Eveline

Eveline describes her family life as “rather happy” when her mother was alive, and her father as “not so bad then” (20). The only other description of her mother is on her deathbed, and Eveline leaves her mother’s character, as a healthy woman, undefined. What might this lack of description indicate about her mother or Eveline as a narrator?

While observing the room, Eveline describes a photo of a priest hanging on the wall “above the broken harmonium beside the coloured print of the promises made to Blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque” (20). Eveline also recalls her father telling visitors that the priest is now in Melbourne. Why is this photo notable enough to detail? What might the priest or his location represent in Eveline’s story?

Female protagonists are often deemed “heroines” of their stories, just as men are called “heroes.” Is Eveline a heroine? Does she illustrate any heroic traits? Use textual evidence to support your answer.

Eveline recalls Frank taking her to see The Bohemian Girl, an 1843 Irish Romantic opera composed by Michael William Balfe. The plot involves a baby princess being saved by a man who later in life becomes her lover. In its famous aria, Arline, the heroine, describes vague memories of her girlhood. What parallels do you see with Eveline and her story, and why do you think Joyce chose to include this detail, especially since Eveline does not allow herself to be saved?

Eveline spends most of the story “leaning her head against the window curtain, inhaling the odour of dusty cretonne” (22). What is the meaning and importance of these physical details in the narrative?

The story opens with a description of the evening “invad[ing] the avenue” (20). How does this phrasing affect the tone and mood of the story, and what might it indicate about Eveline’s inner experience?

The concept of “home” recurs in the story, beginning with Eveline’s offhand comment about leaving her home and echoing in her thoughts of Frank’s home in Buenos Aires. What does it mean for a place to be “home,” and what is Eveline searching for in her quest for a home? Use textual evidence to support your answer.

As Eveline stands on the dock, she imagines that a “bell clanged upon her heart” (23). Why does Joyce use bell imagery, and what does it indicate about Eveline’s experience in this moment?