It is true that Joyce goes describing about the guests at the party who enjoy good singing and dancing. However, this party should not be the main focus of 'The Dead' as it only provides a very shallow outlook of the whole story; on the other hand, Gabriel, the main protagonist, has to be viewed with a deep scrutiny. Gabriel undergoes an epiphany that leaves a huge impact on him which he finds hard to accept.
Gabriel is introduced as a very egotistical person; he does not care about other people, and this selfishness is first shown in his encounter with Lily. He offends her with his words, but his egocentricity prevents him from realizing what he has done wrong. Then he gets worried about his highly educated speech which he fears that the guests might not understand what it actually means.
This is where the epiphany comes in; in his speech, Gabriel talks about how the past is supposed to be only remained as the past, and how people should move forward. But this perspective is attacked by his wife's confession about her first love - Michael Furey. Seeing his wife buried deep in her thoughts about Michael, Gabriel realizes for the first time how his view is being challenged. He accepts that the past, or the dead, can actually leave a larger impact than the present.
A few light taps upon the pane made him turn to the window. It had begun to snow again. He watched sleepily the flakes, silver and dark, falling obliquely against the lamplight. The time had come for him to set out on his journey westward. Yes, the newspapers were right: snow was general all over Ireland. It was falling on every part of the dark central plain, on the treeless hills, falling softly upon the Bog of Allen and, farther westward, softly falling into the dark mutinous Shannon waves. It was falling, too, upon every part of the lonely churchyard on the hill where Michael Furey lay buried. It lay thickly drifted on the crooked crosses and headstones, on the spears of the little gate, on the barren thorns. His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead.Joyce dissolves the concept of epiphany in his story through senses; in 'The Dead', he uses the sense hearing to signal how the main protagonist gets to learn about the reality.
Although 'The Dead' is extremely long compared to other short stories, it seems shorter due to its plot. In other words, the story literally captivates the reader's attention that he has to finish the story.
Then, what is so fascinating about 'The Dead'? I think the themes of the past, present, life, and death involve the readers to actually sympathize with and argue about the points Joyce makes. Here, snow represents paralysis, how everything is actually trapped in the past that it cannot advance. But opinions differ; snow, on the other hand, can actually represent a new cycle. Snow usually does not take long to melt, and spring proceeds after winter passes by. Therefore, snow might foreshadow a brighter future.
'The Dead', like other stories of modernism, has a very open ending. The readers can only conjecture about what is actually going to happen to all the protagonists including Gabriel. He might undergo a complete transformation into a considerate human being, or choose to remain as a self-centered figure he is now. He might start loving his wife sincerely, or decide to divorce her, angered at her treachery.
In overall, 'The Dead' describes the concept of life and death that can actually be extremely controversial due to its open ending. However, the point Joyce tries to make is very lucid through his usage of epiphany Gabriel experiences. I believe that 'The Dead' is one of the most exciting stories we have read, and are going to read during our World Literature class.
