The Dead characters

Appears from the start

A Dublin teacher and book reviewer attending his aunts' annual holiday gathering with his wife, Gretta. Educated and self-conscious, he carefully manages his social role but is easily unsettled by criticism and by reminders that other people's inner lives exceed his understanding.

Appears from the start

Gabriel's wife, originally from Galway. At the party she is sociable and warmly remembered by Gabriel's family, but a song late in the evening draws her into memories of a boy who loved her before her marriage.

Appears from the start

Gabriel's elderly aunt and one of the hostesses of the annual gathering. A music teacher with an energetic manner, she worries over the guests, the meal, and Freddy Malins's likely condition while taking pride in the family's hospitality.

Appears from the start

Gabriel's elderly aunt, a singer who still performs at church. Gentler and quieter than Kate, she joins her sister and niece in hosting the party and becomes the subject of Gabriel's uneasy thoughts about age and mortality.

Appears from the start

Kate and Julia's niece, who lives with them and teaches music. She completes the household of hostesses, performs at the party, and helps manage an evening filled with pupils, relatives, and old family friends.

Appears from the start

The Morkans' caretaker's daughter, occupied with greeting arriving guests. Gabriel's awkward attempt at friendly conversation about her romantic prospects offends her and gives him an early reminder that his prepared social manner can misfire.

Appears from the start

A talkative guest whose drinking habits make the hostesses anxious. He arrives late but sufficiently composed, and his mixture of good nature, dependence, and unpredictability forms part of the party's familiar annual routine.

Appears from the start

A forthright guest committed to Irish cultural nationalism. She challenges Gabriel over his newspaper writing and holiday choices, making him defensive about his relation to Ireland and the continent.

Appears from the start

A tenor attending the gathering after a professional engagement. Near the end of the party he sings a traditional song whose sound reaches Gretta on the stairs and awakens a memory she has long carried privately.

Appears from the start

A frail boy from Gretta's youth in Galway who sang and spent time with her before she knew Gabriel. Though long dead and present only in her account, his final effort to see her becomes the emotional center of the story's ending.