![]() ![]() ![]() Gabriel also thinks of his dead mother, who seems to have contributed greatly to her sons’ successes, including Gabriel’s degree from Royal University. When Gabriel’s wife confesses that she thinks Michael died for her, Gabriel is struck with terror and the feeling that “some impalpable and vindictive being was coming against him, gathering forces against him in its vague world.” Of course Michael Furey does not physically pose a threat, but instead he holds a power over Gretta’s emotions and that is what Gabriel fears. Gabriel seems to see Michael Furey as having some sort of otherworldly power over his wife that he could not possibly compete with. Gabriel, in turn, is terrified of Michael – since he is already dead, his reputation cannot be changed. Regardless of how briefly they knew each other, and how long ago it was, she seems to believe that this was the purest form of love she has ever received. ![]() The most obvious example is Gretta’s ex-lover, Michael Furey, whom she believes died as a martyr for her love. For both Gabriel and Gretta, the dead have a power greater than those living. Much of “The Dead” quite fittingly revolves around dead people and the legacies they leave behind. ![]() Additionally, these perceptions of those who have died are often tainted by nostalgia, making it hard for the characters to forget about their glorified memories of the past and begin living in the present. “The Dead” deals with both literal and metaphorical death. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |