Short Stories - 2. Eveline

Eveline liked her mother and Franz most. Her mother took care of complete family and bore torture done by her father on her. Franz was her loved and admired her very much. He was the only hope for her to get rid of her meaningless.

She hated her father and Miss Gavan as they used to criticise her and they’ve always been harsh towards her. Her father used to drink and humiliate her, whereas Miss Gavan always used to comment on her.

When Eveline decided to elope with Frank, the memories of her happy days, her childhood, her mother and her siblings came all of a sudden in front of her eyes. She felt nostalgic about the memories of her childhood and of all the people, Harry, Ernest and all of them who have left her house. The voice of organ player reminded of the day her mother died.

On one side, she wanted to start a new respectful life with Frank in Argentin and run away from her father’s cruelty. On the contrary, the promise she made to her mother, to hold the house as she could, was not letting her go.

Through the imagery of ‘window’ and ‘dirty curtains’, the writer has presented a beautiful contrast of conflicting emotions, Eveline was going through, where she has opportunity to run away but flash f memories were restricting her from eloping.

Eveline let go of the opportunity because she was strucked with the memory of her mother and siblings. Also, she felt a sense of responsibility and was burdened by the promise she made to her mother that she won’t let her house to break and she will hold all the members together as long as she could. That’s why she did not elope with Frank feeling a sense of responsibility towards her mother and family.

As the time for eloping was coming near, Eveline suddenly got distressed and turned pale. She also prayed to god to direct her about her duty. She felt a sense of nausea and cried of her anguish.

In the story Eveline was a character, who dealt with the dilemma of choice between responsibility and happiness. She promised her mother that she’ll not let the thread of relations break and will always think of her family and stay with them. On the other hand, she had a choice to start a respectful, happy and fairy-tale story with her beloved Frank. All the promises, memories and relationships acted as a shackle to her legs. In the end, she gave upon her dreams and chose the welfare of family.

This shows that there is always a conflict when a person has to choose between their family and their personal life, happiness and future. Same happened with the Eveline. It was hard and burdensome for choosing between her monotonously tortured life with her family or eloping with her lover. Thus, in social sphere, right to personal happiness is always considered as selfish and bounds a person to fulfil their filial duty, sacrificing the happiness in their private spheres of life.

One of my friend’s father had to leave for America for 5 years, leaving his children and wife alone at the country. But, he had to do that because he wanted to provide a bright future to his children by earning money. That was the toughest decision I think I have seen someone taking during my lifetime.

James Joyce had used a lot of visual imagery in her story, Eveline. Through the imagery of window, the writer symbolises the opportunity to elope that she has got just like a ray of sun falls in from the window and weight of memories and responsibility flashing through her. Like with the opening of the window, fresh breeze comes in, window symbolises opportunities and happiness.

Similarly, ‘gathering dusk’ and ‘dusty cretonne and odour’ symbolises dullness and lifelessness. It portrays monotony and tiresomeness of life. With the dark colour of room, the writer has shown the burden of memories and dullness of Eveline’s life.

Thus, the writer has drawn a contrast between opportunity and burdening memories.

In the story, most of the actions happens virtually, not in the real world. Through this, writer is trying to show the thoughts and emotions streaming in the Eveline’s mind. All the words show her thoughts and through them, we get to know the series of events. Thus, we can say the narrative proceeds through the consciousness of Eveline.

These images evoke the emotions of pain and fear. They depict the heaviness of her heart and her helplessness and inability to move on and being decisive. She got stiffened and did not go with Frank. All this depicts her passiveness and burden of leaving her family for personal benefit.

The author focussed more on the pitfalls of getting stacked to the past and the conflict between family and personal life and future. He used Eveline’s character to present the dilemma in the mind of people of Irish society.

• She had consented to go away, to leave her home.

• Strange that it should come that very night to remind her of the promise to her mother, her promise to keep the home together as long as she could.

• She prayed to God to direct her, to show her what was her duty.

• Frank would take her in his arms, fold her in his arms.

• Her time was running out but she continued to sit by the window, leaning her head against the window curtain, inhaling the odour of dusty cretonne.

• Not long before, when she had been laid up for a day, he had read her out a ghost story and made toast for her at the fire.

Eveline reviewed all the familiar objects at home because she was feeling nostalgic as she was going to leave the house with her lover Frank. All the beautiful and joyous memories of her childhood days flashed in front of her eyes.

Eveline was planning to run away from her house with her beloved and start a new respectable life in a new city, Buenos Aires, far from her father and old monotonous lifestyle.

Frank was an Irish sailor and a man whom Eveline admired. He was very kind and open-hearted man, who wanted to marry her. Eveline’s father had a quarrel with him because he discovered his affair with Eveline.

The organ player’s appearance reminded Eveline of the street organ that played on the night before her mother’s death and the kind of life her mother lived. As she resolved to leave, she recalled the promise made to her mother before her death. She promised her to keep the home together as long as she could.