Structure

The short story “The Dead” by James Joyce begins in medias res with Lily, the caretaker’s daughter, welcoming guests in the household of Miss Kate and Miss Julia Morkan for the annual Christmas party. A brief description of the household follows, also mentioning the hosts’ regular habit of having the party every year for the past 30 years. The story returns then to the present timeline, with the arrival of Gabriel and Gretta Conroy. 

Gabriel’s revelation at the end about the dead is foreshadowed several times by the frequent references to death or mortality throughout the narrative. For instance, Gabriel’s speech mentions the dead, “absent faces that we miss here tonight.” The monks of Mount Melleray are said to sleep inside their coffins “ ‘t...