The Dead By James Joyce Literary Techniques

The Dead by James Joyce is one of the fifteen stories in the series Dubliners. Through Joyce’s’ use of literally techniques, symbolism, themes, and an epiphany, the story has a much deeper meaning. By using these techniques and looking at the story closer you can find how Joyce was trying to provoke a deeper meaning in relation to the dead and living and the main character, Gabriel, searching for meaning or reason to his life. Paradoxically the story shows that the dead can still be living, through are memories and those who are alive may not always be ‘alive’. They can emotionally not be there due to lack of enjoyment and fulfillment in their life. The Dead can also be used as a story to symbolize Ireland as a place of emotional paralysis.
This is the first hint in the story that he is not who he portrays himself as. This miscommunication continues to bother Gabriel throughout the night. He second guesses his speech he has prepared for later on in the night and cannot focus on anything but. He shows his worry about what the others will think of him. "They would think that he was airing his superior education. He would fail with them just as he had failed with the girl in the pantry" (“The Dead”), ("Analysis of the Dead by James Joyce "). He is not focused at all on the party and insteade of listening anf being in tune with his aunts song or carrying out the conversations with people, hes concered with his speech. Gabriel is aware of is education being better than that of most of the people the aprty and begins to wonder if his speech is to elevated beyond their comprehension. “He was undecided about the lines from Robert Browning for he feared they would be above the heads of his hearers” (“The Dead”). Here his insecurities become more and more evident and his constant attempts to hide them can be seen in
This thought process is seen when he looks into the mirror and sees, "a ludicrous figure, acting as a pennyboy for his aunts, a nervous well-meaning sentimentalist, orating to vulgarians and idealizing his own clownish lusts, the pitiable fatuous fellow he had caught a glimpse of in the mirror". This realization also brings truth about himself, he is not who he thought he was. He has tried for so long to persuade this false image of himself. He thinks so rigchousley of himself when in fact, he realizes that he is more dead than alive and now he is assuming his absurd and ephemeral existence. The moment he is looking through the window is the moment when he starts to want to change who he is. Thinkng hes running out of time to actually start living instead of just going through thte motions of