Eveline 2
Eveline 2In his short story, "Eveline", James Joyce discusses the difficult decision of when the time is right to leave home and start your own life. The main character, Eveline, has to decide whether to leave to Buenos Aires with her boyfriend Frank, or to keep her promise to her deceased mother of keeping the home together as long as she could.
The story, told in third person point of view, starts off with Eveline recalling her childhood and how much better thing where then. As a child her mother was still alive and her father had treated her better than he did at the present time. Then she describes her room. Her description shows that everything in her life is old. The way she questions where all the dust came from and describes the photograph on the wall as yellowing just shows how her life is passing her by without her even noticing. This is just one more reason for her to lean more towards moving away with Jack. Another reason for her to want to leave is her job. Once she is in South America, the people there will treat her with respect once she is married. Her brother Ernest had passed away, Harry, her other brother was hardly ever around because he traveled for his job. This left her alone with her father who had begun to threaten her. At least in Buenos Aires she would be protected.
Though she loved Frank, it was a difficult relationship due to the fact that her father forbid her to see him after the two men were involved in an argument. Eveline really didn't know Frank that well. She was a lonely person, and when Frank came along he seemed to be her ticket to happiness. All she knew really knew about him was the stories he had told which led me to believe he wasn't really honest.
At this point in story Eveline's emotions start to shift. She realizes that as of late her father really hasn't been to bad. She recalls how she was sick and he helped her out since no one else was around. Then she starts to ponder her promise to her mother. Mean while her time is growing thin to make a decision.
Eveline decides to leave with Frank in the end. Everything was set to go. They had their tickets and everything was packed. Then when it was time to go, her heart told her, maybe she wasn't ready to leave home. As Frank yelled for to hurry aboard she made her final decision that she wasn't ready to leave home yet. Without a second thought Frank kept going which leads us to believe he was just a con man otherwise he would have went back for the lady who was about to be his wife.