Eveline Literary Analysis
Laura Corchete
Mrs. Cooke
ENC1102
18 September 2013
Eveline’s Bitter-Sweet Escape In the story “Eveline”, the protagonist is to run away with her love to Buenos Aires. At first, she feels she must live a new life away from home. She understands that by moving away, she will truly find freedom. Although she lives a comfortable life in her current home, she realizes that living with her father is not healthy. It makes her remember many of the struggles her mother went through with him. Eveline’s perception of her father brings her to the conclusion that moving away with Frank is the best option she has and must take action. The main character is currently living at home with her father and brother Harry. As described in the story, her father seldom had sweet qualities. However, she felt fear and in danger of her father’s violence. There is a section of the story that says, “He said [her mother] used to squander the money, had no head… for he was usually fairly bad on Saturday nights” (Joyce 4). This description of her father leads me to believe that on Saturday nights, he’d spend the money on alcohol to drink. This irresponsible act would make him violent and irrational. The plot of the story is based on Eveline’s decision on leaving her home. So the concern of her age falls into play. Joyce illustrates, “Even now, though she was over nineteen, she sometimes felt herself in danger of her father’s violence” (Joyce 3-4). This depicts the way she feels about staying home with her father no matter what age she is. She knows that she is an adult that can make her own decisions. She is in a suitable age to marry who she wants. However, because she is living under the same roof as her father, she feels as if she is still tied down by him. In this case, her age plays an importance on how she will dictate her life. As opposed to her father, Frank offers her a better and happier life with him. The characterization the author made of him was, “Frank was very kind,
Mrs. Cooke
ENC1102
18 September 2013
Eveline’s Bitter-Sweet Escape In the story “Eveline”, the protagonist is to run away with her love to Buenos Aires. At first, she feels she must live a new life away from home. She understands that by moving away, she will truly find freedom. Although she lives a comfortable life in her current home, she realizes that living with her father is not healthy. It makes her remember many of the struggles her mother went through with him. Eveline’s perception of her father brings her to the conclusion that moving away with Frank is the best option she has and must take action. The main character is currently living at home with her father and brother Harry. As described in the story, her father seldom had sweet qualities. However, she felt fear and in danger of her father’s violence. There is a section of the story that says, “He said [her mother] used to squander the money, had no head… for he was usually fairly bad on Saturday nights” (Joyce 4). This description of her father leads me to believe that on Saturday nights, he’d spend the money on alcohol to drink. This irresponsible act would make him violent and irrational. The plot of the story is based on Eveline’s decision on leaving her home. So the concern of her age falls into play. Joyce illustrates, “Even now, though she was over nineteen, she sometimes felt herself in danger of her father’s violence” (Joyce 3-4). This depicts the way she feels about staying home with her father no matter what age she is. She knows that she is an adult that can make her own decisions. She is in a suitable age to marry who she wants. However, because she is living under the same roof as her father, she feels as if she is still tied down by him. In this case, her age plays an importance on how she will dictate her life. As opposed to her father, Frank offers her a better and happier life with him. The characterization the author made of him was, “Frank was very kind,
Cited: Joyce, James. “Eveline.” Literature and the Writing Process. Ed. Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X Day, and Robert Funk. 10th ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2011. 3-7. Print.