Journals of The Dead Story by James Joyce - Assignment Example

“The Dead” by James Joyce Question One After arriving at the party, Gretta explains to Aunts Kate and Julia why she is wearing galoshes. Since both of her aunts appear surprised to some extent, it is obvious that they find Gretta’s marriage to Gabriel full of controversial issues. From their entire conversion regarding the use of galoshes, it is evident that Gabriel’s wife is an outgoing woman who would not shy away from expressing her love for fanciful attire even before her aunts. The conversation that ensues among the four of them reveals a lot about the nature of marriage between Mr. and Mrs Conroy. Mrs. Conroy is primarily a woman of fashion and it seems that her husband does not have control over what her quest to dress fancifully will demand. Gretta talks of putting on galoshes while at the same time revealing her next shopping plans as including a diving outfit. This clearly means that Mrs Conroy is domineering in their marriage as she makes the plans over what ought to be bought within their family even before consulting her husband. Her hersband, in a quick response, laughs nervously indicating his obligation to her demands. He shows this weakness in front of his sisters who apparently are astonished at the sense of fashion and shopping spree that their brother’s wife has. Another picture that comes out clear in the marriage between Gretta and Gabriel is that theirs is a marriage of contemporary lifestyle. From the conversation, Aunt Kate is completely unknowledgeable about what the supposed ‘galoshes’ that Mrs. Conroy describes and can only associate them with Christy Minstrels.. In her entire life, she had never come across such like attire leave alone the fact that she could not determine their uses. Aunt Julia on the other hand, fully understands the uses of galoshes but what worries her is the complex lifestyle that her brother’s wife has adopted. This shows that Gabriel’s marriage follows a different path in terms of customs than that in which he was brought up. Question Two Despite the fact that Miss Ivors was unmarried, she managed to win the heart of Gabriel Conroy who was married to Gretta. Actually, Miss Ivors is a truthful woman who has not secrets to keep and through her talkative nature, she can lure any man into her nest. Her beauty too is beyond description although she had spotted face and brown eyes. Her seductive nature wins her the heart of Gabriel where she successfully convinces him to take a walk together. Perhaps one of the most influential aspects in Miss Ivors’ life that strengthens the bond between her and Mr. Conroy is her vast knowledge of literature of which Mr. Conroy is a practitioner. Although she does not study or practice literature and poetry, her knowledge of certain literary and poetic aspects for example the university question that she learned through a friend surprised Gabriel and makes him more relaxed in the company of Miss Ivors. Additionally, her affectionate and conversational nature creates a strong bond between her and Gabriel whereby they spend long hours conversing while at some instances holding hands. This comes out when Gabriel thinks that Miss Ivors is attempting to demean him by criticizing him, a matter that leads to his perplextion. But to his ultimate surprise, he discoveres that Miss Ivors was only cracking a joke by her previous comments. Miss Ivors on the other hand, understands when Gabriel is perplexed and uses her seductive and persuasive skills to bring back his attention to the focus of their conversation. Although she had previously expressed her dissatisfaction at Gabriel’s previous writing, she notices anxiety in his face and immediately retreats. She perfectly does this on some instances by placing her warm and soft hands on the arms of Mr. Conroy. It appears from this that although she is not married, she clearly understands the temperaments of men, and her knowledge helps her in maintaining a lively and warm conversation with Gabriel who in the end confesses to have enjoyed the exchange of pleasantries and the conversation. Question Three Although Aunt Julia is a talented as well as a seasoned singer, she ends up being unsuccessful in her singing career due to a number of reasons. She is a busy woman who has a lot of day jobs and local errand that she cannot find adequate time to practice effectively in singing. During her conversation with Aunt Kate and Aunt, it is evident that she has a strict schedule that does not allow her to practice singing as a full time career. Although she is married to a musician, she is too preoccupied with domestic chores to focus on singing with her husband. Another reason as to why her singing career turned futile although she was on the brink of making a famous singer is that she appears to be illiterate or rather ignorant of many aspects that associate with the entertainment industry. A classic example presents itself when Aunt Julia when Gretta had to explain to her the meaning of galoshes as she prepared to attend a party. Singers and artists in the entertainment industry are usually expected to be knowledgeable about certain aspects especially those that associate with music. Music is not all about singing but the industry in general demands a fine sense of fashion like the one depicted by Mrs. Conroy when she talks of her galoshes and diving suit. Besides, her age cannot allow her to actively participate in singing as a career although she can sing during her leisure times. This is coupled with her maternal responsibilities and her busy schedule. Perhaps one more reason that distracted Julia from exploiting her singing career to her potential was the fact that she did not have the modern equipment required to thrive in the music industry. All she had was an old songbook that could have had some pages missing besides depending on others for the piano while singing. Question Four Indeed the marriage between Mr. and Mrs. Conroy is a convenient one where there is no consensus about between the couple in all the pertinent issues. It would be appropriate to state that Gabriel does not understand his wife because initially, her wife proposes to him luxurious items than she needs and without a single objection, Gabriel accepts her requests. He doesn’t seem to understand his wife as he just laughs away at whatever she says without giving it a second thought. Another incidence that depicts Gabriel’s lack of understanding of his wife is he had to wait for about three hours for her wife to dress, an issue that seems to trouble him especially when Aunt Kate and Aunt Julia were becoming impatient. Mrs. Gabriel is a woman of sophisticated lifestyle in that she is fond of fashionable attire and this seems to drive her husband crazy especially in the wake of scrutiny by his sisters. Gabriel clearly demonstrates that he and his wife are not equal partners within their marriage as an institution. By providing all the fanciful items as requested by his wife, he simply indicates that his wife is a mere possession that has to put on expensive and sophisticated attire in order to be more appealing. This is a materialistic perspective of the marriage institution, as each of the couples within a marriage ought to see more value in their partner than the simple outward appearance. Read More