EVELINE ANALYSIS

“Dubliners”  is the most  important work written by James Joyce. It consists of fifteen short stories. “Eveline” is one of the most interesting stories contained in it. At the beginning Eveline is sitting at the window thinking about the past and the future life of her own family. She is at home thinking about her new life in Buenos Aires with her lover Frank. Then she immediately realizes that she can’t change her own fate going away from Dublin. The first section of the story is located in Eveline’s family house during the evening.  Eveline perceives memories from the past  through some objects. Looking out of the window she sees a man passing by and she remembers about a field next to her house where she used to play with some of her friends. Joyce gives the reader the possibility to understand the patriarchal role in Eveline’ s family and his violence against his own family. All the objects inside the room such as a photograph , the broken harmonium are dusty. She remembers how she met her boyfriend and her father’s prohibition to see him. Then she hears an organ which reminds her of her mother and when she made Eveline promise to take care of her family. Eveline understands  she needs to go away with her boyfriend if she doesn’t want to became crazy. Then Eveline is at the harbor with a lot of people waiting for the boat. She decides not to follow Frank because she isn’t really in love with him and her own family is the most important thing in her life. In this part of the story the sensation of “ paralysis” is stronger. The point of view is internal because the reader sees all through Eveline’ s eyes. There is a third person narrator.  Joyce uses “ the stream of consciousness  technique” that gives to the reader an insight into Eveline’s thoughts.  The character is described from the inside through her own thoughts , that are organized from past to present and future. It is really remarkable the sense of paralysis that is her inability to emerge from her present condition. Joyce through the technique of “ epiphany “ that is to say the sudden revelation of a hidden reality through casual  words or events. For example the street organ music reminds her of her mother and the promise she made to her to take care of her own family. She wants to escape from this difficult situation of life but in the end she can’t take the boat. You can analyze it like an eternal conflict between her great desire of freedom and  joy opposed to her stronger sense of duty.