Essay on Evelines Decision in James Joyces Dubliners

Evelines Decision in James Joyces Dubliners In the short story, Eveline, James Joyce introduces us to the life of a young woman named Eveline. She has the opportunity to escape with Frank, the man she thinks she loves, to a faraway country in search of a new life. Instead, she decides to stay in the dreary and gloomy life she already knows. To understand Evelines final decision to stay we have to analyze the reasons that prevent Eveline from pursuing a better life. Her fear of the unknown; the fact that she does not know Frank well enough; and the many attachments she has to her home, prompt Eveline to make her decision. The first reason for Eveline to stay is that she is does†¦show more content†¦Another reason for Eveline to stay is that she does not love Frank enough to escape with him. She does not even know him well enough. What Eveline knows about Frank is only what he tells her. Frank has ?tales of distant countries,? the word ?tales? suggests that all is a false story. Everything she knows about him is what he tells her. She does not know whether he is lying or telling the truth, because she has no way to confirm what Frank tells her. Because Evelines father does not like Frank, he prohibits her to continue seeing him. Her father says I know this sailor chaps? because of the reputation sailors used to have. When her father and Frank had a squabble, Eveline has to meet Frank secretly, which makes Eveline think of her relationship with Frank in a more romantic and exciting way. Joyce tells us that ?first of all it had been an excitement for her to have a fellow and then she had begun to like him.? In her tedious life, the fact of going out with someone, to have someone to care about her, is a thrill. In the final sentence we discover that Eveline does not have any feelings for Frank when her eyes ?gave him no sign of love or farewell or recognition.? The most important reason is that she has many strong ties to her home. First she has to takeShow MoreRelatedEveline1643 Words   |  7 PagesIn â€Å"Eveline,† James Joyce uses the juxtaposition of the ever-changing setting and the unchanging stoic character of Eveline in order to exemplify the character’s reluctance and inability to move forward. James Joyce is known for his juxtaposition of light and dark throughout his short stories, specifically in his story â€Å"Araby.† I would argue that Joyce is using the contrast of opposing forces described above between the setting and the character in a similar way as he was light and dark. â€Å"Araby†Read More Empty Spaces in James Joyces Eveline from Dubliners Essay1080 Words   |  5 PagesEvelines Empty Spaces  Ã‚   It seems highly appropriate that James Joyce lived in Europe during the time of Cà ©zanne, Seurat, Gauguin, and Matisse; throughout his book Dubliners he sketches his characters in a style that could be characterized as post- impressionist. 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Although the short story has moved from the symbols and strict allegory of the myth and folk tale in favour of more â€Å"realistic† situations and characters (like poor Eveline and her predicament in Joyce’s story), the compression of its form along with its presentation of a character’s consciousness in a realistic setting has pushed meaning underneath. So that, often, when reading a short story, although we feel that there is certainly an underlying