Eveline

Eveline

James Joyce's "Short Story, Eveline," is about a young woman who tries to resist change against her own will. Most people will always resist change even when it becomes obvious that change is the only option for them. Eveline is a young woman who has lived with her family for all her entire life. At a point in time, she has to live her home and followed her boyfriend, "Frank" to Buenos Ayres to be Frank's wife. Eveline is thrown in a dilemma as to whether to follow Frank, her love, or to remain the way she is. Eventually, Eveline refuses to go with Frank because she does not want to leave home where she is familiar with everything. She also considers what other people will say while she had gone, and above all, she did not have the courage to leave her home.

One obvious reason in Joyce's "Short Story that enlightens us on why people resist change is that most people are content with what they have , even though their situation might be bad. Joyce explores this theme by bringing to light how comfortable Eveline was with the objects in her home. He writes, "Perhaps she would never sea again those familiar objects from which she had never dreamt of being divided." Joyce is trying to point out with this statement that, as human beings, we sometimes put our trust in things that of little value and lose greater things. Eveline is treated badly by her father. She has lost her mother. All her friends with whom she plays have all gone to England. She knows definitely that these are the people who keep her going in her home. Now that these are no more, change is obvious. After all, Frank will make her happy. She loves him, and he loves her. Both of them are comfortable with each other. However, she can not stop thinking about those static objects which are of no value and do not contribute to her success and happiness in life. Joyce does a good job in making us understand some of the mistakes that we make in life when he describes Eveline as "a helpless animal." It tells us the kind of life ahead of Eveline without Frank.

The second reason that Joyce points out in his story as another major contributor of people's resistance to change is approval addiction. Joyce believes that, we humans, sometimes let other people's opinion control our sense of imagination. As his story proceeds, we see that Eveline definitely has to leave with Frank. But at the same time, she is worried about how people will interpret her disappearance with Frank. She keeps bordering herself with questions. Joyce writes, "Was that wise?" "What would people say about her in the stores when they found out that she had run away with a fellow?" Joyce uses these statements to show us the questions to which Eveline's final decision answers. We see that, as Eveline begins to meditate on these negative thoughts, she becomes worried and confused. Her refusal of going with Frank shows how effective these negative thoughts played a significant