In the short story “Eveline” by James Joyce the character Eveline goes through a paralysis that leads to her epiphany on the decision to either stay at home or go away with her boyfriend Frank, to be his wife. Before the scene where she goes through her paralysis she contemplates the idea of leaving her home and going to Buenos Ayres with Frank. While she ponders what to do she reflects on her life at present and how it would change once she leaves.
The story starts out with an image of her sitting in front of her window staring out into the night. She ponders leaving home and leaving behind her duties of taking care of the house, cooking their meals, the children she is in charge of and also her job. She starts to consider the advantages and disadvantage of staying at home or leaving to get married to Frank. She reflects on the idea that when she is married people will treat her with more respect unlike how her mother was treated. While she thinks about what decision to make she has a flashback to when she promised her mother at her deathbed to “keep their home together.” The paralysis in the story occurs at the time she is about to get on the boat. Eveline grips “the iron railing in frenzy,” and “she sets her white face to him, passive, as a helpless animal.” Eveline at this moment in time was unable to get into the boat with Frank and her expression and posture revealed her reluctance. “Her eyes where gave no sign of love or farewell or recognition.” She was frozen in place. By not getting on the boat she had made her decision, she was not going to go through with the plan, she was not leaving. Her epiphany was her realization of the fact that she was about to go overseas with this man and leaving her home behind. Her epiphany was also revealed a little earlier in the story when she asked herself if she “could still draw back after all he had done for her.”
James Joyce has a background of ending his stories with an epiphany. In one of his other stories “Araby” a similar thing that happens to Eveline also happens to the boy in the story has an epiphany while his is at the bazaar. He suddenly realizes that he is being controlled by his desire and that buying the girl he likes a gift does not ensure that she will like him back. He had convinced himself that buying her the gift would be the significance of his love and after seeing the sales lady flirting he realizes that buying her something is what she wants not his love.
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Nice blog! You explain about a lot about mundane and epiphany throughout your blog. You've included a lot of moments in the stories where paralysis occur.
ReplyDeleteBoth Eveline and the nameless narrator experience paralysis, but it occur in a different setting and in a different situation; however, both involves the theme of love and relationship.
The nameless narrator wants to purchase a gift as a symbol of love but unable to do so due to financial tightness. Eveline wants to escape the dullness of her life, but can't cope with the thoughts of the future's unknowns and alienation.
You give a good background of the story for the reader, which sets up the paralysis and epiphany you explain in Eveline.
ReplyDeleteGood job relating the epiphany and paralysis to the boy in Araby, which is a very similar paralysis and epiphany.
I really liked the break down of your post. The first paragraph clearly introduced the ideas that you were going to address, the second paragraph discussed "Eveline" in detail, and the third paragraph did a simple comparison and conclusion. I felt that your overall post was short,concise, and to the point, something I have difficulty at times :) With this said, I wish that you would have explained how the character from Araby undergoes Paralysis. But overall good post.
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