Literary Analysis of the Dubliners Essay Example

Literary Analysis of the Dubliners Paper ENG 301 Literature Analysis Title: Dubliners â€Å"Eveline†, James Joyce Cast: Main Characters: Eveline Hill, her father, her mother, Frank, Minor Characters: a man, the children playing in the field( the Devines, Waters, Dunns, little Keogh, her brothers and sisters, Ernest, Tizzie Dunn, Margaret Alacovaz, Miss Gaven, Harry and the organ player Character: Eveline Hill Caregiver: The character Eveline is portrayed as the caretaker. â€Å"She had hard work to keep the house together and to see that the two young children whom had been left to her to charge went to school regularly and got their meals regularly. ( Eveline to self, 37) Since her mother has pasted on, Eveline has had to assume the role of the nurturer because she was the only one that was capable of doing so. She was in charge of the dusting, cleaning and taking care of everything since her mother had past so to her this just seemed to be so routine to her, as well as living in Dublin for all these years this is just what she knows and feels comfortable with. Conformist: Her father seemed to be somewhat of a director towards her as well as does her lover Frank. He father doesn’t seem to condone her relationship with Frank. â€Å"The organ player had been ordered to go away and given six pence. She remembered her father strutting back into the sickroom saying Damned Italians! Coming over here! †(Eveline to self, 39) Her father is very domineering and tries to tell her what to do and that he seems to know what is best for her. He even goes as far as taking her paycheck that she gets from the store that she works at and from watching the children as well. She also seems to think that Franks will drown her if she ends up going with him as opposed to staying because she will have the challenges with a new marriage, a new home and possibly children. Oppressor: Paralysis seems to be another factor within the story. â€Å"She sat her white face to him, passive, like a helpless animal. †(Eveline to self, 41) It’s like she freezes when the opportunity arises to be able to gain from her new experiences. She can’t seem to let go of the memories which again is what seems to also be holding her back. We will write a custom essay sample on Literary Analysis of the Dubliners specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Literary Analysis of the Dubliners specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Literary Analysis of the Dubliners specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer She seems to have an epiphany when she realizes that he is gone and that she is going to have to deal with the regret of not going with Frank just to see how it would have been if she had made the decision to go with him. Loner: There are many senses that are used quite often throughout this reading. â€Å"Windows† is a common word repeated throughout. â€Å"She sat at the window watching the evening invade the avenue. † (Eveline to self, 34) This seems to show a reflection on her own situations and relations she has with other people. She hears the organ and it reminds her of her mother and how she lived and she doesn’t want to have a repeat of her life, but her impulses and the reliance she has seems to override the impulses. One other sense that seems to be reoccurring is hearing. She hears footsteps outside the window in front of the new houses and this again shows that there seems to be some sense of a loner town and that there is really nothing keeping her there but again her family. Survivor: â€Å"She gripped with both hands at the iron railing. (Eveline to self, 40) This shows that she has comfort in staying and surviving the life she has in Dublin. She had the chance to leave what she has always known but instead she decides to stay and live up to her word that she told her dying mother. Setting: Dublin, Ireland, 1904, an old room mainly setting in the window, the dock Plot: A young lady named Eveline Hill is setting alone in her home pondering the idea of leaving Dublin’s ordinary life tha t seem to be based on experiences to elope with her love Frank the sailor, but in the end she abandons him at the dock. Theme: â€Å"He rushed beyond the barrier and called to her to follow. He was shouted at to go on but he still called to her. She set her white face to him, passive, like a helpless animal. Her eyes gave him no sign of love or farewell or recognition. † (40,Eveline to self) Within this story, it depicts a young lady named Eveline trying to debate if she wants to stay in Dublin and what she has always known or to take an adventure with her lover to Buenos Ayres to live. This seems to be her only way to escape from everyone/everything and be able to have a chance to be able to start a new life with her lover Frank. This seems to portray some type of relation between life and death. The reason being is that Eveline seems to think that her leaving is in a way of that particular part of her life dying off and with her leaving, this is a way to a new life for her away from everyone in Dublin. She seems to be pondering the idea of giving up her chance at love so that she may stay where she has always been. Eveline has done the same jobs of working for other people, giving her paychecks to her dad and taking care of her brothers for so long that she is not quite sure how to really do anything else. She is so stuck in her routine with the way of doing things for others that she is willing to let go of her chance at true romance. It seems to be that they are trying to make her feel bad in a way of mental abuse so that she will not leave them. It seems to be so that she can have the chance to experience new things, such as moving away to be with her lover Frank and for once have happiness in her life. Eveline’s father as well as her brothers don’t really care or care to see what makes her happy. They are all in it for themselves. Her father and brothers have had things done for them for so long they don’t want to have to actually do something for themselves. Her family knows that if she stays, she will continue on with her daily routine. From this particular story, family seems to be the overall big picture for the theme. Everything seems to come back to the family. She does what she does on her daily routine because of her family; she does everything to help out her family even if it doesn’t make her happy. In the end she lets her lover leave without her because of her family as well.