"The Dead" is the last and arguably the most important of the short stories in the collection of Dubliners by James Joyce. Born in Dublin himself, Joyce was an Irish poet and novelist, revered as one of the most influential modernist writers. Joyce's "The Dead" is one of the short stories in the aptly named "Dubliners" which is the collection of tales about the people of Dublin from various walks of life. It focuses on the people rather than the place, the people who are the inhabitants of the city. "The Dead" on a superficial level is a simple story that can be encountered in normal life of the people. The majority of the story takes place at a Christmas party in the household of Julia and Kate Morkans. They are older women who seem to belong to upper class society but curiously who give piano lessons and consequently many of the guests are their pupils. They live with their niece Mary Jane and housekeeper Lily. The protagonist, Gabriel Con...
Essays on Poems, Prose and Stories