Concetti Chiave
- The narrative is told from a third-person perspective but is deeply rooted in Eveline's thoughts, using free indirect discourse to convey her internal monologue.
- The story begins "in medias res," with Eveline depicted as tired and immobilized, symbolizing her stillness and paralysis in life.
- Eveline's life is a juxtaposition of past, present, and future: her present is stagnant, her past is shadowed by her mother's death, and her future is a vision of escape.
- The concept of paralysis is central, as Eveline is portrayed as passive and unable to decide, metaphorically likened to a "helpless animal."
- Joyce uses the technique of epiphany to reveal hidden realities, with the street organ sound triggering Eveline's realization of her unfulfilled dreams and her mother's influence.
-Eveline by James Joyce-
The story is told by a third-person narrator and it is adopted Eveline’s point of view throughout the story.Joyce employed free indirect thoughts to give voice to Eveline’s thoughts.
The character of the girl is not introduced in a traditional way since we are not given information about her physical appearance, family and school.
The reader is obliged to infer the pieces of information from the development of her thoughts.
It is an “in medias res” opening.
Eveline’s present is linked to stillness and dust.
Her past is connected with the death of her mother.
Her future has connections with love, action, the sea and escape.
Eveline is compared to a ”helpless animal”, since she is passive, paralysed, unable to make up any decision.
The access to the character’s consciousness is provided by Joyce through the technique of Epiphany, that is “the sudden revelation of a hidden reality” through “casual words or events”.
The sound of the street organ can be considered as the epiphany of this story; Eveline remembers her promise to her mother and understands the emptiness and the meaninglessness of her dreams and of her love.
The miserable life of Eveline’s mother has influenced her decisions; at first there is her plan to escape which coexists with her antithetical wish of getting on living in her home; at the end there is the failure of her project of escaping and paralysis wins inside her soul.
Eveline is a story of paralysis: she is a simple-minded girl who can not escape the prison of her home and her father’s authority.
-Stylistic Devices and Themes-
Important stylistic devices and themes of ‘Dubliners’ present in ‘Eveline’ are: the realistic description of places, the use of a limited point of view (the point of view of Eveline), the presentation of the character from the inside, the use of a new concept of time (which is internal, subjective), the use of epiphany and the theme of paralysis linked to a failed escape, as Eveline lacks the determination to pursue her dream and is paralysed by her resignation to continue her life in her home city.
Domande da interrogazione
- ¿Cómo se presenta el personaje de Eveline en la historia?
- ¿Qué técnica utiliza Joyce para revelar la conciencia de Eveline?
- ¿Cuál es el tema principal de la historia de Eveline?
Eveline es presentada a través de sus pensamientos y no se da información tradicional sobre su apariencia física, familia o escuela. El lector debe inferir detalles a partir de sus pensamientos y acciones.
Joyce utiliza la técnica de la Epifanía, que es la revelación repentina de una realidad oculta a través de palabras o eventos casuales, como el sonido del órgano de la calle que hace que Eveline recuerde su promesa a su madre.
El tema principal es la parálisis, ya que Eveline es incapaz de escapar de la autoridad de su padre y de su vida en casa, a pesar de sus deseos de amor y acción.
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