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.