In the story “Eveline” by James Joyce, a young teenage girl, Eveline, has the opportunity to leave her “trapped” life and start a new journey with the man of her dreams, Frank. As Eveline sat at the window reconciling all of her memories, her thoughts of her abusive father leave her to ponder the prospect of leaving and freeing herself from her life to reside in Buenos Aires with her lover.
As she reviews her decision to stay with her abusive father or embark on a new, free life, Eveline faces the guilt of leaving her father as she promised her mother to dedicate herself to maintain the home and take care of her father.In James Joyce’s “Eveline”, Eveline does not really have the option of feeling free, because she would be locked into a relationship with Frank, and not have the freedom in a “new life with frank” ( ), therefore she chooses to stay home in her not so “wholly undesirable life” (5). As Eveline views Frank as a “rescuer” from her unhappy life and saving her from her domestic situation, she faces the uncertainty of the lack of freedom she can have in her new life.As Eveline would feel freedom with leaving with her lover Frank and living in Buenos Aires, she would face an uncomfortable uncertainty in a new country. Eveline would have to start a whole new life, and would only depend on Frank, as he would be the only one she would know. As Eveline thinks about her relationship with Frank as the author mentions, “She must escape! Frank would save her.
He would give her life, perhaps love, too. ” (6).As the Joyce mentions the word “perhaps”, Eveline clearly would depend on everything Frank would have to offer which would limit her freedom by leaving her father. When the boat arrives and it is time to sail of with Frank, Eveline prays to god “to show her what was her duty” (7), but in the end her duty points out that her life with Frank would be like her mother's life with her father. The fate that is brought upon Eveline while pondering on the decision to stay home, ultimately shows how she wouldn’t have freedom.
Eveline wouldn’t have the option of freedom as she has the pitfall of holding onto the past when facing the challenges of the future. She feels locked into keeping the promise to her mother, “to keep the home together as long as she could” (6) which reduces the freedom she has in staying in her harsh life. While staying home, Eveline would have the security of familiar settings and a stronger sense of stability, but she reveals her inability to let go of those family relationships, despite her father’s cruelty and her brother’s absence.Eveline feels a sense of relief, as she clings to the pleasant memories and the times where she felt comfort with her father when she was sick, but her memories overshadow the reality of her abusive father and deadening job. Therefore rather than realizing the reality of never getting released from her unhappiness with her life in Dublin, she is ultimately choices unhappiness over happiness.
As the story progresses, Joyce clearly shows how Eveline will never have the opportunity to have freedom. With Eveline making the tough decision to choose between happiness and unhappiness she decides on unhappiness.One of the reasons why Eveline decided on unhappiness was because of the guilt she would have burdened herself with breaking her mothers secret. If she ended up leaving with her lover, she could of faced the same treatment her mother got from her father with Frank, as she would only be depended on him. Since Eveline fears that Frank will drown her in their new life in Buenos Aires, her reliance on her everyday rituals is what causes her to freeze and not follow Frank onto the ship and live her unhappy lifestyle.
