Analysis Of The Passage 'The Dead'

In the passage, "The Dead," there is a main character named Gabriel. While the passage is told on a third person point of view looking over Gabriel's shoulder, we still experience and imagine what he is observing and feeling. From the clever word play in the first paragraph, we can infer that Gabriel's wife is in a very ill or weak state. While she is sleeping, he cannot help but stare at her for a long period of time while reflecting upon his life and experiences with her. We can come to the conclusion that they have been married for a couple of decades for the reason that he mentions how he still remembers when her face used to be beautiful and youthful. Now we know that her face is no longer the same, she s no longer beautiful, and Gabriel knows it but he cannot bring himself to admit it. This simple act reveals a major clue to Gabriel's character and personality. We can infer that because he does not accept the fact that she is no longer as beautiful as before, his love for her is stronger than diamonds. He is the type of man that chooses emotional love over physical beauty. Furthermore, at the same time that he is
The author uses imagery to make the reader visualize the room they are both in. He does this to make us have a deeper connection and understanding of the seriousness of the situation Gabriel is in. Aside from the author adding these details, we see Gabriel observing around the room: his wife's last clothing articles laying on the floor and on a chair, spread around the room. With this little piece of information, we notice the feeling of dispare that Gabriel is radiating. He is remembering the last event that had happened before he was in his situation. Because he is doing so, we can assume that he does not want to let her go to rest in peace. He does not want to accept the fact that she will be out of his grasp