Eveline

In James Joyce's short story "Eveline," the main character, Eveline, desires to escape the control of her abusive father but in the end she passes up the opportunity to leave. The paralysis and epiphany Eveline experiences causes her to make her last minute decision to stay behind. Throughout the entire story, Eveline remains in a state of paralysis; she makes very little action which gives the story an overall calm and standstill mood. It seems as if Eveline is lost in her thoughts and there is no track of time while she is thinking. Eveline keeps weighing the bad and the good that would come of either her decision to stay or to leave. At one point in the story, Eveline thought her life "was hard work--a hard life--but now that she was about to leave it she did not find it a wholly undesirable life" (38). Eveline is scared to leave the familiarity of her current life, even though she lives in fear, at least she knew it well. While on the other hand, leaving with Frank would bring about great changes, people, obstacles; it would bring about a whole new life (which she wants but is afraid of at the same time). Even when at the dock, Eveline is still contemplating whether or not she should leave her old life for a new one with her lover Frank. She remains lost in her thoughts and the world around her seems to be in slow-motion. Joyce transitions between the description of Eveline's surroundings and her thoughts, giving an impression of a frame-by-frame scene in which every little detail can be pointed out. In her thoughts, Eveline hears her mother repeating: "Derevaun Seranun! Derevaun Seraun!" which in Irish means:"the end of pleasure is pain." The image of her mother speaking to her causes Eveline to have an epiphany. The epiphany is that Eveline realizes that her happiness with Frank could only last so long and after the happiness part of their relationship is over, their relationship will change from pleasure to pain. Although all relationships are bound to have problems, however, Eveline does not see problem-solving as a solution. Eveline can only sees abuse and neglect and alcoholism (all of which she bases upon her father's abusive character). At that point, Eveline gets scared to leave with Frank, adding on the hesitating thought she had earlier about leaving her life and she decides that she felt safer and more comfortable staying in her old life. She is expressionless as she watches Frank call to her as the ferry leaves because she believes Frank would be no good for her future, that he would only cause her pain.