“Eveline” by James Joyce and the article

“Un mondo che abbiamo costruito noi”

by Claudia Sfilli

Both of the texts deal with teenage. The article from “Il Messaggero Veneto”, 18.01.2012, consists of the answer to a reader. The attitude of teenagers is analyzed by taking into consideration the society and, in particular, adults. Adults have always blamed adolescents’ way of thinking, dressing, speaking, and so on.

“Quello che cambia nelle diverse generazioni è l’aspetto esteriore: è quello chef a si che l’adulto critichi e disprezzi i ragazzi, dimenticando i propri errori e le proprie debolezze giovanili”: people, more often than not, forget and deny the confused period of the adolescence. Eveline is the character of the extract taken by the novel Dubliners by J. Joyce. She is a teen girl “over nineteen”: she is looking for a place to belong to, she seeks certainty in a world of instability. She remembers past episodes of her life by making reference to her family and childhood; at the same time, she reflects on a possible future and almost tries to convince herself to escape from it all. The girl felt in love with a sailor and now she wants to leave with him, now she refuses to set off. She is confused, scared for what concerns undiscovered experiences. She only needs someone protecting her, and thought Frank was the right one: but she changed her mind. She is stroke by a million of emotions and doubts, and last she decides not to leave.

Why? Merely because she is a teenager. She feels grown up, and the moment after she needs protection (line 54, “now she had nobody to protect her.”).

Adolescence is a period made by a mix of confusion, excitement and fear. The concept is underlined both in the article and in the extract. The continuous references to the past by Eveline are linked to the consideration by the writer Claudia Sfilli: “è una piantina ancora senza forza e siamo noi adulti la causa se cresce male”,and then: “Siamo noi, stanchi del nostro lavoro e dei mille impegni, che non gli diciamo i no di cui ha bisogno. Pretendiamo che si comporti da adulto per non doverci preoccupare troppo”. Eveline grew up in a family expecting her to do everything in the house. The past becomes a reason to escape: she can’t stand the situation any longer. And it is due to the attitude of the adults.

Therefore, teenage is not such an unknown world: adults determines most of the attitude of the young growing up in their world. Teenagers are not supposed to be criticized but understood, because they definitely are the product of the world built up by adults.