Restrictiveness of Routine in the “Dead” - 975 Words

According to Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"Single Effect Theory†, â€Å"the short story writer should deliberately subordinate everything in the storyï‚ ¾characters, incidents, style, and toneï‚ ¾to [the] brining out of a single, preconceived effect† (qtd. in Reuben). In other words, all elements within a short story have to come together to create tone. One such story is the â€Å"The Dead†, an exceptional conclusion to James Joyce Dubliners (1914) that is a collection of short stories that consist of natural depictions of middle class Irish men and women in the early twentieth century. The primary focus of â€Å"The Dead† concerns not only dead people, but more specifically a dead generation and the living who behave as if they were dead already. Through artistic†¦show more content†¦Lily challenges Gabriel when she produces a defensive statement when he asks her about her love life. Gabriel is unable to handle this â€Å"bump in th e road†, awkwardly changes the subject, and quickly exits the scene. According to Joyce, Gabriel â€Å"was†¦discomposed by the girl’s bitter and sudden retort [as] it cast a gloom over him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (179). Similarly Miss Ivors sends him a barrage of questions about his sympathies with Irish culture. Gabriel is unable to respond to these questions appropriately and so he flees the situation by blurting out that he is â€Å"sick of [his] own country† (189). Once again, Gabriel becomes disconcerted with a loss of control just like the Morkans are disconcerted when Freddy comes late to the party. Overall, Gabriel and the party mirror each other in that they function off of routine and what is expected and become anxious when things exist outside of their comfort zones. All in all, â€Å"The Dead† is a story of contradictions. Gabriel and the others at the party are alive, but they behave as though dead, while Michael Furey who is the only true dead character of the story, lives the most with his intense emotions, ardent love, and unconventional behavior. Furey helps Gabriel realize that life cannot be based off of deadened routines and formal conduct, but instead has to be full of adventure and excitement. In the end, Joyce uses artistic unity to suggest that people can exist