Good Student
Dr. Grogan
Literary Methodology
17 February 2012
Mistaking Awkwardness for Arrogance: A Reexamination of Gabriel in James Joyce’s “The Dead”
A figure as complex and multifaceted as the rich narrative from which he is taken, Gabriel Conroy has long interested readers seeking meaning in James Joyce’s “The Dead.” Initially regarded as “a painfully ordinary man” by Melissa Free, subsequent critics have more harshly accused Gabriel of arrogance and classism, based on his “Three Encounters” with the characters Lily, Molly Ivors, and Gretta (280, 283). However, though many sound arguments can be made in support of Gabriel’s arrogance, one might see this position as a failure to recognize two important factors: First, the nervous insecurity with which he often conducts himself, and second, the disparity between his inner thoughts and outer actions. Indeed, an ethical examination of the story’s “Three Encounters” reveals a highly self-conscious, socially clumsy Gabriel, whose sometimes-condescending thoughts rarely manifest in intentionally hostile behavior.
One can first see this display of self-consciousness when examining Gabriel’s discourse with the character Lily, the first in the series of encounters by which he is often judged. For those critics who interpret Gabriel negatively, this might seem a reasonable place to start, for his amusement with the girl’s low accent – “[smiling] at the three syllables she had given his surname,” – is a clear indication that Gabriel acknowledges their class differences (Joyce 298). He then follows this thought by offering her money, which can be seen as an act of condescension; but exactly how fair is this assessment? While Gabriel’s thoughts about Lily are certainly condescending, it is likely that his actions do not stem from any ill will. Quite contrarily, Gabriel is embarrassed for offending Lily, taken aback by her sudden retort as indicated by his blushing and the acknowledgment that, “he felt he had made a mistake” (298). His attempt to smooth over the interaction by offering money illustrates what is often misinterpreted when condemning Gabriel’s “arrogance”: Namely, his painful self-consciousness made worse by his subsequent social faux pas. It is because of his embarrassment that Gabriel fails with Lily, much for the same reason that he fails with Molly Ivors later in the story.
The generous amount of criticism leveled at Gabriel for his behavior with Molly has mostly overlooked his feelings of self-consciousness, and more importantly, the fact that he never acts on his condescending thoughts. Critics tend to focus on his outburst, ignoring the fact that he first “coulored and was about to knit his brows, as if he did not understand” Molly’s unprovoked badgering (Free 289, Joyce 303). Indeed, when Gabriel finally snaps, it is only after numerous public jabs to which he first responds in meek defense of himself (Joyce 303). Free makes note of this fact, stating that Gabriel is “disarmed by Molly’s ambivalence towards him, her rapid fluctuation between conviviality and aggression” (Free 280). This is important, for one should remember that the two were friends and colleagues for years prior to the party (Joyce 303). Gabriel’s dismissal of Molly as “a girl, or woman, or whatever she was,” and his decision to attack her in his dinner speech, surface only after he feels he has been made foolish in front of other guests (Joyce 305). Here one should also make note of Gabriel’s temperance, the fact that his “revenge” speech is well received, complimenting both his aunts and the merits of Irish hospitality (Joyce 311-312). Once more a victim of his social ineptitude – too forward with Lily, too stuffy with Molly – Gabriel is certainly a klutz, but proves to be a principled klutz nonetheless. He illustrates a similar display of ethics later in the story, when alone with his wife at the hotel.
While many have chosen to interpret Gabriel’s third encounter negatively, as an example of his selfish lust, redeemed only by his sympathy for Michael Furrey, the final scene in “The Dead” is in fact the most poignant display of both his temperance and self-criticism (Free 295). Gabriel’s lustful thoughts of Gretta, his arms “trembling with desire to seize her,” ultimately amount to nothing more than him stroking her hand as she falls into sleep (Joyce 318). The fact of his self-condemnation is important, but perhaps not as novel or “redemptive” as many have interpreted it; it is, rather, a more heightened example of the self-criticism he exhibits throughout the story. What is distinctive about this encounter is the intensity with which all of Gabriel’s insecurities manifest at once. Though normally able to circumvent his self-conscious thoughts, he finally crumbles at the suggestion that his love for his wife is insubstantial, condemning himself as “pitiable,” “fatuous,” and a “nervous, well-meaning sentimentalist” (Joyce 320). Such thoughts might lead a less principled man to seize upon the “dull fires of his lust… [glowing] angrily in his veins,” but for Gabriel, they are an invitation to sulk quietly in the darkness (Joyce 320, 322). One can again see the progression of Gabriel’s self-consciousness; insecure with himself to begin with, his failure with Gretta causes him to further question his self-worth.
It may be tempting for some to dismiss the aforementioned claims of Gabriel’s self-consciousness, for he does, after all, conduct himself gracefully during dinner and at other key points throughout “The Dead.” What is important to remember is that while Gabriel does not always falter, it is the instances in which he does that lead to his “immoral” or “arrogant” behavior. One can see how his embarrassment leads to slip-ups with Lily and Molly, and would likely have done so with Gretta, had she not quickly silenced him with her fond reminiscence of Michael Furrey. Indeed, when one begins to consider Gabriel’s self-consciousness, it becomes clear that he never acts with unprovoked maliciousness towards any other characters. His actions are rather a defense mechanism, a reaction to their hostility, which is surpassed perhaps only by the enmity with which he has been regarded by a half-century of scholars and literary critics.

Works Cited
Free, Melissa. “‘Who is G.C.?’: Misprizing Gabriel Conroy in Joyce’s ‘The Dead.’” Joyce Studies Annual (2009): 277-303. Project MUSE. Web. 5 Feb. 2012.
Joyce, James. "The Dead." Reading and Writing About Literature. Ed. Philip Sipiora. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002. 297-322. Print.