Joyce writes, "While he had been full of memories of their secret life together, full of tenderness and joy and desire, she had been comparing him in her mind with another. A shameful consciousness of his own person assailed him" (Joyce). He discovers life is not all romance, and the world does not revolve around him and his wishes, and it is a difficult lesson for him to learn. That is the conflict, that romance is rarely the reality of a situation, and that ego and self-importance can get in the way of romance and reality. In conclusion, this short story looks at reality in a very different light, and shows that people...

He really did not know much about his wife, but felt he was the only man in her life - a romantic notion that had no basis in reality, and that is the ultimate point of this story - reality and romance really do not mix.
References

Joyce, James. "The Dead." Online-Literature.com. 2008. 11 Dec. 2008. http://www.online-literature.com/james_joyce/958/

References

Kafka, Franz. "The Metamorphosis." Gutenberg.com. 2008. 11 Dec. 2008. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/5200/5200-h/5200-h.htm