Did Eveline Make The Right Choice?
The tale of “Eveline” is a very interesting story. Written by James Joyce in 1914, “Eveline” was part of a collection of works entitled Dubliners. The story takes place in Dublin, Ireland around the time of World War I. It is a narrative about a woman named Eveline who has a very important decision to make. Eveline has met a sailor named Frank who is from Argentina and is visiting Dublin on vacation. As the story proceeds, Eveline begins to develop feelings towards him and Frank asks her to accompany him back to Argentina. However, due to unfortunate circumstances, Eveline’s mother passed away. Before her mother died, Eveline made a promise that she will care for her younger siblings. Asides from the challenge
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As much as Eveline was abused, she still cared for him, and he has feelings for her as well. As she remembers, Eveline states that her father was becoming old and that he would miss her. Eveline then goes on to recall a time where she was laid up for a day, and read a ghost story and made a toast for her. One might argue that Eveline’s conscience is beginning to take over her decision making. Eveline states, “in her home anyway she had shelter and food; she had those whom she had known all her life about her” (par.5). As Eveline is about to leave she begins to question the decision one last time. However, Eveline states, “Frank would save her. He would give her life, perhaps love,too,” and it seems as if Eveline is now questioning the life that Frank might provide her. by stating “perhaps love,too” (par. 18).
After taking into account the fact that she is unhappy in Dublin, Eveline is waiting at the station for Frank. At this moment, Eveline is still unsure of exactly what she wants to do.If she went, tomorrow she would be on the sea with Frank, steaming towards Buenos Ayres. However, as Eveline came back to reality, one can argue that finally she woke up and realized that she knew nothing about Frank. She was not sure about her feelings toward him and, “her eyes gave him no sign of love or farewell or recognition” (para.
For example, in the chapter titled “A Kiss for Amory” Myra, a girl whom Amory thought he had a crush on at the time, and Amory are left alone. He confesses his feelings for her and her “eyes [become] dreamy” (Fitzgerald 13). They then kiss, and she immediately begins to show more affection towards him. Suddenly Amory is overcome with disgust and “loathing for the whole incident” (Fitzgerald 13). This scene allows the reader to fully understand what is going on, from the contrasting perspectives of both the characters. The conflict portrays Myra’s assured feelings for Amory meanwhile revealing Amory’s ambiguous feelings towards Myra when it comes to love and affection. He realizes this is not what he really wants and becomes uncomfortable with the whole situation. This is the first example of a relationship ending due to Amory’s unstable and conflicting feelings towards girls and anticipates his future problematic relationships with women. This scene prepares the audience early in the novel for the upcoming conflicts relating to affection that Amory occasionally experiences as the story
James Joyce’s Dubliners is an assortment of brief stories in which he criticizes twentieth century Dublin. In these stories, Joyce analyzes the paralysis that entices the characters in Dublin and forbids them from accomplishing their desires and goals; rather than relentlessly trying to conquer the obstacles that stand in their way, they give up on achieving their goals in all. During this time period, many gender inequalities are occurring, and women are often brushed-aside by society and more often than not, are not given nearly any of the same opportunities as the men are given. The women in this society know that despite the degree of any effort put forward to improve their positions in society, they will likely fail. Due to knowing
In the story “Eveline” by James Joyce. Eveline contemplates her life challenges. She has a life altering decision to make, stay with her abusive Father or leave with her new found love.
“She sat at the window watching the evening invade the avenue” (Joyce 41). Eveline is watching the sunset, but instead of describing the sun setting in colors, the night sky is forcefully entering the city. “Her head was leaned against the window curtains and in her nostrils was the odour of dusty cretonne” (Joyce 41). Similarly in this sentence, Eveline is not smelling the odor of the cretonne, but rather the smell has already entered her nose. She makes no decisive effort to inhale the unpleasant scent, but it invades her body anyway. This demonstrates the submissive nature of Eveline to her circumstances.
Because readers are able to know Eveline’s thoughts, readers can know her just as they know themselves. Readers learn about Eveline’s struggles and her hardships. Eveline works very hard at her job where she earns only “seven shillings” which she gives to her father (410). After her mother died, she also takes care of the house, and looks after two young children. Eveline describes her life as “a hard life- but now that she was about to leave it she did not find it a wholly undesirable life” (410). Eveline’s thoughts reflect what is going on around her. When she hears the street organ playing, she is reminded of the night her mother died and “her promise to keep the home together as long as she could” (411). Because readers can see into Eveline’s thoughts, they can see what motivates her and what causes her to freeze up on the boat dock. Changing her mind last minute can ultimately be connected to her fears. When she is scared Eveline looks like “a helpless animal” (417). Eveline is like a deer in headlights. She is so overtaken by her fears that she no longer knows what to do. Because of her immense fears, readers can see that Eveline’s change from wanting to leave her old life behind for a new one, to not wanting to leave what she knows, is a plausible change. Eveline isn’t afraid to leave her old life for a new one until she is forced to actually make the jump
James Joyce wrote a book of stories called Dubliners discussing different people’s lives in Dublin. In writing these stories, Joyce tries to portray in the characters a sense of sadness and pressure to do what is expected in society. When he wrote the book it was during a rough time in Dublin. Therefore, the issues that he discusses in the different stories show how the lives of the people were not as happy as they all wished. In the stories “Eveline,” “The Boarding House,” and “The Dead,” each one of the characters find some form of light at the end of the story which gives them a new start on their lives. “Eveline” is a story about a girl who wants to escape from her life
Frank wants Eveline to run away with him to Buenos Ayres and become his wife, but she is scared to do such a thing. What if Frank’s proposition is too good to be true? This is the question that is lingering in the back of Eveline’s mind as she tries to decide if she should stay or go. All Eveline has is the word of a man she barely even knows, and for all she knows, every bit of it could be a lie. According to the story, Eveline really wants to go with Frank to Buenos Ayres. It says, “She must escape! Frank would save her.” However, she cannot build up the strength to actually go with him because her fears overpower her hope of a happier life. This also causes Eveline to ask herself if she really loves Frank or if she just wants a way out of her current situation. Fearful that Frank will treat her like her father treated her mother, Eveline questions if leaving with Frank is a smart decision. Eveline saw how much pain her mother went through in her relationship with her father, and she does not want to experience that pain herself. As Eveline’s mother was on her death bed, she uttered to Eveline the phrase “Derevaun Seraun!” over and over again. The phrase means the end of pleasure is pain. Eveline is so happy with Frank at the moment, but what if this is a warning of what will happen if she leaves with him. She is scared that this happiness will be short lived. What if, in an attempt to find happiness, her escape leads
Inside “Eveline” by James Joyce, the protagonist struggles with a choice, either to abandon her past or to take up responsibility and take care of her unappreciative family. After painful days dealing with her family, Eveline realizes that she yearns to abandon her present, but also would have to abandon her father who “was becoming old lately; [and] would miss her.” (13) Despite the fact that her father “had given her palpitations,” (9) she also knew she depended on her father once, and owed him a debt although being mistreated currently. While seeming indirect, this quote shows that her conscious plays a huge role in her decision making. However, temptations created by Frank, her lover, contradicts her loyalty
“Araby” and “Eveline” were both written in the year 1914 and “Eveline” precedes “Araby” in the larger work. They are both part of Joyce’s larger work Dubliners which is a work of fifteen short stories. This compilation of stories all share the
Frequently referred to as an age of doubt, the Modernist period of literature was characterized by authors who sought to challenge the notion of a literary text containing a single truth or meaning. Modernist writers went against societal and cultural customs by questioning literature and focusing on the individual experience of a text. As a result, much of modern literature destabilizes meaning through the use of ambiguity and suspense. Accordingly, ambiguity plays a central role in James Joyce’s short story, “Eveline.” Throughout the story, nineteen-year-old Eveline contemplates leaving her home in Dublin to pursue a happier life with a sailor named Frank. At home, she leads a dismal life with her violent father, and therefore the prospect of life with Frank in Buenos Ayres presents itself as an enticing escape. However, Eveline finds herself trapped between familiarity and freedom, between what she could do and what she wants to do. While numerous critics have attempted to uncover whether “Eveline” favours her staying or leaving, the story remains ambiguous with its “two mutually exclusive meanings” (Luft 48). In Joyce’s “Eveline,” ambiguity obscures the answer the reader seeks and reveals that Eveline cannot make a choice because her situation is inescapable – putting the reader in a position of “hermeneutic conflict,” analogous to Eveline’s “irresolvable inner conflict” (Luft 50).
The unknown things of what Eveline leaving would do ultimately made her not want to leave with frank. Eveline said, “Through the wide doors of the sheds she caught a glimpse of the black mass of the boat, lying
The unknown things of what Eveline leaving would do ultimately made her not want to leave with frank. Eveline said, “Through the wide doors of the sheds she caught a glimpse of the black mass of the boat, lying in
“Two Gallants” was both provoking and shocking in the time it was written, the fact that Joyce refused to change any details in the story was partly the reason for the delayed publication of Dubliners[1]. James Joyce has no interest in showing Dublin in a good light. In “Two Gallants” he shows us the reality of young aimless women and men, and nothing is romanticized. His short story seems truly realistic, because of his vivid descriptions of the characters, city and ambiance. Combined with that, Joyce’s constant naming of exciting streets and corners makes the story even more realistic and hereby even more provoking.
In "Eveline", a young woman, Eveline, is apprehensive about leaving her home, Dublin, to move to Buenos Aires with her new love, Frank. By Eveline's eagerness to run away with a man she hardly knows, it is evident that Dublin provides no solace for her. Yet, she still questions
James Joyce’s “Eveline” establishes a diverse, variety of notions, one of which persists that music plays a significant role pertaining to Eveline’s happiness, he also depicts her struggle to feel alive inside, and her internal battle between duty and love.