The Dead By James Joyce

By James Joyce’s creation of the multiple mindful worlds in ‘Dubliners,’ the stories bring a exclusive upbringing of the lives of the characters especially in depressing and tasteless situations. Based on Joyce’s own personal experiences of illness, he uses this disadvantage to his advantage as inspiration for his stories. The development of these short stories brings a monotone dialogue through the characters inner and outer happenings. Illness and death provides the weak yet non dissolving backbone to these stories. Obviously, even though that the dead are given no chance to speak, their instead given the imitation of life through the words and voice of others whether it be true or biased. From the beginning (i.e. ‘The Sisters’) to the end (i.e. ‘The Dead’), the horrific themes used almost illustrates James Joyce’s feelings and experiences throughout his life that motivates the events that occur in the short stories.

The recently deceased Father Flynn's life was first described as “crossed” and his relationship with his protegee, the unnamed main character, was criticized by his uncle Jack and Old Cottar. The most unattractive annoyance was caused by Old Cottar who not only insults Father Flynn on a personal level and downplay the main characters intellectual knowledge. Cotter further states that he should be more athletic rather than learn to be a priest. As the family was well aware of Father Flynn and the main characters teacher-student relationship, the main character's response to the news of his death remains to be silenced and hidden. However, even though his words do not express how he feels, his mind is boggling with thoughts about his now deceased teacher. Through these thoughts, the boy later “confess[es that the] priest returns to haunt [him]”