Eveline by James Joyce

In the short story "Eveline " by James Joyce, Eveline, the protagonist is given the opportunity to escape from her hard unendurable life at home and live a life of true happiness at Buenos Ayres with Frank, her lover. Throughout the story, Eveline is faced with a few good memories of her past from her childhood and her mother, but she also faces the horrible flashbacks of her mother's illness and her father's violence. In the end, she does not leave with Frank, Eveline's indecisiveness and the burden of her family's duties makes her stay.

By not taking that opportunity, Eveline probably missed a life of exploration with Frank. Eveline would have had the chance to know what independence feels like and she would have had the chance to experience individual freedom. Instead, her life afterwards is a life of regret and imprisonment with her family. Being an only child, she is bound by her family's actions and their duties. Eveline has taken on an incredible part of the burden in keeping the family together. Her father is an overbearing and unfair man who takes his daughters earnings for himself; and rather than appreciating her sacrifices, he ridicules her. As she now lives with her dad and her two brothers, she feels tired and frustrated with her dad's commands and her everyday life. Everyday, she sadly waits for frank to come back into her life once again and fill her life with happiness. Eveline may possibily in the future live her freedom when her controlling father passes away, but perhaps it will become too late for her to experience the freedom she wanted.

The life she lives after she made her choice is a very sad and tiring one. Eveline takes on more responsibility and she is always full of regret for not leaving with Frank. There is also the possibility of Eveline not being as happy as she was before if she would have made the other choice. Eveline's life will forever be changed by the decision she had to make.