a character, as he youthfully jests that he is the man for the ladies. He is consistent with this claim as he is quite social with the ladies, and even proceeds at one point, gallantly escorting Aunt Julia. He is not afraid to seize life, take a risk, as he pours himself a glass of whisky. He even says perhaps the funniest line of the story, when he interjects with a pun, I hope... that I’m brown enough for you because, you know, I’m all brown. (2360) Death, besides being present in the form of the characters mortality, also dominates much of the conversation, such as the brief discussion of an order of monks where they got up atShow MoreRelatedEnglish Final1503 Words   |  7 PagesKaitlyn Simpson W0436017 Dr. Gibson English 231-04 Archaic Lore in â€Å"The Horse Dealer’s Daughter† and â€Å"The Dead† Intro: Id texts and subject. Thesis: D.H. Lawerence and James Joyce use archaic lore in their stories â€Å"The Horse Dealers Daughter†, and â€Å"The Dead†. Storytakes place in English midlands, four sibling late 20’s sittng around family home. -- D. H. Lawrence’s stories have the sense that they’re ritualistic; his rough home life. He had a God awful dysfunctional family. His mom and dad wereRead More Comparing the Women in Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and Ulysses3142 Words   |  13 PagesUlysses    Joyces depiction of women is characterized by a high degree of literary self-consciousness, perhaps even more so than in the rest of his work. The self-consciousness emerges as an awareness of both genre and linguistic expectations. contrasting highly self-conscious, isolated literary men (or men with literary aspirations) with women who follow more romantic models, even stereotypes. In Dubliners, Joyce utilizes a clichà ©d story of doomed love ending in death-physical or spiritual-inRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesUniversity Jann Freed, Central College Crissie Frye, Eastern Michigan University Diane Galbraith, Slippery Rock University Carolyn Gardner, Radford University Janice Gates, Western Illinois University Ellen Kaye Gehrke, Alliant International University James Gelatt, University of Maryland University College Joe Gerard, University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee Matthew Giblin, Southern Illinois University Donald Gibson, Fairfield University Cindi Gilliland, The University of Arizona Mary Giovannini, Truman State