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MLenarduzzi - 5 A - Modernist Fiction: Eveline, James Joyce
by - (2012-01-24)
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Eveline is a text taken from the collection of texts named Dubliners written by James Joyce between 1904 and 1914.
It is structured into eleven paragraphs, each one having a different function in the whole text.
The story is told using every kind of past tense:the simple past, the syntactic form "used to" to underline past habits, the past perfect and the past continuos.
Every type of past tense conveys to the reader the idea of lull, Furthermore it underlines the main protagonist's attitude.
Eveline is a non-dynamic person, she accepts everything without rebelling.
The first paragraph tells about what she is doing right now. It gives the reader the setting: the story's environment is Eveline's house.
In particular she is sitted next to the curtains of the window, watching outside. Right from the first paragraph, James Joyce wants the reader to experience the story using their sences. By describing the odour of dusty cretonne, James Joyce can make the reader feel more involved in the story.
The second paragraph begins with a short description of a man who is walking near the new red houses. Even in this passage, James Joyce
wanted the reader to have a concrete image of what is happening. As a consequence he made a description using the sense of hearing and touch.
The new red houses remind her of her childhood, when she used to play with her friends in the field where now the new buildings are built.
She keeps on thinking about her family and friends who now are gone or dead. The last line of the paragraph deals with her will
to finally leave home.
The third paragraph is connected to the second. She reflects on her home. She looks instinctively all around the room.
As she sees every dusty objects she can't stop thinking about that it could never see them.
However this is just a short thought, like every other one. As a matter of fact she reflects on other things such as the name of a priest in a yellowing photograph.
The third paragraph deals with her thought of leaving home. Even if in the second paragraph she came to the conclusion that
being devided from the familiar objects was a dream, here she is wondering if it is wise to go away.
She thinks of what people are going to say about her rather than reflecting on what is the best of her.
In particular she thinks of what Miss Gaven will feel and say. Just thinking of her reminds Eveline Miss Gaven's admonitions.
As a consequence, the fourth paragraph is about the way Eveline will feel when she will get married. Its aim is to describe her feeling about her family and her decision.
In this paragraph Eveline recalls the idea of going away from there because she doesn't want to be treated like her mother was.
As a result she thinks of her family and in particular about her parents. She recalls to her mind her relationship with her father.
She was not hitted by her father because she was a girl and because her mother was alive. She used to receive any money because she was judge a waster.
On the other hand she was compelled to buy the Sundays dinner and so she used to go out marketing keeping her purse thightly.
Reflecting on her life, Eveline changes her mind again. She considers her life desirable. She believes she cannot go away.
In the fifth paragraph the main protagonist thinks about Frank, the man who is reputedly going to marry.
She thinks of his manners and their past times. She reflects on their plan of leaving to Buenos Ayres where there would be a house waiting for them.
However Eveline's father found out that and so he had forbidden her to stay with him. As a consequence she started to date him secretly.
The following paragraph describes her with two letters in the hand, one for her father and the other one for her brother.
She reflects on her father's manners. Even if she was rude mostly, he could also be very nice to her. As a result she recalls some memories from the past.
In the seventh paragraph Eveline is wondering what is the best for her. She stays sitted even if she had better going.
She finds more and more excuses in order to stay there where she is. She thinks of her mother and the promise she made with her.
Eveline said to her mother she would keep the family together. Meanwhile, James Joice strikes the reader attention describing what is happening using the sences.
The following paragraph is about what her mother used to say. Those words are seen as a warning.
As a consequence in the nineth paragraph she wants to escape from there.She believes Frank will save her.
The tenth paragraph changes the setting. Evelines is at the station with Frank who is holding her hand. Even if Frank is talking to her,
Eveline is kept by her stream of consciousness. She is also praying God to direct her because she doesn't know what to do.
Suddenly it is the time to leave, but she tears from him and stays there, astonished.
In the final paragraph Frank calls her many time, however Eveline doesn't move, her hand clutches the iron and she sees Frank with a passive face maybe for the last time.