Joyce “The Dead”

How does Joyce depict the differences between Gabriel and the other characters in the story? How are they similar and different? 

In “The Dead,” Gabriel Conroy’s behaviors and thoughts label him as a man of authority and caution. The description of Gabriel demonstrate that he’s wealthy and comes from a highly intellectual background. He’s a man of status and even his attire is nothing short of it with his “polished lenses” and “hair parted in the middle” (3). From the interactions of Gabriel, it seems as though he lacks social skills. This could be seen with his interactions with Lily. He decided to engage in small talk with Lily and she suddenly became defensive when asked about her love life. As a result, Gabriel ended the conversation immediately and compensated Lily with a tip. This goes to show that there’s this class distinction between Gabriel and Lily. Gabriel is unable to connect and relate to others such as Lily and he tries to compensate in his own way, which in this case was to rely on his wealth. He immediately seeks comfort in his education and wealth to rectify unexpected situations that occur. Similar to his aunts, he doesn’t know how to respond and accept “back answers”. It puts him in an awkward position and doesn’t know how to respond, which is seen in his interactions with Lily and Miss Ivors. Also, Gabriel doesn’t seem like he interacts much with anyone unless he absolutely has to. In the story, he’s mostly seen thinking to himself and worrying about his own thing rather than engaging in the party that’s currently happening. Instead of interacting with guests, Gabriel is busy worrying about his speech and what others will think of him. Even when he’s engaging with the party activities, he’s the odd one out. For example, when everyone’s gathering for desserts, Gabriel is seen eating celery as opposed to the pudding. All of his characteristics points to social isolation and unable to interact normally with others.