Character analysis
Character analysis
What are you afraid of? I believe, all people have fears, both rational and irrational. While some people are afraid of heights, others have the fear of public performace. Fears can be conditioned by various reasons such as personal priorities, childhood traumas and other psychological aspects. Nevertheless, I am convinced that there is one fear which is common for most people. It is the fear of changes. The short story under consideration presents a very powerful piece of writing, since it addresses the alleged theme. Undoubtedly, James Joyce managed to portray a character in a difficult situation which in not rare in reality.There comes a time in every person’s life when they have to commit to a major change, but the fear of the unkown makes them stick to the old life with its problems.
The central character of the story is a young girl named Eveline, whose thoughts and feelings are vital to the story. At the very beginning we come to understand that she feels nostalgic and melancholic, as the author creates a really vivid picture of her: “Her head was leaned against the window curtains and in her nostrils was the odor of dusty cretonne. She was tired”. (Eveline, p.1). The girl is looking at the window and what she sees takes her and the reader back to those times when she and her brothers and sisters were children, he father was nicer and mom was alive. A multiple repetition of the phrase used to adds up to the feeling of nostalgia: “One time there used to be a field there they used to play her father used often to hunt” (Eveline, p.1). Thus, the second paragraph gives information about the background of the story and starts the theme of changes in peoples lives. Here James Joyce finds a way to express Eveline’s attitude to her home through simple description of her house. Eveline looks at the house and sees its details in a different light, from the perspective of never seeing them again. It is had to argue that this is the way it happens to anyone who is going to leave their home. Besides, a combination of the word home with an exclamation mark, followed by a description of her house, contains very strong emotions: “Home! She looked round the room, reviewing all its familiar objects” (Eveline, p.1).
The next part of the story contains Eveline’s contemplations on her decision to leave her home. Just like any other person she is trying to list all the pros and cons of both options, staying home and leaving. Needless to say, the arguments for staying home can be united by one word – familiarity: “she had shelter and food; she had those whom she had known all her life about her.” (Eveline, p.1). Yet, there were things which made her want to leave, the major one being her father and his violence towards her . Furthermore, the young girl had a responsibility of running the house and taking care of two children, which required a certain amount of money. Therefore, she worked hard and never felt free: “It was hard work – a hard life” (Eveline, p.2).
Needless to say, such a hard life is the reason that lies behind Eveline’s decision to escape. Yet, most decisions require an accelerator. In this case, it was a man who invited Eveline to live with him in Buenos Ayres. The man won her over with his kindness and the ability to surprise her, along with stories about travelling. It is worthwhile mentioning that although her father didn’t approve of their courting, they continued to date in secret.
The next part of the story reveals Eveline’s doubts about her leaving. The perspective of leaving the place and the people makes them seem better and nicer. As the well-known saying goes: “You don’t miss your water till your well runs dry”. I believe, it applies very well in this situation. Having thought over every negative thing which associated with her home, the girl comes to think it is not so bad: “but now she was about to leave it she did not find it a wholly undesirable life.” (Eveline, p.2). Also, a trip down the memory lane makes her feel homesick in spite of the fact she hasn’t left yet. She remembers the good times when her mother was alive and father used to make them laugh with silly things. As the story is drawing to its end, the author takes the reader back to the window and reminds of the odor of dusty cretonne. The cretonne is used as some anchor of Eveline’s life which is about to become history, but only if she leaves her home. The climax of the story is filled with strong emotions, the feeling of being entitled to happiness and the hope that Frank, her man, could provide it: “Escape! She must escape! Frank would save her Why should she be unhappy?” (Eveline, p.3). But still, despite of all the evidence for the need to escape, Eveline stays. The final scene of the story takes us to the quay she was supposed to set off rom. The reader envisions Eveline glued to one place, pale and helpless, unable to move.
In my personal opinion, what makes the story so powerful is the description of feelings easily recognizable for anybody. Although the story is short, one can see the transitions typical for a person in a situation of choice: recognition of the need of changes, searching for arguments supporting the need, acceptance, viewing what one is about to leave from a different angle, retracting from the decision. Moreover, no matter what nationality one relates to, one can easily understand the theme of the story and feel its tone. I believe, the problem touched upon here is intercultural, since it is not coniditioned by peculiar features of a certain country, it is conditioned by human psychology. Thus, despite being written by an English-speaking writer, it is accessible for understanding in any other country of the world. It is also worthwhile mentioning that the way James Joyce chose to reveal Eveline’s thoughts to the reader adds up to creating a special atmosphere. The description of her postures, her childhood and her thoughts are all mixed up in a coherent whole. Quotation marks are used only with direct speech of other characters in the story to make them sound as if the action is taking place right now. So, the flow of the text grabs the reader’s attention from the very beginning and does not allow to separate parts describing different periods of Eveline’s life. The transitions between those parts are extremely seamless.
