At first, the author does a good job painting a picture of how close Gabriel and Gretta are. They seem to be having a great time from laughing at inside jokes to bonding with family, but then Micheal Fury is brought up. The mood shifts and their relationship isn’t the same as before. It seems as if Gretta marries Gabriel in order to settle down and to embrace the tradition of marriage. In reality, Gabriel is merely a replacement and an extension of Micheal Fury for Gretta. They were never meant to be as Gretta’s love for Micheal Fury was much more meaningful and pure.
3 thoughts on “What do you make of the fact that we learn a great deal about Gretta’s youth at the end of the story? How does this change your view of Gretta and her relationship with Gabriel?”
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You made a very good point about the relationship between Gretta and Gabriel not being the same anymore. Gabriel was shocked when Gretta mentioned and cried about Michael Furey. I understand why you say that Gabriel is a replacement for Michael Furey in the marriage with Gretta. I also think Gabriel will agree with you because he thinks Gretta is not fully in love with him. If Michael Furey did not die, then he would’ve been the one marrying her.
I had the same thought, feeling, and interpretations when I finished reading the entire story. I also think that Gabriel and Gretta’s marriage was more of an arranged marriage because Gretta don’t seem to put any efforts in the relationship as much as Gabriel does. Joyce depicted Gretta’s true side as an depressed married woman toward the end of the story. Gabriel was indeed like a replacement of Michael and he wasn’t nearly as great as Michael according to Gretta’s past. The same can be seen in your last sentence, if Michael didn’t end up in that tragedy, this entire event/story would turn out to be much more different compared to the original.
Correction: I had the same thoughts and interpretations when I read the entire story. I also think that Gabriel and Gretta’s marriage was more of an arranged marriage because Gretta don’t seem to put in any efforts in the relationship as much as Gabriel does. Joyce depicted Gretta’s true side as a depressed married woman toward the end of the story. Gabriel was indeed Michael’s replacement and he wasn’t nearly as great as Michael according to Gretta’s past. The same can be seen in your ending thought, if Michael didn’t end up in that tragedy, this entire event/story would turn out to be much more different compared to the original.