The Dead by James Joyce

A detailed Summary of The Dead by James Joyce


The Dead's Effect From Beyond the Grave

It is known that many times people have their greatest effect on the living after they have passed away. In the story The Dead, by James Joyce, it is clearly seen that Michael Furey, the ex-boyfriend of Gretta, has his greatest effect on Gretta from beyond the grave. Death shows man's greatest flaw and when people have a close brush with it, they are forced to come to the reality that they, too, will someday die. The realization that death is approaching yields decisions of change to make life more enjoyable and to prepare themselves for the life after. Gretta recalls the time that she spent with the first man she loved, and

Michael Furey had a lasting effect on Gretta because of the things he did for her while he was alive; however, she appreciated the things he did for her even more after he died. Michael and Gretta had been lovers when the two were younger, prior to Gretta's marriage to Gabriel. When Michael found that Gretta was moving away from him, Michael lost all desire to live. A week before Gretta left, Michael went to Gretta's grandmother's house in the pouring cold rain to see her. He stood outside


despite the sickness that he knew would come because of his actions, until finally, after a great deal of pleading by Gretta, he returned home. A couple of weeks later, Gretta received the news that Michael Furey had died; he had grown sick and died because he loved Gretta so much. This had a profound impact on Gretta because the one man she had ever loved had given up his life to spend only a few minutes with her.

As the night progresses, there is an additional event that pushes Gretta over the edge and makes Gretta reveal her past and the love that she shared with Michael Furey. Mr. D'Arcy, a talented singer at the party, was asked to perform a song for everyone at the party. As fortune would have it, the song he chose to sing was titled The Lass of Aughrim, a song that Michael Furey had often sang to Gretta during their walks in the woods. Gretta's mood had changed after she heard the performance of the song. Prior to the song, Gretta had been in a good mood; but, now all she could think of was Michael Furey. When Gabriel questioned Gretta's change in mood she merely responded "O, I am thinking about that song, The Lass of Aughrim." (153) Gabriel kne

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 789
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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