James Joyce
He was born in Dublin in 1882. Joyce also lived in Trieste, where I met Italo Svevo. When the first world
war broke out in 1915, he went to Zurich. Then he went to Paris. He didn’ t write about some important
events in the story of Ireland, he wasn’ t a politic men and he thought that Dublin was a center of paralysis.
In fact, Joyce wants to be free from moral and religious ties. All Joyce’ s books have an autobiographical
dimension. He revolutionized the form and the structure of the novel and invents a new language.
Eveline
Eveline bolongs to a collection of fifteen short stories under the title Dubliners.
Eveline is a short story, written by Joyce in 1904. The theme of this story is the paralysis. In fact Eveline is in
a moral and in a physical paralysis; this convey the idea of passivity. The story doesn’ t follow a
chronological time, there are some flashback, a continuous shift in time. The story have a circular structure
( the beginning and the ending are similar, the situation is the same: she is in a situation of paralysis; she can’
t overcame her fears) and there isn’ t an evolution in its. In fact, at the beginning, Eveline is sitting on a
window (this is an image of passivity) and in the end she accepted her life. The story starts in medias res,
there isn’ t an introduction.
The narrator is in the tird person and the point of view is main Eveline point of view. The story starts in the
present (with the narrator point of view).Eveline remembers her childhood and she wants to escape. Then
she returnes to the present and analizes her situation (she has to work hard at home and she has to looks out
her brother) and observes the objects which are in the room. The place seems to be dark, dust symbolizes the
immobility, the passivity. So, the setting is related to the character personality. She also thinks about her life,
in particular about her job, because the shop keaper isn’ t kind with her. Then she thinks about her future,
she will be marrie and respected. In fact she has had a violent father, who is drunk. Her father violences are
the cause of her palpitation. The song of the organ symbolizes the begin of the climax, in which Eveline
thinks of her mother.
She is going to Buenos-Aires with Frank, her boyfriend. They have to meet secretly because Eveline’ s
Father doesn’ t like him. Frank falling in love with Eveline. On the other hand, Eveline doesn’ t seem to be in
love with him. In fact he is just a way to change her life. They are leaving with a sheep but Eveline can’ t
overcame her fear of a change. So, she doesn’ t go on the sheep. The sea represents the change in a positive
term ( symbolizes a new life) but it is also symbol of death. In fact, in the end of the story she can’ t really
escape. Eveline doesn’ t have the moral strength to react, she is unable to react. In addition, she doesn’ t
leave because of the promise made her mother and for her sense of duty to her elderly father. So, in the
conclusion, the relationships in Eveline’ s family seem to be strong. Eveline can’ t change her life, prevales
her paralisys.
We learn about Eveline’ s mind, her interior world. There is an epiphany for the reader because he knows
her personality at the end of the story. Epiphany- sudden revelation about a characters life.
Joyce uses the FREE DIRECT SPEECH-- The technique is the interior monologue.
The INTERIOR MONOLOGUE a narrative technique in which the narrative point of view is inside the
mind of the characters (Stream of consciousness).
In this period (before the first world war)
Bergson introduces the concept of the time and the concept of duration. He distinguishes chronological,
objective time from psychological, subjective time.
Freud introduces his theories about men’ s conscience.
