Concetti Chiave
- Eveline, a young girl from Dublin, reflects on her life, feeling trapped by her abusive father and unsatisfying job.
- Despite planning to escape to Buenos Aires with Frank, Eveline is unable to leave due to a promise made to her mother.
- The story explores themes of familial obligation, personal dissatisfaction, and the struggle to change one’s life.
- Told from a limited third-person perspective, the narrative parallels the melancholic tone and fluidity of time seen in Dalí's "Orologi Molli."
- The story shares similarities with "Oliver Twist," highlighting themes of mistreatment and the inability to escape one's dire circumstances.
Summery:
Eveline's reflections on her life
This story deals with Eveline’s life, a nineteen young girl of Dublin. At the beginning ,she looks out of the window the street where she played when she was a child. Eveline thinks about her life: she is afraid of her father that hits her and she feels frustrated by her shop’s assistant job. So Eveline plans to live with Frank,a dech boy, to Buenos Aires. The girl is caught by lots of doubts. As a matter of fact,at the port she doesn’t go and leaves Frank alone on the ship. This because she had made, to her mother, the promise of keeping united the family as much as possible.
Themes of Eveline's story
Themes:
-Relationship with her father: terrible because he was violent.
-She wasn’t happy of her job
-She would change her life
-Eveline’s inability to escape and to leave her frustrating life
Tone:
-Melancholic.
-Sad.
-Piteous.
Structure:
The story starts in medias-res. There are:
An introduction with the presentation of Eveline, the place where the story takes place and the family’s story(from 1 to 18 lines)
A development ( Turning point: while she is leaving with Frank, suddenly she decides to stay with her father)
A conclusion (from 110 to 131 lines)
Narrative perspective and artistic links
Narrator
We have a limited third-person narrator. The story is told from the perspective of Eveline.
Links with Arte(Orologi Molli by Dalì)
This story remembers me the famous picture Orologi molli by Salvador Dalì. It expresses the idea of efface the fixed and monotonous rules that mark the everyday life. The watches represent the time of memory and, for this reason, they have a fluid, vain form. Similarly to Eveline’s short story, the painting focuses about the passage of time, the memories of the past. Everything is pervaded by a feeling of melancholy.
Comparison with Oliver Twist
Links with the story of Oliver Twist
The story reminds me the famous film Oliver Twist adapted from the namesake story by Charles Dickens. Oliver's story is very similar to that of Eveline as both are mistreated, Eveline by his father while Oliver from the “boss” of the gang of pickpockets. But, unfortunately, they can’t escape from their devasted lives,as Eveline decide not to leave with her boyfriend and Oliver goes to visit in prison his “boss” who made a thief out of him.
Domande da interrogazione
- What are the main themes explored in Eveline's story?
- How does Eveline's story relate to Salvador Dalì's painting "Orologi Molli"?
Eveline's story explores themes such as her troubled relationship with her violent father, dissatisfaction with her job, her desire to change her life, and her inability to escape her frustrating circumstances.
Eveline's story is reminiscent of Dalì's "Orologi Molli" as both focus on the passage of time and memories of the past, evoking a sense of melancholy and the fluidity of time.
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