The Dead: Section 2 Summary & Analysis

Gabriel’s mother represents another influential deceased character. Gabriel attributes his accomplishments to his mother and remembers how strongly she valued family life and had high expectations for her sons. Gabriel also briefly reflects on his mother’s lack of respect for Gretta, and while this genuinely upsets him, he lets his bitter feelings go. Rather than dwelling on the negative experiences he had with his mother, Gabriel choses to bask in the positive ones. This is often the impulse of the characters in the text, who have glorified memories of their dead loved ones. This early reference to the “balcony scene” from Romeo and Juliet foreshadows Gretta’s later memories of Michael Furey.

Gabriel’s pride is wounded by yet another negative interaction with a woman. Instead of conforming to her role as a polite woman and avoiding conflict, Miss Ivors brings up a touchy subject with Gabriel and provokes him. He resents her audacity and is especially embarrassed since she is a woman and she is criticizing his political views in front of the other party guests. Miss Ivors’ brown eyes perhaps reflect her connection to Ireland and Dublin, and the name she teases Gabriel with—“West Briton”—refers to an Irishman who sympathizes more with England than his own country.

Miss Ivors continues to agitate Gabriel by questioning his desire to travel outside of Ireland. Gabriel, who seems to be outwardly in denial of his distaste for Dublin, is finally pushed to admitting he is sick of Ireland. Gabriel takes this interaction with Miss Ivors as a personal attack, rather than what was perhaps simply her attempt to make a political statement.

Gabriel’s pride is still wounded after his embarrassing interaction with Miss Ivors, and he snaps at his wife when she expresses enthusiasm about joining Miss Ivors on the trip to Western Ireland. Gabriel’s admiration of the snow falling outside serves as a reminder of the larger world outside the insulated party—a world where the snow, like mortality, falls silently on everyone and everything. Gabriel sees the beauty in this as he looks through the window, which acts as a kind of porous barrier between the worlds of the living and the dead. In a way, he seems to already envy the dead, or at least longs for the peace that would come with escaping the awkward and frustrating interactions he’s had at the party thus far. Yet even as he contemplates this larger space outside, Gabriel still cannot escape himself, and he feels a petty and selfish desire to have “revenge” on Miss Ivors for her perceived slight against him.

Though Aunt Julia is elsewhere described as old, confused, and nearing death, she still has an interior richness and vivacity in the form of her music (though Mr. Browne also seems to want to take credit for her talent). In response to this moving performance, then, Aunt Kate’s passionate denouncement of the Church’s decision to ban women from choirs draws the conversation back into the political sphere, calling attention to women’s role in Catholicism. As the Catholic Church plays a significant role in Dublin society, the fact that women are excluded in such a large way from the Church is almost as if they are being excluded from society itself. Aunt Kate clearly feels torn between her loyalty to her religion (which holds that the pope’s decisions must be infallible, and thus shouldn’t be questioned) and her belief that talented women deserve a place in the choir. While she does voice her opinion, she ultimately degrades herself and dismisses her previous statements so as to avoid making a fuss. Mary Jane too would seemingly rather silence or distract from her aunt’s opinions rather than make a man (Mr. Browne) uncomfortable.

Gabriel’s pride prevents him from seeing how his interactions with women affect the women themselves. Miss Ivors, who has perhaps been upset by Gabriel, merely laughs and leaves rather than causing more of a fuss—stepping back into her role as a polite woman. While Gabriel briefly wonders if he is the reason Miss Ivors is leaving the party early, he gladly abandons the idea when Aunt Kate asks him to carve the goose. Aunt Kate is reaffirming Gabriel’s masculinity by assigning him the patriarchal seat at the head of the table.

Mr. Browne’s nostalgic attitude towards the earlier days of the opera reinforces the romantic view of the past that almost everyone in the story seems to adopt. The other party guests confirm that Dublin is perhaps not the most desirable place for talented people to live. Aunt Julia’s brown pudding and Mr. Browne’s name are emphasized here, perhaps referencing the color’s symbolism of dullness and Dublin life.

Gabriel’s refusal to eat the brown pudding might represent his distaste for Dublin life and refusal to actively participate in it. The fact that all of the other men eat the pudding indicates that they do not have the same discontentment with Dublin that Gabriel has. The monks, who sleep in coffins and take a vow of silence, represent a way of life that is very close to death—a purposeful mingling of the living and the dead.

Gabriel gets a surge of confidence remembering that Miss Ivors left the party early, and he realizes that even though she embarrassed him, he feels that he “won” their argument since she was upset enough to leave. The fact that this gives Gabriel confidence is an affirmation of his need for women to be subordinate for him to nurture his pride. His speech addresses the past, and he emphasizes the need to remember the good times and the lost loved ones during social gatherings. Gabriel and many of the party guests view the past through a nostalgic lens, and this often distracts them from or gives them a negative view of the present.