The Paralysis Of Ecstasy In James Joyce's The Dead

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Of all the characters in James Joyce’s short story, “The Dead,” Gabriel shows the most paralysis. The entire ending of the story he becomes obsessed with the dead, either the individuals who have previously passed or those who will soon. Only after the effects of the song have influenced Gretta and turned her “frail” (2305) and distant does Gabriel begin to remember his wife as someone beautiful who had shared many “moments of ecstasy” (2305) rather than someone who he had shared a “dull existence” (2305) with. He focuses solely on those moments when the two of them were younger and he becomes filled with lust. He even becomes annoyed with Gretta for not giving him what he wants in the moment (2307). Overall, he is totally oblivious to what