Gabriel's search for himself in The DeadThe study of Gabriel's character is probably one of the most important objectives in The Dead1 by James Joyce. What will we think of him? Should the reader think little of Gabriel or even feel sorry for him? This insecurity already implies that the reader becomes increasingly aware that he/she develops an ambivalent feeling towards Gabriel and that his/her character is presented from different perspectives. Gabriel's conduct seems to be divided and seems to represent several common threads in The Dead; takes the reader through the entire story. These different aspects of his behavior, as well as the way this multicolored character presents himself to the reader, strongly suggest that he wears some sort of mask during the course of events. But in the end, after the confession of his beloved wife, Gabriel's life changes radically and, above all, his masks fall. The scene with Lily (p.2009) at the beginning of the story already shows us a lot about Gabriel: He seems in good spirits, talkative and acts very kind to her. In this situation we find one of his many character traits: Gabriel is presented to us as a quite talkative, respectable and cheerful "chatting partner". This aspect of his character, which accompanies us in many pages, is quite strong. Some scenes, three of which are mentioned here, can be discovered as good examples of his gentle way of spreading a cheerful atmosphere: "Now he felt completely at ease because he was an expert carver and he liked nothing better than to be in charge of a well-laid table." (p.2020) This description of his attitude at the table shows us very well that Gabriel manages to entertain p...... middle of paper ......a mask. To sum up all we can say that Gabriel's story in The Dead is definitely not a story about love, nor about a man with different faces, but much more the story of a man who finds his way out of the life he he never really lived. The main concern is that in this story we are dealing with a progression or development of Gabriel's character. It is a progress towards finding his true self, which he himself probably did not even know. Self-awareness, self-awareness and a sudden real subjectivity are the "road signs" in the journey that Gabriel must undergo.1 Joyce, James: The Dead, Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol.2, sixth edition2 Rimmon-Kenan, Slomith: Story-Characters Fiction Fiction and Contemporary Poetics, Routledge 19833 Woolf, Virginia: A sketch of the past, Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol.2, sixth edition