Concetti Chiave
- Eveline is a young girl torn between her love for Frank, a sailor, and her family duties in Dublin.
- Her father, a complex figure, alternates between violence and rare moments of tenderness.
- Eveline's internal conflict is heightened by memories of her deceased mother and her mother's wish for family unity.
- Despite her longing for a new life, Eveline's fear and sense of duty leave her paralyzed and unable to leave with Frank.
- James Joyce's "Dubliners" paints a vivid picture of middle-class life in Dublin, offering insights into the city's inhabitants.
Author James Joyce
Title Dubliners – Eveline
Publisher Penguin
Short story
Love, family, travel
Realistic and descriptive
External
Dublin
-Eveline is the protagonist; she’s sweet and reflective
-Frank is the sailor who’s in love with Eveline
-Eveline's Father is a sort of antagonist; he can be both violent and tender
-Eveline's mother is dead, but still existing in Eveline’s heart and mind
-HARRY is one of Eveline’s brothers. He’s still alive, while Ernest is dead
What is Eveline's dilemma?
Eveline is a young girl who’s in love with a sailor named Frank. Her mother is dead and his father is a violent man, so she wants to set sail towards Buenos Aires with her beloved Frank. Sitting in front of her window with a letter for her father and another one for her brother Harry, Eveline starts thinking about her childhood and her monotonous life in Dublin. When about to leave from the quay, Eveline is extremely unsure because she’s thinking about her mother’s will to keep the family united and also about the rare moments of tenderness of her father. What’s more, she’s afraid of the future she’s going to have with Frank. Praying, she remains on the quay, looking passively at Frank.
a. Find an effective paragraph pages 33-34
b.
A sudden impulse
She stood up in a sudden impulse of terror. Escape! She must escape! Frank would save her. He would give her life, perhaps love, too. But she wanted to live. Why should she be unhappy? She had a right to happiness. Frank would take her in his arms, fold her in his arms. He would save her.
Page 34 title Farewell
“No! No! No! It was impossible. Her hands clutched the iron in frenzy. Amid the seas she sent a cry of anguish. —Eveline! Evvy! He rushed beyond the barrier and called to her to follow. He was shouted at to go on but he still called to her. She set her white face to him, passive, like a helpless animal. Her eyes gave him no sign of love or farewell or recognition.”
Dubliners contains a portrait of life in the Irish capital. Joyce focuses on children and adults who skirt the middle class. In Joyce’s collection the Irish could observe and study themselves. These portraits were probably the consequence of a middle class life beginning and, of course, of the fact of living in Dublin.
Domande da interrogazione
- What is the central conflict faced by Eveline in the story?
- What role does Frank play in Eveline's life and her decision?
Eveline's central conflict is her struggle between the desire to escape her oppressive life in Dublin with her lover Frank and her sense of duty to her family, influenced by her deceased mother's wish to keep the family united and her father's occasional tenderness.
Frank represents a chance for Eveline to escape her monotonous and oppressive life in Dublin. He offers her love and the possibility of a new life in Buenos Aires, but Eveline's fear of the unknown and her familial obligations ultimately prevent her from leaving with him.
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