The struggle between fear and freedom of Eveline in Eveline by James Joyce - Research Paper Example

The family, as a social group, seems to be one of the key themes that Joyce presents, in this story. This is evident when Eveline decides to stay back at home and assume a mother’s roles as a promise she made to her dying mother (Joyce 1). Additionally, death is also presented as a significant theme, in this story. Joyce illustrates that a number of Eveline’s family members and friends have died, and this is evident from symbolisms such as painting of Mary Margaret Alocoque, a French nun, and dust collecting around the house, giving the readers a sense of loneliness and death surrounding Eveline (Joyce 1).

The author also presents several issues that made Eveline break the promises she made to her mother, and elope with Frank. One of the key reasons, why Eveline decided to run away from their home, is because they were poor, and money was a precious thing in her life. In the story, Eveline expresses her love for money when she holds her purse next to her body as if she was protecting her own life while walking to the market (Joyce 1). The author also illustrates her family’s poverty status when Eveline is perplexed by the leather seats Frank books at the theater.

This is because she was used to seating on the back seats due to lack of money to afford better seats (McCarthy 58). Apparently, Eveline perceives Frank as a new and exciting lifestyle she had never had the opportunity to experience since she took a mother’s role after her mother’s death. Her new lifestyle appeared comfortable because of its stability, and Frank was something spontaneous and new, in her life. It is also apparent that Eveline is only a materialistic lady, and she is not so much in love with Frank.

She is only interested in the new lifestyle that she is anticipating, and one that contradicts all that she had earlier known and experienced (Joyce 1). Eveline falters at the station when it was time for her and Frank to leave. She becomes frozen and unable to make the final