"Eveline" analysis 

"Eveline"is a short story taken from "the Dubliners" by James Joyce's first work. He had a clearly idea of the object he wanted to reach in his collection. Indeed, he said he had chosen Dublin for the scene because "the city seemed to me the center of paralysis".

The story is told by two point of view: from narrator point of view (using the simple past), and also from Eveline's point of view (using: used to, past perfect,would, was going to). So, right from the language you can understand Eveline's paralysis. The present moment is narrated in the simple past. In the story Eveline's thoughts are reported by the narrator in the past but their refers to Eveline's distant pass, her more recent pass, Eveline's present, Eveline's future. James Joyce also uses ironic.

Eveline is both the name of the character and the title. You know that "the Dubliners" is arranged into four sections that present different stages in life: Child wood,adolescence, mature life, public life.

"Eveline" is set in adolescence.  She is the protagonist, while the other people in the story are secondary and they came from Eveline's point of view.The main role is to put into a better focus Eveline's personality. She belongs to the working class with a difficult family situation: her mother is died and she has had a violent father (because he drinks too much).  In this short story Eveline is characterized from her feelings and memories. 
Eveline's mind is inhabited from memories of the past. She thinks about her mother, the promises she gives her to look after her father, her brother. At the end, in fact, the duty prevents her from living home.

In addition, she meets Franck, a sailor. She likes him but she does not seem to love him. Indeed, Franck seems to be a way to escape from her miserable life. He represents a point of safety and the dignity and decorous life.

In the surface there is Eveline's passive attitude that triumphs over her desire to escape. She is unable to take any choices so it makes the reader able to understand something like stagnation, paralysis. She is unable to take arms against her life. Even if she doesn't know, she is not aware of the real reason that prevents her from living home. SHE HAS NO CONSCIOUSNESS.