DUBLINERS (1914) BY JAMES JOYCE - EVELINE - STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

Relation between the sequences

Each sequence in the text has a specific function. The first one is introductory, to introduce the character and her present condition and to directly involve the reader in the girl's thoughts.

The second sequence offers a series of reasons why Eveline has decided to leave her home (her choice is mentioned at the end of the second paragraph). In the third sequence the writer introduces a new character, Frank, to make the reader understand the unleashing reason of the girl's leaving. Frank is also the means by which she can escape from her life, without him, Eveline could not even try to do that.

The following section provides, after some pleasant memories about Eveline's father, further negative memories and reason for the girl to leave.

Such great amount of information about Eveline's difficult life at home serves the writer to underline the inexplicability of the girl's sudden decision not to leave, decision that will only be introduced just in the last lines.

The whole text offers a complete representation of Eveline's life that develops through the various sequences into different time-dimensions.

Verb tenses used

The tenses used are mainly simple past and past perfect. The first is used to make reference to actions that are happening in the time of the story while the latter is employed to make reference to past actions (compared with the time of the story). The recurrent use of it shows the frequency of references to past events in the text.

The writer uses the "going to" and "will" ("would" in the past") future. Such choice makes the reader understand that Eveline future is not yet definite. She still doesn't know for sure if she will leave, she is "going to go away", she is not "going away". Such idea is also suggested by the use of conditional forms, such as "perhaps she would never see again those familiar objects".

The frequent use of the "used to" form is evidence of Eveline's attachment to habits, her impossibility to leave the life she is used to; the only life she knows and the only life that makes her feel at ease, despite its difficulties.