Against the Tide

                In “The Dead,” the character Gabriel Conroy appears to be well-educated and is somewhat wealthy. However, Gabriel Conroy seems to have trouble interacting with other characters. His conversations with females, including with his wife, end in awkwardness. It seems that he cannot connect with others.

Gabriel's socioeconomic status is one reason for his separation from others.

                The first example of Gabriel’s awkwardness appears during his conversation with Lily. He casually asks her if she currently has a boyfriend, to which she sharply retorts. Gabriel immediately “coloured, as if he felt he had made a mistake.” Knowing his mistake, he tries to rectify the problem with money, giving Lily a coin. This act shows that Gabriel is somewhat shallow-minded. He does not try to apologize, but instead offers money, using it as an easy solution to the awkward situation. Furthermore, Gabriel appears somewhat egocentric, attributing his inability to connect with Lily and others due to his “superior education” and because “that their grade of culture differed from his.”

                Gabriel’s dance with Miss Ivors results in his embarrassment. Although Miss Ivors appears to playfully tease Gabriel, she actually does not condone Gabriel’s views. Miss Ivors believes in the culture of Ireland, labeling Gabriel as a “West Briton.” After Gabriel declines her invitation to visit the Aran Isles, Miss Ivors accuses Gabriel of “know[ing] nothing of, [his] own people, and [his] own country.” Gabriel then reveals that he is “sick of [his] own country," showing that he wishes to escape the dreariness of Irish society, freeing himself from the paralysis present.

                Gabriel’s conversation with his wife before bed allows Gabriel to better see himself. Feeling inadequate because of his inability to comfort his wife, he finally realizes that he acted “as a ludicrous figure, acting as a pennyboy for his aunts, a nervous, well-meaning sentimentalist, orating to vulgarians and idealising his own clownish lusts.” He realizes how petty and insignificant he is compared to others in the world, after finding out that Michael Furey “died for [Gretta].” Michael died as a self sacrifice in order to pursue his love, while Gabriel has not done anything which compares to this action.

                Gabriel wishes to escape Ireland. He states that “Irish is not my language.” However, throughout the story, he makes no progress within this endeavor. Is it possible that those who are aware of their situation, trapped in Irish society are hindered in their attempts to escape because of their own faults and shortcomings, or is it that the shortcomings of others continually drag them down to Irish society?