The Dead

¿The Dead is one of the twentieth century¿s most beautiful pieces of short literature. Taking his inspiration from a family gathering held every year on the Feast of the Epiphany, Joyce pens a story about a married couple attending a Christmas-season party at the house of the husband¿s two elderly aunts. A shocking confession made by the husband¿s wife toward the end of the story showcases the power of Joyce¿s greatest innovation: the epiphany, that moment when everything, for character and reader alike, is suddenly clear.