In the story, the dead are often mentioned as living around the living. Such as Gabriel’s mother and Gretta’s dead lover Michael Furey. They become vivid because of the constant memories of the living people, and affect the life and thoughts of the living. On the other side, the living people are numb like the walking dead, such as the monks who have no essential difference in life from the dead.
To some extent, Gabriel’s speech reflects his self-contradictory and evasive psychology, and sets off his contradiction in the embarrassing situation. The speech is hypocritical and full of insincere words. He praises the tradition of Irish hospitality, but he is tired of such life. also, we can feel that his speech is in stark contrast to his wife’s story. Therefore, after listening to Gretta’s story, Gabriel began to truly reflect and evaluate himself and recognize his role. After his inner superiority has disappeared, it suddenly dawned on him.
I agree with your analysis of the living and the dead in the story. A example of being stuck in the past is when Gabriel talks about Johnny, the horse that worked for Gabriel’s grandfather. When Johnny is released from his duties, he still goes back to the same routine of walking around in circles. Gabriel is trying to express that the horse resembles the people at the party because they are essentially “dead” from constantly mentioning the dead and not moving forward.
An* example
Hi Shufen,
I think that you make a great comparison of how Joyce illustrates the living as “numb,” while the dead are essentially “living around the living.” Throughout the short story we are introduced to characters, both living and dead, to measure their impact on the world around them. Like you mentioned in your blog post, Gretta still seems to value her relationship with her lover Michael Furey, even past his death. Yet, characters such as Gabriel are trapped in a routine that lacks any purpose or meaning. Even throughout his speech, Gabriel encourages the party guests to look beyond the past, so as not to “let any gloomy moralizing intrude upon [them].” It is only after Gretta reveals her deep emotional connection to Michael Furey that Gabriel decides to reflect and evaluate his presence in the world.