Analysis of Eveline by J.Joyce

Eveline is a short story totally focused on the main character that is Eveline. According to the modernist trend the short story presents a little plot.
Right from the idea of the paralysis, which is the core of Joyce’s work, the reader can perceive it just considering Eveline: she is sat at the window looking at the evening. Looking at the outside in the protective shield of the window, she is stuck in the setting, which turns out to be a close setting.
J. Joyce uses the language of sense impression to have the reader to feel and hear directly what happens in the scene. In order to realize it, he uses onomatopoeic verbs such as “clacking”. In this way, the reader has the idea of being inside the scene. Such linguistic choice is useful to make the scene more realistic.
The character’s thoughts bring her back to the past; even if she is looking outside, she is not projected outside and in time forward.
Collecting all the memories from the past, the reader perceives a sense of nostalgia; now she looks tired while once she used to play.
In the set of her memories there is a first reference to her father, who is presented as a violent and aggressive man because he drank a lot. The idea of this aggressive father is anticipated by the verb “to hunt”.
Following Eveline’s paths of thoughts Joyce creates her family environment in the reader’s mind, setting the scene.
Right from the initial close setting, the reader perceives that Eveline has never been encouraged to leave her room.
The reader can also understand that she has brothers and now her father has become more violent that he used to be.
However, the idea of leaving her familiar place starts to develop now; it is not an act, just an intention. Eveline is paralyzed since she is unable to react, therefore she looks as if she were dead. All the story is in potential to go and leave her house. However, what seems to paralyze her is her fear; she feels a sense of guilty because in her past experience she has promised her mother to look after her father. All her life is conditioned by such promise.
Her intention to move from her hometown will remain always an intention; it will never be translated into an action. She thinks that going away means living her familiar objects, that are reassuring objects which prevents her to be afraid. Indeed, her house is inhabited by familiar objects such as memories and an ossessive religious spirit.
Considering her past, she realizes that all the people in her mind are left; everything has gone but she is still there. Therefore, taking decisions is impossible for paralyzed characters. It follows that Eveline in not the real protagonist of her life, since she does not fight for what she really wants.