7. Eveline, By James Joyce (1914)

7. Eveline, By James Joyce (1914)

Rating: 7/10

Eveline, as a 19-year-old girl, had so many things to manage only by herself. She had to earn money for her family, and also endure the pain that her father gave. So there's no wonder that she wanted to escape. She tries to leave her homeland with her lover, Frank, but finally fails to. What could be the reason for her behavior? I focused on that point. First, she didn't really love Frank. She had a weary mind and body, suffering, so Frank was just an escape way for her to be free from reality. She had mistaken the sense of freedom for love. The only reason she chose Frank to leave with is that she loved him, but dimly noticing that she doesn't really love him, she couldn't follow him. Another reason is related with her mother said; "Derevaun Seraun", which means "At the end of pleasure, there is pain". If she had followed Frank, she would probably have had a better life even though it's quite uncertain. She will anyway be free from her aggressive father, and don't need to support her family all by herself. However, after the temporary pleasure, we don't know what kind of pain would have tormented her. Since she had kept hearing her mother repeatedly saying that word, she would have felt anxiety at the leaving moment and failed to leave. There is no certain reason to explain her behavior, but this is the way I thought. (244)