Symbolism in James Joyce's Eveline

In James Joyce's "Eveline," a young woman faces the difficult choice of taking a risk or remaining in safety. Eveline must choose between following her heart and impulsively following a man she barely knows or remaining with her family in a relatively uneventful and predictable life. Joyce uses several certain concepts, actions, and images such as dusting, names, and Joyce's past to symbolize the true nature of the short story.

Even the act of cleaning a house by dusting the many objects within emphasizes Eveline's weariness with her current situation. However, the same act also elaborates on the comfort and familiarity she feels with such aspects of her life. Eveline reminisces about the objects in the house and how she interacted with these objects through dusting. There is a picture of a nameless priest, but she knows this picture just as easily as she knows the dusty curtains and all of the other comfortable objects. As much as the task of cleaning and maintaining the home tires her, she takes comfort in the routine. There is no predictability in dusting the curtains; she dusted the curtains last week, but the ever-present dust will still coat the fabric the very next week (Ingersoll). As much as the predictability tires Eveline, a life in a new world will not have the same comforts and constants of her life at home.

The various names used in "Eveline" contribute to the meaning of the story at an etymological level. The name Eveline is derived from the Gaelic equivalent of Helen, and several comparisons have been made between Eveline and Helen of Troy. Like Helen, Eveline considers the option of running away to elope with a man on impulse. To Eveline, Buenos Aires is her Troy. However, unlike Helen, Eveline's motivation is not love for Frank; Eveline's main concern is her own freedom. At this point, Frank's name becomes somewhat significant; the name Francis means "free man," and Eveline's interest in Frank revolves around his ability to provide an escape from her mother's fate. Eveline confesses that she does not love Frank, but she recognizes the potential to love what he represents (Dilsworth). Frank's name signifies a beacon of freedom and Eveline's name could perhaps be compared to the story of Helen of Troy.

Several aspects of Joyce's past play significant roles in his stories, but a grand comparison can be made between Eveline and James Joyce's sister Margaret. The use of a nickname such a "Poppens," which Frank calls Eveline, seems insignificant until certain details of Joyce's family are revealed. The fact that Margaret was called "Poppie" in Joyce's home could have been a complete coincidence, but the fictional character of Eveline quite clearly reflects certain aspects of Joyce's Margaret. For example, at the age of twenty, Margaret made a promise to her dying mother to keep the household running. Like Margaret, Eveline takes on the responsibility of running the household after her mother dies. This responsibility plays a large role in Eveline's decision to remain at home; as much as Eveline desires freedom, respect for her deceased mother and responsibility for two younger children influences Eveline's decision (de Voogd).

In the end, Eveline makes the decision to remain in her predictable and overly unhappy life. The overwhelming control of her responsibilities motivates her choice to maintain her situation. The presence of symbolic features such as Joyce's past, the use of significant names, and small actions such as dusting help to elaborate on Eveline's nature and the nature of the story. Resources:

de Voogd, Peter. "Imaging Eveline, Visualised Focalisations in James Joyce's Dubliners."

European Journal of English Studies 4:1 (2000): 39-48.

Dilsworth, Thomas. "The Numina of Joyce's 'Eveline'". Studies in Short Fiction 51:3 (1993):

456-458.

Ingersoll, Earl G. "The Stigma of Femininity in James Joyce's 'Eveline' and 'The Boarding

House'". Studies in Short Fiction 30:4 (1993): 501-510.

Joyce, James. "Eveline." The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyers. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2006.