In “The Dead,” James Joyce describes the character Gabriel. Gabriel can be seen as selfish in the description of his thoughts. Joyce portrays Gabriel’s selfish nature by using vivid imagery and descriptive diction. In the opening paragraph Gabriel is questioning his wife’s beauty through the narrator’s use of descriptive diction. The speaker/narrator states how Gabriel looked “unresentfully on her tangled hair.” The use of the words unresent and tangled show how Gabriel isn’t judging her but isn’t pleased with her either and how her “tangled hair” shows that she may not be as pristine as Gabriel is used to. Furthermore, the speaker goes on to state how “in that time of her first girlish beauty” he felt “a strange friendly pity.” Gabriel is feeling sorry that she is no longer as pretty or fresh and now she is unkempt. Also, his use of “strange friendly, pity,” to describe his feelings towards her are not typical of someone in a marriage; thus, highlighting Gabriel’s selfish character. The speaker then states how “he knew it was no longer the face for which Michael Furey had braved death.” Gabriel is thinking to himself that because his wife is no longer beautiful “Michael Frey” wouldn’t have saved her. Gabriel is comparing beauty to a good…show more content… Gabriel goes on to describe where they are, “A petticoat string dangled to the floor. One boot stood upright, its limp upper fallen down: the fellow of it lay upon the side.” This scene correlates with his wife’s “tangled hair” and “half-open mouth,” in that everything is chaotic and messy. Gabriel’s character would want perfection. Gabriel also depicts a scene of him “dressed in black, his silk hat on his knees;” representing him being at a funeral. Also Gabriel describes a moment when he would try and “console her, and would find only lame and useless ones. Yes, yes; that would happen very soon.” Gabriel is not caring about his Aunt Kate’s feelings but is more consumed by his joy of