Human Identity in The Dead The short story, "The Dead", is the final story of Dubliners, but is characteristic of a number of earlier stories. In the first story, "The Sisters," a boy deals with the death of an influential figure in his life. The women in "Eveline" and "Clay" are haunted by death: Eveline, by the memory of her mother, and Maria, by the foreboding of her own death. “A Painful Case” is the story of the tragic death of a rejected woman. A dead political figure is the basis of "Ivy Day in the Committee Room". All of these stories revolve around the characters' pain and experiences with death. “The Dead” by James Joyce shows the ability of someone's death to discourage their future relationships and experiences. This short story gives voice to the emotions of a husband whose wife's romantic relationship with a man who died years ago forces him to realize that there is a chapter in his wife's life that he has no part in. Gabriel Conroy and his wife Gretta attend "Miss Morkan's Annual Ball", hosted by her two aunts, Kate and Julian Morkan. At the ball, Gretta is twice reminded of her past love, Michael Furey. First, a friend invites Gretta and Gabriel to Galway, the place where she had her affair with Michael. Secondly, she is reminded of a song sung by Mr. D'Arcy, "The Lass of Aughrim", the song Michael had sung to her on their long walks across the country. Gabriel, unaware of her affections and anticipating a romantic evening, takes her to a hotel sensing that "they had escaped from their lives and duties". When he questions Gretta's apathetic mood, she tells him the tragic story of Michael's illness and how... middle of paper... reward for their courage. Gabriel is faced with this question when he imagines his aunt Julia and Michael Furey. Michael died of passion, while his aunt Julia will slowly wither. Gabriel is worried that he might have this fate, to die a meaningless death. Dublin is significant in various literary and intellectual ways. In some stories a separation is exercised between the author and the story, so the author must show details in speech and action, rather than make comments, to evoke the desired images and messages. One must rely on personal experiences to establish one's feelings about the meaning of characters' experiences in stories. James Joyce makes universal generalizations about human identity through his knowledge of one city, Dublin