Eveline (Essay On Short Story)

Have you ever just wanted to escape from your life? Maybe leave everything and everyone you knew behind, or just sit and daydream about a life that you wished you could have? To make a major alteration in your life, you may need to have self-disipline.In the story " Eveline" by James Joyce, Eveline shows her self-discipline through her feelings about work, family and love.

Eveline's self-discipline with her work is overwhelming. Eveline, being only nineteen years old, had a tremendous amount of responsibility. She had hard work to keep the house together and to see that the two young children went to school regularly and got their meals regularly. She would sacrafice all her wages at the end of the week just to keep the stores up and running. On Saturday nights, she would squabble for money by asking her brother or father for help. Eveline would purchase all that she could, leaving money for their Sunday dinner. Then she had to deal with customers being disrespectful to her, especially Miss Gavan who would make make comments like " Miss Hill, don't you see these ladies waiting?, Look lively, Miss Hill, please!

Not only did Eveline have self-discipline with work, but she had it with her parents as well. As Eveline's mother was on her death bed, Eveline had promised her mother to keep the home together as long as she could. She knew that promise would mean living her mother's pitiful life, filled with sacrafices that would only end in madness. Moreover, as time passed, Eveline had to deal with her father's anger. Every time her father would begin to threaten her, she would get palpitations and would fear herself in danger from her father's violence. Anytime Eveline nedded money for the buisness, her father would complain that he was not going to give his hard earned wages to throw about the streets. Then when it came to Eveline being in love, she had to deal with her father's disapproval. He had forbidden her to continue the relationship, after he had a quarrel with Frank. Eveline had no other choice but to meet with Frank secretly.