What is the point of Eveline?

‘Eveline’ focuses on a young Irish woman of nineteen years of age, who plans to leave her abusive father and poverty-stricken existence in Ireland, and seek out a new, better life for herself and her lover Frank in Buenos Aires. You can read ‘Eveline’ here.

What is Eveline’s epiphany?

Eveline comes to an epiphany that she must remain at home with her family. Her memories overshadow the fact that she has many personal issues at home. Frank gives her a clear choice to leave behind her troubles and be happy, but she chooses unhappiness instead.

What is Eveline’s dilemma?

Eveline faces a difficult dilemma: remain at home like a dutiful daughter, or leave Dublin with her lover, Frank, who is a sailor. He wants her to marry him and live with him in Buenos Aires, and she has already agreed to leave with him in secret.

What is the meaning of Derevaun Seraun?

Derevaun Seraun!” The phrase is nonsense Gaelic and Joyce meant its meaning to be ambiguous. But some have translated the phrase as, roughly, “The end of pleasure is pain.”

What are the symbols in Eveline?

Eveline Symbols

  • Dust. Dust represents monotony.
  • Water. Water, specifically the sea, represents the unknown, and Joyce uses it to illustrate Eveline’s fear of the unknown.
  • Brown and Red. Just as in the story “Araby,” Joyce uses the color brown to signify the dreariness of Dublin.

What does the dust symbolize in Eveline?

Dust represents monotony. The dust in the house keeps collecting no matter how frequently Eveline cleans it, paralleling the monotony of Eveline’s life in Dublin: she is constantly taking care of people or cleaning, only to wake up and do the same thing the next day.

Why is Eveline paralyzed?

Eveline’s paralysis is also caused by her sense of powerlessness. She continually looks to two things to save her from her situation: Frank, or men in general, and religion/God.

What does the window symbolize in Eveline?

Just as it does in “Eveline,” the window once again symbolizes the small but untraveled distance between where someone is and where someone really wants to be.

What is Eveline’s conflict and why?

Eveline’s conflict is personal. She is pondering whether she should elope with Frank or stay with her family, which has never been an easy life. The central conflict Eveline faces is whether or not to run away with her love, the sailor, to Buenos Aires.

What does the end of pleasure is pain mean?

Answer and Explanation: When Eveline’s mother says, “the end of pleasure is pain” in James Joyce’s “Eveline,” she is making a reference to women’s lack of independence in Ireland at the time due to societal expectations and familial responsibilities.

What happens at the end of Eveline?

Eveline, confronted with the ambiguities of sexual and romantic love, chooses to stay at home and take her place as her father’s caretaker. Eveline makes the decision she has been raised to make. She is faithful to the promise she made to her mother and assumes her role as the matriarch of the family.

What does the iron railing represent in Eveline?

She gripped with both hands at the iron railing. ‘ The image of the seas tumbling reveal the inaccessibility of a better future as if she would drown before reaching Argentina. The iron railing is an image which effectively demonstrates the ambivalence of Joyce’s epiphanies.