Eveline

Eveline Hill in James Joyce's Eveline had an internal conflict. She was torn between whether to follow her own dream of moving away or staying home. If she moved away with her love, Frank, they could get married. They could start their life together. However, she was not fully sold on this idea. She felt she needed to stay loyal to her family. Before her mother died, she promised to keep the family together and keep the house upheld. I think that their father was a drunk. More specifically I think he was a mean drunk who was verbally and physically abusive. It was awfully sad to me to see that Eveline was trying to convince herself that her father was nice enough to stay with. " He would miss her. Sometimes he could be very nice. Not long before, when she had been laid up for a day, he had read her out a long ghost story and made toast for her at the fire" (Joyce, 220). She goes on to name another. She could only think of two instances when her father was nice to her and to her brothers. Yet, Eveline says, "It was hard work- a hard life- but now that she was about to leave it she did not find it a wholly undesirable life" (Joyce, 220). I think Eveline was afraid of venturing out into a new life. I think she was a character who liked to remain in the same pattern and lifestyle.