The Limits of Resonance: Auditory Narrative in James Joyce’s “The Dead”

Abstract

The sound elements in Joyce’s “The Dead” have attracted academic attention. Still, related discussions have mostly focused on a single kind of sound, such as music, singing, or silence, and have not fully explored how sounds collectively organize the relationships between characters and perceptual experiences. This paper takes an auditory narrative perspective, combining concepts such as “soundscape”, “auscultation”, and silence to examine the narrative function of sound and auditory experience in the short story. The paper argues that while the story constructs a superficially shared auditory space through the annual dance soundscape, the ineffective responses and Gabriel’s reliance on “being heard” expose the fragility of this “shared listening”. “Distant music”, silence, and the sound of snow propel the narrative from public noise to Gabriel’s inward auscultation, causing the auditory shareability to diminish continuously. This paper thus points out that the auditory narrative in “The Dead” does not lead to perfect communication, but rather presents a heartfelt yet limited resonance between people through the transition between noise and silence, providing a new perspective for understanding characters’ inner experience and the limitations of interpersonal relationships in Joyce’s works.