Motif in either Araby or The Dead

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A Motif in “The Dead”
The sentence “Yes, the newspapers were right: snow was general all over Ireland” is one phrase that contains a motif in ‘The Dead’ by James Joyce (Joyce 70). The use of snow has a great symbolic significance. The manifestation of winter in the story symbolizes mortality. The snow is like death which falls indiscriminately on everyone. Gretta thinks that Michael’s death was a result of pneumonia after coming to visit when it was cold. The death of Michael signifies what Ireland does to free captive spirits. His grave just like that of entire Ireland on a winter night is as well covered with snow. However, he still lives in Gretta’s memories. The indiscriminate falling of snow in Ireland highlights the point that mortality is universal, serving to unite the death and the life. For instance, the living like Gabriel haven’t really lived, and the death like Michael equally holds are important for the life as in Gretta’s mind. In other words, the death and the life aren’t that different. The snow is the reminder that everyone ends with the same fate.
The significant use of snow helps to develop or expand the theme of death because the dead entails both metaphorical and literal death. Therefore, the use of snow changes the theme of death because it’s not just the literal death but also the metaphorical one. The perceptions of the death are usually tainted by nostalgia which makes it hard for certain characters to forget about their past glorified memories.

The crucial part of it entails the acceptance that it’s universal and imminent. Death falls everywhere just like the snow in Ireland. It doesn’t consider class, race or even religion.

Work Cited
Joyce, James. The Dead And Other Stories. California: Cayote Canyon Press, 2008. Print.