So the living and the dead are not really that different, and the snow is a reminder that everyone will end with the same fate. Some of the living, like Gabriel, have not really lived, and some of the dead, like Michael Furey, hold significance equal to that of the living, as in Gretta’s mind. This indiscriminate quality of snow, which is said to be falling all over Ireland, highlights the fact that mortality is universal, and also serves to unite the living and the dead. As we later learn, Gabriel feels (or learns himself) that it would be better to die young for passion, as Michael Furey, than to live a long empty life, as he is doing. This use of snow and cold in relation to Gabriel’s body accentuates his relationship with death. As Gabriel enters the house there is “a light fringe of snow” on his coat and galoshes. Thus, Michael's early death and burial in Oughterard in the story equates closely with that of 'Sonny' Bodkin, whose weathered grave stone moulders gently beside the north wall of Rahoon Cemetery on the outskirts of Galway City. The fact that snow falls indiscriminately “on both the living and the dead” all over Dublin highlights the fact that many Dubliners are living meaningless lives and are essentially dead while alive. Her lover, Michael Furey, relates more to Michael 'Sonny' Bodkin than anyone else. Throughout the text all manifestations of winter-cold, the color white, snow, and the season itself-usually represent mortality.
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