Although a funeral parlor scene may come to mind when a reader first hears a short story aptly named "The Dead", the The tale actually takes place in a festive context. setting of a winter ball at the home of the two aunts of the main character, Gabriel Conroy. James Joyce's short story "The Dead" has a literal title, because its main concept is death - both physical death and spiritual death. Gabriel Conroy and his wife, Gretta Conroy, attend a party hosted by Gabriel's aunts, Kate Morkan and Julia Morkan. The atmosphere of the party is deliberately festive. It is an annual event – ​​“the annual dance of the Morkan maidens” (1227). But some parts of the evening turn out to be rather nostalgic. Nostalgia comes from some guests present at the party who remember the past. Most of the people discussed in the past story are now dead at the time of the party, so nostalgia gives way to considerations of the dead, thus emphasizing the theme of death that is prevalent throughout the rest of the story. Gabriel is Kate and Julia's favorite nephew because he is the son of their deceased sister, Ellen (1229). Another deceased family member, the 'late Patrick Morkan' is also mentioned (1241). Not only are there mentions of people who have already died, but there is also talk of people who will soon die. Past deaths and future deaths resonate in history. Gabriel thinks that his aunt Julia "would soon be a shadow to the shadow of Patrick Morkan and his horse", meaning that she is very close to death, since Patrick Morkan and his horse have died (1248). The language Joyce chooses in the story is also largely symbolic of mortality. Certain phrases and words are used throughout the story to emphasize death. Gabriel tells his aunts... in the middle of a paper... about a certain passion, which will fade and fade miserably with age” (1248). The story ends with death mingling with life. Snow falls on the houses and on the cemetery where Michel is buried (1248). The image of snow falling on the houses of the characters in the story, as well as on the cemetery (which is essentially the house of the dead, like Michael, because that is where their bodies lie), connects life and death. death as a central theme. “His soul faded slowly as he heard the snow falling weakly across the universe and falling weakly, like the descent of their final end, on all the living and the dead” (1248). Gabriel finally realizes that we cannot avoid death. Works Cited Joyce, James. “The Dead”. The Broadview Anthology of British Literature. By Joseph Laurence Black. Peterborough, ON: Broadview, 2007. 1227-1248. Print.