Eveline summary (James Joyce) BBS 2nd Year English

Eveline summary (James Joyce)

Characters:

1)Eveline Hill - main character, an Irish girl of 19

2)Frank - a sailor with a house in Buenos Ayres, he loves Eveline

3)Eveline's father - drunkard and abusive

4)Eveline's mother - made a lot of sacrifices for her family, she died of an unspecified illness.

5)Earnest - Eveline's oldest brother and her favourite. He is also dead.

6)Harry - her another brother, works in church decorating business.

7)Miss Gavan - the owner of the store where Evenline works. 

The story is about Eveline Hill, a nineteen years old girl who fails to take action due to her lack of conscious will. She also fails to manage her life at both the social and economic levels. She lives in Dublin with her father. Her mother and oldest brother Earnest were dead. Her another brother Harry lives out of the house he works in the church- decorating business.

Eveline’s father was nice to her when her mother was alive but later on, he started threatening her. She has to work hard both in the house and shop. Her father takes all her earnings and gives her little money to run the house. In the shop also the owner of the store Miss Gavan single out her and scrutinize (check/spy) more heavily in front of customers. She is fed up with her life she wants to escape from her house in search of happiness. Then she meets Frank a sailor, a kind and open-hearted man with whom she plans to elope.

She is sitting at the window, watching outside, dusty cretonne’s odour is coming in her nostrils. She remembers her past and looks around her house. As being grown up in an Irish Catholic family she is confused about her plan to elope with Frank. On the one hand, she thinks Frank will provide her respect and happiness on the other hand she questions herself whether eloping is wise or not? She appreciates the familiarity and comfort of house. How will be her life after marrying is not sure. Somewhere she mistrusts Frank.  

She has to elope with Frank by the night boat to be his wife. Their passage has been booked. She writes two letters. One for her father another for her brother Harry. She thinks her father is becoming old and will miss her. The odour of dusty cretonne is coming. She remembers the same odour had come just before her mother’s death. It reminds her of the promise to her mother, her promise to keep the home together as long as she could.  She recalls her mother’s voice saying “Derevaun Seraun! Derevaun Seraun!” (it means maybe “the end of pleasure is pain!”)

She stands up in a sudden impulse of terror. She says she must escape to get happiness and to have a better life. Now she is in the station. She prays God to direct her. The boat arrives and Frank board the ship calling her to come again and again but she stands still. She is in dilemma: remain at home like a dutiful daughter or leave Dublin with Frank to get happiness. There is still conflict in her mind regarding her decision.  She becomes unable to take action due to her lack of conscious will. 

In the end, Frank boards the ship alone. It means she decides not to go with Frank remembering her promise to her mother and her responsibilities for her father and siblings. Moreover, she feels much safer in her own house. She cannot escape just to enjoy her happiness. Now there is no sign of love and recognition in her eyes for Frank. 

Summary in Short

 

 Eveline is the main character of the story. It surrounds around her thoughts, her past memory her present situation, and her desire to come out of her circumstances to have a better life. We know about other characters through her. She has an abusive father who used to be nice to her when her mother was alive. She has to run her house with little money and work in a shop too. She grows up in an Irish Catholic family where girls have strict rules. Her father takes all her earnings. Her brother Harry lives out of the house. Therefore, she lives with her father. Her life is full of hard work. Thus, she wants to escape from her house to get a better life.

She meets Frank, a sailor then she likes him. He tells her different stories. When her father comes to know it, he forbids her to meet him. According to him, he is not a nice man. She decides to elope with him. When the time comes to go in a night boat with Frank who is calling her again and again, there is no sign of love in Eveline’s eyes for Frank. She cannot go with him remembering her promise to her mother to keep the home together as long as she could. She cannot trust Frank at the last moment. In spite of her hard life, she feels comfortable staying at home rather than going to an unknown place.

(please read the original text for full details and for a better understanding.)