Decisions
In life, there is a never a day that goes by when one does not have to make a decision. Decisions can range from anything as simple as choosing to get out of bed in the morning or to something way more complex, such as, what ones career. While some decisions may be easier than others, most are influenced by friends and family. In "Eveline" by James Joyce, Eveline, the protagonist, must make the choice of staying with her family and being miserable or leaving to Buenos Ayres with her lover, Frank. Eveline's choice on whether or not to go with Frank is not her own, but rather is one primarily influenced by her family. Also, Eveline barely knows Frank and what he can and can not offer her, thus, making it hard for her to be able to map out her future. At the end of the story, Eveline does not necessarily choose, but is forced to stay home by guilt from her family, unfamiliarity with Frank, and fear of future.
One member of Eveline's family that has a major impact on her decision is her mother. While most mother-daughter relationships involve the mother offering advice to her daughter, Eveline's mother gives her strict orders and shows little compassion towards Eveline. Even on her deathbed, Eveline's mother orders Eveline to make a promise to "keep the home together as long as she [can]" (Joyce 2). Eveline promises to obey her mother's wish, not knowing that this promise may keep her trapped in a dead-end life forever. Evelines responsibilities include working in the business, cooking for the family, looking after her siblings, and making sure the home was clean. As time went on, Eveline began to wonder if she had made the right decision, on the other hand, she contemplated if leaving her home was wise. Eveline even thought about what they would say of her in the Stores when they found out that she had run away with a fellow (1). Even though she tried to weigh each side of the story, (1) Eveline kept her end of the bargain by satisfying her mother's order of staying with the family.
In addition to her mother, Eveline's father had a great influence on her decision. Every girl wishes to be loved and cared for by a man, whether it be a boyfriend, husband, or father. In Eveline's case, however, her father is out of the question. When Eveline's mother was alive,"[h]er father was not so bad then" (Joyce 1). It was after her mothers death that Eveline started being emotionally and physically abused by her drunken father. The brothers of the family were definitely favored by the father, whereas Eveline is taken advantage of "because she was a girl" (2). It can be seen that Eveline's father does not want Eveline to be happy when "[he] had found out the affair and had forbidden her to have anything to say to him" (3). Eveline's father realizes that she has made a promise that cannot be broken and treats her poorly out of a need for control. Because of the guilt and violence her parents bestowed upon her, Eveline could not find the courage to leave. Furthermore, [Eveline] lacks the courage to go [with Frank] because she has no capacity for love (Hart 48). Many people learn how to love from their parents, but this is not the case for Eveline. When around Frank, Eveline is able to feel a sense of security, attraction, and love; nevertheless, these feelings are not enough for Eveline to leave her family run away with him.
If the opportunity was present, most girls would choose to live a wealthy lifestyle rather than life in poverty; for Eveline, Frank gives her this opportunity. Joyce informs the reader of Eveline and her familys poor standing when she leaves to do her marketing holding her black leather purse tightly in her hand (2). This lets one know that money was precious, yet scarce to Eveline. Frank is wealthy and Eveline enjoys it, especially when she sat in an unaccustomed part of the theatre with [him] (2). Eveline was not used to sitting in such expensive seats, however, she felt elated (2). Although Frank can provide her with fine possessions, Eveline is unfamiliar with the objects and feels guilty taking advantage of the opportunity and leaving her family behind. By the end, it can be seen that Eveline realizes that she is not necessarily in love with Frank, but Franks possessions.
Although, in the beginning, it may seem that Eveline is in love with Frank, she is emotionally uncommitted. The couple are from two very different backgrounds and are both looking for completely different things:
Frank, in other words, may be useful to her, but she responds only tamely to his much more genuine attachment, an attachment which Joyce indicates in several small ways: he sings The Lass that Loves a Sailor, calls her Poppens, holds her hand at the quayside. Evelines feelings, like her life, are shallow. She over-dramatizes her association with Frank, calls it an affair and him her lover (Hart 51).
Dublin, the protagonists hometown, has paralyzed Evelines emotions in the fact that she is unable to love. On the contrary, Dublin has not always been quite so depressing. Eveline has memories of a happier, more liberating past which is quite the opposite of what she is experiencing now. She played in the fields which have disappeared they seemed to have been rather happy thenthat was a long time ago (Joyce 2).
Living in the house with her family all of her life gave Eveline a sense of security, however, Eveline shows just how good it feels to be mischievous when she realizes her father does not want her to see Frank, therefore, she had to meet with her lover secretly (Joyce 3). In situations like the one presented, it sometimes makes things more romantic and fun when one realizes she shouldnt be involved. Eveline is accustomed to a difficult, boring life and [s]he was about to explore another life with Frank (2). Although this is dreamy and romantic, it is rather impractical. If Eveline did choose to run away with Frank, her new life would start to become predictable and unhappy because of the guilt of leaving her family. This raises the question: is the grass really greener on the other side? On her way to meet Frank, Eveline thought to herself that [i]t was hard work-a hard life- but now that she was about to leave it she did not find it a wholly undesirable life (Joyce 3). Clive Hart makes clear that Eveline will not, in fact, be able to escape. Paralysis will win because she is not worthy to defeat it (50). Hart is making it clear that the guilt and fear Eveline possess makes her feel paralyzed. The exhilaration Eveline feels around Frank makes her want to leave her family even more which adds to the amount of guilt Eveline holds all the more.
It can be safely said that Eveline does not have much experience traveling out of her city. The simple sense, for Eveline, is that few people pass out of the Dublin paralysis, no one in this city is going anywhere (Hart 52). Because Eveline is used to the people around her staying in Dublin for their entire lives, it makes it hard for her to see herself not in Dublin and in Buenos Ayres with Frank. Eveline is living in a hectic world and it is becoming increasingly static; in the end she too will abandon the hope of change (Hart 48). It is inevitable that Eveline is afraid of what her future with Frank entails.
Although Frank offers Eveline the opportunity to escape her undesirable life to a faraway country, she decides to stay in her typical, dreary life. To understand the reason Eveline made the choice to stay with her family and say good-bye to Frank, the reader must analyze the motives that prevented her from pursuing a better, more enjoyable life. The guilt she feels by her family, the fact she has not known Frank very long, and the fear of the unknown all have a major impact on Evelines decision to stay home and leave Frank.
Works Cited
Hart, Clive. James Joyces Dubliners: Critical Essays. New York: The Viking Press, 1969.
Joyce, James. Eveline. Read Print. 2006.
Already have an account? Log In Now
7152