The story “The Dead” by James Joyce is about the Christmas party organized by the Morkan sisters. But above all it is about love, love lost and the inability to forget those who have been loved and lost. “He wanted to remind her of these moments, to make her forget the years, the years of their sad shared existence and to remember only their moments of ecstasy. He felt that the years had not satisfied his soul or his own” (145). The relationship between Gabriel and Gretta is just one of the conflicts in this story. His selfishness and self-focus causes Gabriel to become blind due to ignorance of Gretta's past life. Aunts Kate and Julia Morkan hosted a Christmas ball and dinner. They invited various relatives and friends. The housekeeper Lily anxiously welcomed the guests. The aunts couldn't anticipate the arrival of their favorite nephew, Gabriel and Gretta. When they arrive, Gabriel tries to speak directly with the housekeeper Lily about his love, but she responds abruptly to his question. Later, he joins his aunts and Gretta. Gretta and Gabriel discuss their decision to stay in a hotel after leaving home. The arrival of a drunk Freddy Malins disrupts the conversation. Gabriel takes care of Freddy so he can join the party while the other guests chat and dance. The party continues with a piano performance by Mary Jane. After the show, they start dancing and Gabriel teams up with Miss Ivors. Just before dinner, Julia sings a song for the guests. Dinner is ready and Gabriel sits at the head of the table to slice the goose. After some hassling, everyone begins to eat and Gabriel gives his speech, in which he commends Kate, Julia and Mary Jane for their hospitality and speaks of it as Irish strength. Then, he insists... middle of paper... Gabriel never asked him questions about his past loves. "The smile disappeared from Gabriel's face. A dull anger began to build again in the back of his mind and the dull fires of his desire began to glow with anger in his veins” (149). After Gretta tells Gabriel about Michael Furey, he seems surprised to discover that she had a relationship with a boy before meeting him. Thanks to his selfishness, he could also care about others and not just focus on himself. Gabriel realizes this at the end of the story, but it took the dead Michael Furey to teach him this lesson. The price of the installation was finally reconciled with Gabriel. Gretta and Gabriel paid the price of a life without great lover's passions. Gretta knew love, while Gabriel realized he had never known this feeling. Could the title "The Dead" be an indication of Gretta's love for someone who was dead rather than someone alive ??