The story, “Eveline” written by James Joyce deals with a woman who is going though a hard time in her life. She is very confused about her present, and how she would like to live in the future. Eveline’s life is great like dust. She lives with her mother, father and two younger siblings.
Her mother was very ill – mentally and psychically. Eveline’s dad is not a pleasant present from life either. He is very mean, never satisfied, careless old man. He is one of the reason’s his wife was mentally ill. Soon, she died in the hospital and Eveline left her with a promise to always take care and look out after her family. After mother’s death, Eveline’s life became very miserable.
Eveline is very tired of the way she is living her life, always in the house taking care of the younger siblings, and always serving her old father. One day she meets a young sailor name Frank.
He makes her feel like there is more to life than what she is living. Frank and Evelin have a great relationship with one another. Eveline starts to dream of a new place to live, where people will treat her with respect, unlike her father. As time went on, a young woman realized that she needs to stop dreaming and start to live her dream. She and her lover make plans to leave to Buenos Aires and start a completely new and better life.
However, Eveline’s father does not approve his daughter’s relationship with Frank and stands in the way of their happiness. He begins to tell Eveline that Frank is a sailor, he is not good for her, not reliable and he probably has more women like her all around the world. Therefore, the only thing he would do is break her heart. As a result, she begins to have doubts about leaving home to another country with her lover. At last she decides to leave with Frank.
As Eveline and Frank are about to get on the boat, she starts to feel very confused. Frank gets on the boat and starts to yell out to her. Yet, Eveline just froze and looked at Frank with a very cold look that carried no sense of love. She remembered the promise she gave to her mother and could not break it.
In conclusion, she remained at home as her loved one went away forever and she is left with her miserable life. Sometimes people give up a lot just for the love and respect for a family member, just like Eveline kept the promise she has left to her mother, and gave up on her love, happiness and new life with her loved one.
