How does the protagonist in Joyce’s ‘The Dead’ contribute to the theme of

paralysis? Discuss with close reference to the text.

Gabriel Conroy, the protagonist of the short story contributes to the theme of paralysis
effectively since he is the best example for a morally and spiritually paralysed
character by the nets of social norms and conventions who finally achieves self
realization as a result of confronting new information about his wife and her past.

Gabriel’s character appears as an unfulfilled teacher, a middle class Dubliner who

suffers from superiority complex due the pride he had in his education and
sophistication which causes him to be a socially awkward character. His conversation
with others in Misses Morkans’ party vividly depicts his social awkwardness. His
moral paralysis is evident at the moment he reveals that he is bored by his own
country:

“I am sick of my own country……..

Sick of it”

He distanced himself from his own country due to his self-esteem in his education and
social background which make him to spend an isolated life in his own world.
Therefore, Molly Ivors criticises him for his lack of interest in Irish politics, for
writing the literally column for Daily Express, West Briton.

At the same time, his choice of travelling to France and Belgian or Germany rather
than to his native Aran Islands highlights his negligence on his own country:

“It is partly to keep in touch with language and partly for a change”

He wants to keep in touch with other cultures not his own and to break the monotony
of life in his own country. Thus, ironically, Gabriel becomes an alien to his own land.
His inability to accept his heritage and rejection is visible through his revelation to
Miss Ivors, “Irish is not my language”, causing anger to Miss Ivors who truly loves
her motherland. Though she questions him regarding his choice of travelling foreign
countries before experiencing more about his country, Gabriel is not even ready to
take her patriotism into consideration. However, he is always self conscious of his
words and physical appearance. Gabriel also feels uncomfortable and nervous when
he is criticised. For that reason, Miss Ivors teasingly calls him a “West Briton”.
Gabriel’s self consciousness is visible through his guilty conscious feeling that he is
responsible for Moly’s “abrupt departure”. Further, his conversation with Lily
regarding her marriage, Gabriel doesn’t think whether his words may hurt her. After
being shocked by her sudden reply, he offers her a coin as a way to make her feel
better.

While the others are focusing on food, drink or music, Gabriel spends his time
thinking mostly about the discourse that he is going to make. That is why he doesn’t
pay attention to his aunt’s song or doesn’t hear others while Mary Jane is playing.
Therefore, Gabriel “laughed nervously”, “he coloured and was about to knot his
brows” and “tried to cover his agitation by taking part in the dance with great energy”
at times, which prove his paralysed mental condition.

His distance and alienation from his loved ones are further depicted through his
hypocritical after-dinner speech, expressing the virtues of traditional warm hearted
courteous Irish hospitality and flattering the three Graces of the Dublin musical world,
Kate, Julia and Mary Jane.

He maintains the same alienation in his relationship with his wife, Gretta, that his
insensitive attitudes create a huge gap between both partners, which it is not deeply
felt by Gabriel until the climax of the story.

His total coldness towards his wife is highly visible at the moment when Miss Ivors’
invites to visit West Ireland. Gabriel who sees his wife’s temptation for a visit to
Galway, says her coldly, “you can go if you like” in front of others. Gretta’s
disappointment of her meaningless marital life can be understood at the very moment
she reveals that Mrs. Morlean is having a “good husband”, hinting Gabriel is not a
good husband. The reason for this gap between these two partners is the superiority
complex of Gabriel on his pride and vanity of his superior education and social
standard in contrary to his wife who comes from a rural family. That is why he thinks
of his mothers’ opposition for his marriage to Gretta is based on social background
and Gretta is identified by his mother as ‘country cute’. Such a condemnation towards
Gretta is partially accepted by Gabriel which is proved by his condemning words on
her relations when Miss Ivors asks about Gretta’s village, he says only two
incomplete words; ‘Her people are………’
Gabriel’s cold behaviour neglecting Gretta’s feelings and emotions paves the way for
a monotonous marital life. Accordingly, Gabriel’s monotonous and empty behaviour
is symbolically presented through his story of the horse’s cycling round the statue of
King William, ironically. Gabriel doesn’t achieve anything by his meaningless
behaviour, just like the horse endlessly turning round the same circle. Thus, Gabriel’s
moral and spiritual paralysis affects Gretta’s life to be paralysed. At the moment
Gabriel sees Gretta listening to the song …………………….. reminding her of her
former lover, Michel Furey who used to sing that song. Gabriel sees her as a symbol
of distant music, ironically he doesn’t know how detached he is from Gretta.

However, a sudden knowledge of Gretta’s past lover at the moment when Gabriel
thinks of their “moments of ecstasy” and hopes for a tender night with his wife to
quench all their souls’ “tender fire”, to escape from others and to “run away together
with wild and radiant hearts to a new adventure”. Gabriel achieves epiphany or self-
realisation through “catharsis” or purgation of images in Aristotelian sense.

“He saw himself as ludicrous figure, acting as a penny boy for his aunts a
nervous, well meaning sentimentalist, orating to vulgarious idealising his own
clownish lusts”

At this moment he understands his psychological, moral and spiritual paralysis that
makes him insensitive, self-centred, foolish man who is blind in the real world and
truly “generous tears” flows down his eyes:

“She had had that romance in her life a man had died for her. It hardly pained
him how to think how poor a part he, her husband, had played in her life”

Thus, he understands his marriage does not base on true passionate love which causes
to live in an unreal world of his own. Joyce uses a symbol of “snow” to represent the
moral and spiritual paralysis of whole country portraying that the snow “covers all of
the Island”. Gabriel realizes that he could never love a person as the way Michael
does and standing in his dimly lit room, he thinks of the dead boy’s triumph over him
in Gretta’s love, as he finds he has missed a marriage of close intimacy and self-
sacrifice based on deep love except shallow pleasure. In the mean time, he realizes the
death and decay of everything which illuminate him from his blindness to the reality.
Thus, the character of Gabriel contributes to the theme of paralysis very successfully
with a symbolic approach using images such as “snow” and “fire”, dark and light, and
“walking horse” and using of a powerful ironic romanticism with a simple and sharp
language.