The Dead Group

Question:

judythatsme
judythatsme
Student
College - Junior

What antithetical aspects of life are associated with Gretta's emotions with Michael Fury and with Gabriel in "The Dead"?

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Posted by judythatsme on Sunday October 26, 2008 at 9:45 AM and tagged with characters, gabriel, gretta, michael, the dead.

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  1. sullymonster Teacher
    Community / Jr. College

    Although Michael is dead, Gretta associates him with living life passionately and associates Gabriel with hardly living at all.  Michael's memory is enough to imbue her with the spirit of life, with the "fury" of humanity.  Gabriel, however, has been quiet, reserved, sociaaly acceptable.  So much so, that when he finally does "burn with desire" for Gretta, he is annoyed at her own reserve.  However, when Gretta tells him of Michael, Gabriel is able to see that he has been self-absorbed and that he has been wasting his time.  Michael lived more in half the time than he has.

    Thus, the antithetical ideas present are that a person must truly embrace mortality in order to value and completely live life. 

    One by one, they were all becoming shades. Better pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/dead/themes

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    Posted by sullymonster on Monday October 27, 2008 at 11:28 AM