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Frederick Koo

Professor Kevin Clouther

Writing 102

6 December 2016

Gabriels Unfortunate Night

The common goal that all writers have it to convey a message. The message that they

attempt to convey comes in many different forms; it can come in the form of an idea, an emotion,

a lesson, or even just information. If a writer is unable to convey a message to the reader by the

end of their writing, they have failed as a writer. One prolific writer who is very successful in

conveying a message to the readers is James Joyce. James Joyce is a famous Irish writer who has

written many novels throughout his lifetime, one novel that conveys a message through emotion

is The Dead. In The Dead James Joyce conveys sympathy for the main character, Gabriel,

through the small encounters with various characters that occur throughout the night, which

culminates in the socking reveal made by Gretta.

The story begins at the Morkans residence during their annual dance as the main

character, Gabriel Conroy, was about to arrive. It was during this moment that Gabriel would

experience his first of many negative encounters of the night. Gabriel had just arrived at the

Morkans residence and went with lily into the pantry to take off his overcoat. It was at this

moment that Gabriel proceeded to converse with Lily:

Tell me Lily, he said in a friendly tone, do you still go to school? O no sire,

she answered, Im done schooling this year and more. O then said Gabriel
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gaily, I suppose well be going to your wedding one of these fine days with your

young man, eh? The girl glanced back at him over her shoulder and said with

great bitterness: The man that is now is only the palaver and what they can get

out of you. Gabriel coloured and flicked actively as if he felt he had made a

mistake and without looking at her kicked off his galoshes and flicked actively his

muffler and his patent-leather shoes (Joyce).

Gabriel asking whether Lily was going to find a husband soon was a fairly normal question for

people of this time period since people tended to marry young. So when Gabriel asked Lily if

they were going to her wedding soon, he said it in a joking manner without giving it a second

thought. Gabriel was not expecting for Lily to get irritated by his comment and to react in the

manner that she did. Gabriel was not expecting her to say that the only men available are a waste

of time and only care about what they can get out of you, with such a bitter tone. Though this is

not a huge event it causes the read to feel a little sympathy for Gabriel. Gabriel was just trying to

make a joke to an acquaintance, one in which he thought was appropriate, but instead he got

attacked.

The unexpected conflict with Lily had made him feel awful and started his joyous night

off with negativity. The interaction with Lily stuck with Gabriel throughout the night, which is

shown when Joyce writes He was still discomposed by the girls bitter and sudden retort. It had

cast a gloom over him which he tried to dispel by arranging his cuff and the bows of his tie.

From this quote, its clear that what Lily had said to Gabriel impacted him considerably, even

though what Lily had said was a small offhand comment that was not meant to make him fell

somber. He had suddenly gotten attacked for his comment and it hurt him considerably. Boysen

states, The episode illustrated how easily he is thrown out of balance and how very fragile he
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sense of self is (402). This quote equates the fact that Gabriel is affected by his interaction with

Lily to his fragile self-image. The quote is quite true most people probably would not have been

bothered as much by the interaction as Gabriel was. Most people would have felt bad initially

and then moved on, but Gabriel has a fragile self-image and this interaction does affect him

greatly. His fragile sense of self also causes the other events during the night to affect him

greatly.

The next small interaction that affects Gabriels mood a great deal was his interaction

with Miss Ivors. Their interaction with one another began with the two of them dancing with

each other having a conversation with each other in which they said:

I have a crow to pick with you. With me? said Gabriel. She nodded he head

gravely. What is it? asked Gabriel, smiling at her solemn manner. Who is

G.C.? answered Miss Ivors, turning her eyes upon him. Gabriel coloured and

was about to knit his brows, as if he did not understand, when she said bluntly:

O, innocent Amy! I have found out that you write for The Daily Express. Now,

arent you ashamed of yourself? Why should I be ashamed of myself? asked

Gabriel, blinking his eyes and trying to smile. Well, Im ashamed of you, said

Miss Ivors frankly. To say youd write for a paper like that. I didnt think you

were a West Briton (Joyce).

West Briton is a derogatory term used against the Irish. To be a West Briton meant that you

adored the English too much, which was seen as a bad thing back then since the Irish did not like

the British much. Fjagesund gives his opinion on the interaction between Gabriel to Miss Ivors

when he states her whispering West Briton in Gabriels ear, furthermore could be read as the

kiss of Judas, West Briton being in context virtually synonymous with traitor (142-143).
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Fjagesund compares Miss Ivors to Judas and when she calls Gabriel a West Briton and basically

call him a traitor to their kind. Even if Gabriel doesnt care much for his heritage he didnt want,

nor like being called a traitor. No one likes being called a traitor, especially if someone is not a

traitor. The kiss of Judas represents the betrayal of Christ, so by calling Gabriel a West Briton,

Miss Ivors is essentially betraying him too. Gabriel was just trying to move on with his night and

enjoy when he again gets attacked and called a traitor.

The next dreadful interaction between Gabriel and Miss Ivors occurred again on the ball

room floor. When they reconvened, Miss Ivors and Gabriel procced to have a conversation.

During their conversation Miss Ivors ended up interrogating Gabriel as to why he did not want to

go and visit his homeland and the Ivors attacked him again. This is shown when Joyce writes:

And havent you your own land to visit, continued Miss Ivors, that you know

nothing of, your own people, and your own country? O, to tell you the truth,

retorted Gabriel suddenly, Im sick of my own country, sick of it! Why?

asked Miss Ivors. Gabriel did not answer for his retort had heated him. Why?

repeated Miss Ivors. They had to go visiting together and, as he had not answered

her, Miss Ivors said warmly: Of course, youve no answer. Gabriel tried to

cover his agitation by taking part in the dance with great energy. He avoided her

eyes for he had seen a sour expression on her face.

From this encounter its clear that when Miss Ivors confronts Gabriel about not wanting to go to

Ireland he gets upset. He was heated by the fact that Miss Ivors was pushing him so hard to

travel to Ireland with her when he simply did not want to go. He tries to hold back his anger so

that he doesnt snap at Miss Ivors. Its clear that wants to berate Miss Ivors, she had been doing

that he entire night and he wanted to return the favor. This second interaction between the two is
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reminiscent of a battle as Lucente states with rapid movement of the dancing partners and the

heated nature of the discussion between Gabriel and Miss Ivors, their exchange take on the

staccato rhythm of battle (283). Miss Ivors and Gabriel are essentially having a battle of words

in the middle of the ballroom. In the middle of a holiday the two characters are attacking each

other and having a heated argument. It clear that Gabriel wants no part of this battle, he just

wanted to enjoy his night, and he constantly get attacked and belittled for his actions.

His anger towards Miss Ivors is further shown, when the dance is over and Gabriel is

talking to Miss Malins, and Joyce writes:

While her tongue rambled on Gabriel tried to banish from his mind all memory of

the unpleasant incident with Miss Ivors. Of course the girl or woman or whatever

she was, was an enthusiast but there was a time for all things Perhaps he ought not

to have answered her like that. But she had no right to call him a West Briton

before people, even in joke. She had tried to make him ridiculous before people,

heckling him and staring at him with their rabbits eyes.

This quote shows how even though the events had long transpired he was still upset by what had

happened. He could not stop thinking about how Miss Ivors had insulted him and embarrassed

him in front of all those people. He was still angry and upset by those events and even though

those events had long passed, it stuck with him and he could not let it go. So after his night

started our sour with his interaction with Lily it got even worse with his two separate interactions

with Miss Ivor, but despite the rough night that Gabriel is experiencing it does not end with Miss

Ivors, it continues long after the party has ended.

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The next event that made Gabriels night even worse occurred back at his hotel along

with his wife Gretta. After the party ended, Gabriel and Gretta went back to their hotel, at that

moment they were alone together and ready to make love when Gretta broke down and started

sobbing. At this point Gabriel started asked her why she was crying, and she stated that she was

thinking about the song that Mr. DArcy was singing, The Lass of Aughrim. Then Gabriel

questioned why this song made her sob to which she replied that it made her think of a past lover

Michael Furey. At which point their conversation about Michael Furey continued and Gretta

revealed information that shocked Gabriel. This is shown when Joyce write

And what did he die of so young, Gretta? Consumption, was it? I think he died

for me, she answered. A vague terror seized Gabriel at this answer as if, at that

hour when he had hoped to triumph, some impalpable and vindictive being was

coming against him, gathering forces against him in its vague world.

The fact that Michael Furey had died for his wife when she was younger shocked Gabriel. The

news that Gabriel did not die of alcoholism, which Gabriel was hoping for, and actually died of

sickness for his wife decimated his soul. The revelation that another man had died for his wife

stuck with him long after their conversation had long ended. Gabriel suddenly realized that a

man who has long passed his a greater impact on his wife than he does He thought about Michael

for the rest of the night. This is shown when Joyce writes:

Generous tears filled Gabriels eyes. He had never felt like that himself towards

any woman but he knew that such a feeling must be love. The tears gathered more

thickly in his eyes and in the partial darkness he imagined he saw the form of a

young man standing under a dripping tree. Other forms were near. His soul had

approached that region where dwell the vast hotels of the dead, He was conscious
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of, but could not apprehend, their wayward and flickering existence. His own

identity was fading out into a grey impalpable world: the solid world itself which

these dead had one time reared and lived in was dissolving and dwindling.

The quote above shows how Gabriel is so deeply wounded by the events that happen that he

bawls his eyes out over the love that his wife felt. He realized that his wife had felt true love, a

mean had died for her sake and he had never felt that wat towards anyone else. It also occurred to

Gabriel that he had never felt true love like that for anyone, he never loved anyone enough to die

for them. He started to lose all sense of himself and started questing his own life and this

saddened him deeply.

Another reason as to why Gabriel is sadden as Kosse states Gabriel realizes that

Michaels self-sacrifice would always be more significant that what Gabriel could offer and

subsequently would always be more significant that what Gabriel could offer and subsequently

has a long moment of gloom (11). Kosse shows how the realization that he will never match up

to Michael causes him to fall into sadness. Though Gabriel is married to Gretta he will never

have as great of an impact as someone who passed away. Gabriel realizes that nothing he did or

will ever do will match up with that Michael has done and it saddens him deeply.

Another point of on the scene is by Ryan when he states The Lass of Aughrim which is a

ballad about betrayal, rejection, and illegitimacy. Gabriel sense of isolation is, therefore actually

directly related to Grettas emotion reaction on hearing the ballad (38). This idea states that the

reason Gabriel feel isolation is because it is the same emotion that Gretta emits when she hears

the song. It also states how Gretta feels these emotions because the ballad is one of negativity. It

goes without saying but if Gretta hadnt listened to such a destructive ballot she would have

never been reminded of her sadness, and Gabriel would have never learned about Michael.
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It is through the events in the story that I sympathize with Gabriel, because I can relate to

Gabriel in a number of ways. I can relate in the way that sometimes Im just trying to have a

good day and enjoy myself and the festivities around me, and sometimes it just does not work

out. Things happened that ruin the mood, interactions with people leave a bitter aftertaste and I

can no longer enjoy my day. The interactions that happened have permanently ruined the day.

Another way that I can relate with Gabriel is in the aspect of love. A few years ago I was

dating this girl, we had been dating for about a two years. I was legitimately in love with this

girl. I thought I could see a future with her and could picture us being married to each other. This

girl was basically the world to me and as such I thought I was the world to her, but that did not

turn out to be the case. She ended up breaking up with me and finding a new boyfriend. I was

devastated when this happened, I felt sand all the time, I would constantly think about her all the

time, and could not move on with my life. So I can relate to Gabriel when he learned that he was

not as significant in someone elses life as he thought that he was.

It is the events that Gabriel experience that cause us to sympathize with him, because he

is such a relatable character. Hes just a normal man trying to enjoy himself in the festivities and

a series of small but still impactful events ruins his day. Then when he gets away from it all and

tries to relax he gets hit with something bigger and it just destroys him. Joyce is able to make a

character from around 100 years ago still relate to us today.

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Works Cited

Boysen, Benjamin. "The Self and the Other: On James Joyce's 'a Painful Case' and 'The Dead'."

Orbis Litterarum. Vol. 62. N.p.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2007. 394-418. Academic Search

Complete. Web. 6 Dec. 2016

Fjagesund, Peter. "Joyce's 'The Dead': Carnival, Eucharist and Medieval Visions." English

Studies. Vol. 78. N.p.: Routledge, 1997. 139. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Dec.

2016

James, Joyce The Dead Gutenberg. The Project Gutenberg, 22 Oct. 2016. Web. 6 Dec. 2016

Kosse, Jeffrey P.1. Eureka Studies in Teaching Short Fiction 11/12 (2015): 1-13. Hus. Web.

Lucente, Gregory L. Encounters and Subtext in The Dead: A Note on Joyces Narrative

Technique. Studies in Short Fiction. Vol. 20. N.p.: Newberry Collage, 1983 281-87.

Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Dec. 2016

Ryan, Barry. Pregnancy and Abjection in James Joyces The Dead. Nordic Irish Studies 14.1

(2015): 37-53. Edo. Web. 6 Dec. 2016