“Eveline” by James Joyce

“Eveline” by James Joyce is a short story about a girl being stuck in dead life and her fear of change.

Level 1 – What is the name of the character in love with Eveline?
Level 2 – Why does she not leave?
Level 3 – Have you ever felt yourself to be in a state of paralysis? Explain.

I really enjoyed this short story much more than “Araby” by James Joyce. It brought out a reaction and made me feel for the character, Eveline. I felt bad for her being stuck in such a dead life. Eveline didn’t have a very good childhood and is unable to understand what love is. Although she does have a man, Frank, who loves her, she doesn’t know how to return it.

What struck home with me about the story was Eveline’s state of paralysis and fear to leave the home she knew. I myself have had many thoughts of leaving this high school before, but have been too scared to leave what I am familiar with. The thought of going to a new school would be a drastic change in my life and I have never been able to take the final step.

After reading this story, I found myself relating to Eveline a lot more than I thought I would. Frank offered her an entirely new life in Argentina, but the shock and thought of leaving scared her. This fear of change is an underlying theme throughout the entire story. Eveline took the steps to leave with Frank and convinced herself change would be a good thing, but she becomes paralyzed once she was about to leave. Eveline had a desire to stay because of the familiarity and only had a disposable person, Frank, to push her. It was not enough and that is why Eveline did not leave.