“The usefulness of different theories in interpretation does not imply the simultaneous truth of all statements in the theoretical inventory” states Roland Garrett in a concluding statement discussing how it is necessary to use multiple of a theory to fully interpret a single work of text (Garrett 124). James Joyce's short story "The Dead" is used to portray this statement in Garrett's article "Six Theories in the Bedchamber of the Dead". As indicated by the title of the article, Garrett analyzes the story of James Joyce using more than one literary theory and a “general reflection” at the end to summarize his work (Garrett 123). Garrett takes time to point out why each theory may and may not work for "The Dead" using historical and textual evidence to support his claims. The theories in question are: deconstruction, structuralism, feminism, Marxism and psychoanalysis. The author uses very different theories. However, Garrett explains that each theory needs the other to explain why it works or doesn't work for the story in question. The author summarizes his work in one sentence: “The structuralist might cite Joyce's biography, the Marxist might draw insights from psychoanalysis, [and] the feminist might study the impact of the incompleteness of meaning on the status of women” ( Garrett 125). Garrett explains that literary theories depend on context, biographical and historical, and other theories to remain coherent for the reader; however, the article would benefit from more information on psychoanalysis with further explanation on the importance of background context and a more accurate title for better understanding. The explanation contained in Garrett's article on psychoanalysis is true; however, it would have been helpful if…half of the paper…he had added more to the section about psychoanalysis, which would have helped the reader understand the minds of the characters. The author would also have benefited from a more in-depth look at the importance of background information and historical context. Information regarding the past helps contextualize the story, helping the reader to have a deeper understanding of the text. Finally, a change or modification of the title would promote better understanding for the potential reader and may even allow more readers to read the entire work. Work cited James, Joyce. “The Dead”. Read and write about literature. Ed. Filippo Sipioria. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, 2002. 297-322. Print.Garrett, Roland. "Six Theories in the Bedchamber of the Dead." Philosophy and Literature.16 (1992): 115-127. ProjectMUSE. Network. 04 February 2012.