Eveline by James Joyce

Eveline is yet another tale about paralysis from James Joyce's Dubliners. It is a story of arduous childhood and adolescence full of anguish. The family bonds in Eveline are almost like chains and the protagonist is mentally and physically heavily burdened by her parents. Her life is full of responsibilities and duties, but when she is offered a release from this life, she dares not to take her chances. She is too scared.

The story takes place in Dublin, presumably at the beginning of the twentieth century (Dubliners was published in 1914). Eveline, the protagonist, sits by a window in a dull room almost for the whole story, the final scene being the only action happening outside this room. The time span of the beginning and the end is merely a few hours.

The story commences with Eveline sitting at a window, watching the avenue. Years ago there used to be a field there in which she and the other children, excluding her brother Ernest "who was too grown up to play", used to play every evening, but now there stood only houses. Life seemed to be better back then, but now Eveline and her brothers are all grown up and her mother is dead. Eveline is planning to leave Ireland, just like most of her childhood friends have done. Still, she is not sure if it is wise to leave her home.

Eveline is working extremely hard at a store and also at home, where she looks after for her old father. She will not miss her job or her co-workers. Eveline also has mixed feelings about her father: He is cruel at times and even though he has never laid a finger on her, he often threatens her with violence. With her brothers away (Ernest has died and Harry is often away on church decorating business) there is no one to protect her. Eveline is now nineteen and there are two younger children, presumably siblings although the story is not clear about this, and donates her whole salary to the family, but she still gets accused of being a spendthrift by her father.

Eveline is about to explore another life with a sailor named Frank, who has a home in "Buenos Ayres". Frank always treats her respectfully and with great tenderness and he tells her stories of distant countries, but Eveline's father despises Frank, because "he knows those sailor chaps", and this forces her to meet her lover secretly.

She has, regardless of all this, kind thoughts of her father as she thinks of him at his infrequent best. She also remembers her mother's death and her own promise to keep the family together. Eveline's mother wanted her to become the dutiful daughter and keep the house: "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 remembered the last night of her mother's illness."

In the final scene at the station, with the boat ready to leave, Eveline is paralyzed. She cannot go with Frank; the world is too frightening. "All the seas of the world tumbled about her heart. He was drawing her into them: he would drown her". Frank calls to her, trying to get her to board with the rush of people, but Eveline merely stares at him as if he was a complete stranger.

Most of the story takes place in Eveline's mind and is written from her "mind's eye". The story consists of two unequal parts: The first, and longer, part is Eveline's consideration of her life. The second part - a scene at the wharf with Frank - is objective narrative.

The setting of Eveline goes beyond the physical characteristics and greatly affects the protagonist. The setting actually seems to entangle and paralyze Eveline.

Most of the story takes place with Eveline sitting by a window in a simple room. The room is filled with "the odour of dusty cretonne" from the curtains, and has a "yellowing photograph hung on the wall above the broken harmonium". Similar to the room, Eveline's life is very plain. She is a product of her environment: Eveline was brought up in a social environment of strict adherence to tradition and obedience. With her promise to her dying mother Eveline is forced to remain in this setting. She has a chance to escape, but is too afraid and too conservative to leave with Frank. Eveline feels that she must adhere to tradition