In response to the question about the occurrence and reference to death in this piece of writing, what I found most interesting had to do with the very end of the story when Gretta refers to her late lover, Michael. It seems at this point, Michael is still very much alive in Gretta's mind. It's a interesting concept to see how death continues to play a role in Gretta and Gabriel's relationship even though it occurred so long ago. At the end of the novel as well, the freshly fallen snow seems to cover up Gabriel's past life, a type of death, laying a fresh slate for his new beginning.
Characters
Lily - caretaker's daughter
Gabriel Conroy - Gretta's husband, thinks he's better than everyone with his Shakespearean speech
Michael Fuery - Gretta's childhood lover who died from a "broken heart", she never got over him
Mrs. Ivors - woman at the Christmas party who continually demeans Gabriel
Aunts - hostesses of the party, getting old
Symbols
1. Death
- Michael Fuery
-Gretta and Gabriel's relationship
-Almost the aunts
- priests and sins
"He was astonished to hear that monks never spoke, got up at two in the morning and slept in their coffins"
2. Snow
-at the end of the story, provides a clean slate and new beginning for Gabriel as he leaves his wife
"His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead" - covering up his past with his wife and covering the grave of her dead lover
3.Three
- greek myths, 3 old witches weave 3 threads and when your time is up they snip your thread
4. Ghosts
- ghostlike descriptions; everyone floats around, barely alive, don't hear anyone coming
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