Gabriel's Search for Self in The DeadThe study of Gabriel's character is probably one of the most important focuses of James Joyce's The Dead1. What will we think of him? Is the reader supposed to think little of Gabriel or should he even pity him? This insecurity already implies that the reader becomes more and more aware that he is developing an ambivalent feeling towards Gabriel and that his character is presented from different angles. Gabriel's conduct seems divided and seems to represent different common threads in The Dead; it guides the reader through the entire story. These different aspects of his behavior, as well as the way in which this multicolored character is presented to the reader, strongly suggest that he wears some sort of mask throughout the course of events. But at the very end, after the confession of his beloved wife, Gabriel's life is radically changed and, above all, his masks fall. The scene with Lily (p.2009) at the very beginning of the story already shows us a lot about Gabriel: He seems in a good mood, talkative and behaves very nice towards her. In this situation, we find one of his many character traits: Gabriel is presented to us as a rather talkative, decent and cheerful “interlocutor”. This aspect of his character, which accompanies us on many pages, is quite strong. Some scenes, three of which are mentioned here, can be discovered as good examples of his kind way of spreading a cheerful atmosphere: "He felt quite at ease now for he was an expert sculptor and did not like anything about better than finding yourself at the head of a well-stocked table." (p.2020) This description of his attitude at the table shows us very well that Gabriel is capable of entertaining p...... middle of paper ......a mask. To summarize everything we can say that the story of Gabriel in The Dead is surely not a love story, nor that of a man with different faces, but rather the story of a man who is looking to escape a life he never really lived. The primary concern is that in this story it is a question of progress or development of Gabriel's character. It's progress toward discovering his true self, which he probably didn't even know himself. Self-awareness, self-consciousness and a sudden real subjectivity are the "milestones" on the path that Gabriel must follow.1 Joyce, James: The Dead, Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol.2, sixth edition2 Rimmon-Kenan, Slomith: History-Characters Contemporary narrative and poetic fiction, Routledge 19833 Woolf, Virginia: A sketch of the past, Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol.2, sixth edition