MY PERSONAL READING OF EVELINE written by James Joyce FEDERICA ZANABONI IV A A.S. 2009/2010

EVELINE Title Analysis “Eveline” is the title of this short story. It is a story from “Dubliners” by J. Joyce. Eveline is a female name. It is the protagonist’s name. When reading the title of the novel, I expected to read the story of a girl called Eveline. Thanks to the sound of “Eveline”, I imagined a story of sweetness, feelings, emotions and romanticism; however, after reading the novel, my expectations were only partly confirmed because the story is not so full of love and sentiments.

Denotative Analysis The plot of the story

Structural analysis In my opinion, the novel is organized into three parts: The first part gives the reader an image, a kind of a portrait of what is going on in the first three lines. The second part is a kind of a “bridge” between the first part and the conclusion; moreover the second part is a continuous flow of thoughts by Eveline. In this part is introduced Eveline’s background from Eveline’s point of view and, moreover, she thinks about the promise to her mother The third part shows the end because. This part presents to the reader Eveline’s reaction: she “decides” not to leave and live with Frank.

Narrative technique Kind of narration and kind of narrator: - Third person narration. - The narrator is external omniscient. The points of view are narrator’s and Eveline’s (shift of the point of view). Styles: The most used style is the free indirect speech, but in some parts the style becomes free direct speech and direct speech.

Characterization Main characters: Secondary characters: Eveline Frank Eveline’s father Eveline’s mother Secondary characters: Eveline’s brothers and sisters Eveline’s neighbours The priest Miss Gavan All these appear only once in the novel, thus their value and relevance to the story are quite scarce because they are not described in detail.

Message Mabuse, Danae

In the first part of the novel, the narrator tells the reader of a woman staying near the window of her house and looking outside and feeling very tired. In the second part, the narrator tells the reader the way in which the woman -named Eveline- recalls the first times of her life when she played with her brothers and sisters and the children of neighbouring families. Eveline’s thoughts are marked by the relationship she had with her father because of his severity and also because he wanted to have her give him her salary to spend it buying alcoholics; furthermore, the novel gives a short description of Eveline’s job; despite the promise she made to her dead mother (to keep the house together), the novelist tells the reader about her wish to escape from her house with Frank, her love. In the third part, the novelist tells the reader about the end of the novel as he concentrates on Eveline’s final decision and reaction. Due to the fear of something which she does not know (her future life in a distant country with a man she was not very fond of) Eveline decides not to leave with Frank.

Narrator’s point of view “She sat at the window watching the evening invade the avenue. Her head was leaned against the window curtains and in her nostrils was the odour of dusty cretonne. She was tired.” Eveline’s point of view “The children of the avenue used to play together in that field --the Devines, the Waters, the Dunns, little Keogh the cripple, she and her brothers and sisters. Ernest, however, never played: he was too grown up. Her father used often to hunt them in out of the field with his blackthorn stick; but usually little Keogh used to keep nix and call out when he saw her father coming. Still they seemed to have been rather happy then. Her father was not so bad then; and besides, her mother was alive. That was a long time ago; she and her brothers and sisters were all grown up her mother was dead. Tizzie Dunn was dead, too, and the Waters had gone back to England. Everything changes. Now she was going to go away like the others, to leave her home.”

Eveline The narrator tells the reader about Eveline: personality, family, social class, habits, likes and dislikes, work, opinions and feelings about other characters, aspirations and dreams, what she thinks on particular occasions. Frank The narrator tells the reader about Frank: physical appearance, personality, social class, habits, likes and dislikes, work, what other characters think of him, aspirations and dreams, experiences, abilities. Eveline’s father The narrator tells the reader about Eveline’s father: personality, family, social class, habits, likes and dislikes, opinions and feelings about other characters, what other characters think of him, some experience, what he does and says and thinks on particular situations. Eveline’s mother Despite she is not described in the novel and the reader has no information about her, her presence is very important for Eveline’s choice, her present life and her future.