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What causes Gretta’s strange mood at the end of “The Dead”?
At the close of the annual party hosted by Kate, Julia, and Mary Jane Morkan, D’Arcy sings “The Lass of Aughrim,” a song that Gretta’s long deceased childhood love used to sing to her. Gretta grows nostalgic, and her husband Gabriel, unaware of the cause, finds his wife’s mysterious, absent mood intensely attractive. Later in the hotel room Gretta explains, “I am thinking about a person long ago who used to sing that song. . . . It was a young boy I used to know . . . named Michael Furey.” When Gabriel grows jealous, she tells him that the boy is dead and that he died for her. Gabriel is disturbed by his wife’s disclosure and contemplates his own mortality.
Why is Gabriel apprehensive about quoting Robert Browning in his speech?
Gabriel believes that he is better educated and better read than the rest of the partygoers and does not think that the guests would appreciate a reference to a Victorian poet. Gabriel is a self-conscious individual and he is not keen to draw attention to anything that will set him apart from the rest of the group.
Who are the Three Graces?
Gabriel refers to Julia, Kate, and Mary Jane as the Three Graces. This is a reference to the Three Graces from Greek and Roman mythology—they were the goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity, goodwill, and fertility.
Is “The Dead” a novella?
Due to its length, some consider “The Dead” a novella. However, here it is classified as a short story because it is the final text in the short story collection Dubliners.
What is a West Briton?
A West Briton is a person in Ireland who sympathizes with and supports the English. Molly Ivors calls Gabriel a West Briton while they dance because he writes for a conservative paper and because he is not interested in connecting with the Irish language.
