Eveline

Eveline, is a short story once again written by James Joyce, and is in the Dubliners series. I found this story a bit more interesting, but not much. This story is all about a young women, just barely out of her teens who is debating leaving her house, taking a boat with the man she been courting, and marrying him.

 On her mother’s death bed, Eveline promised her mother that she would never sell, or leave the family house, and this is one of the reasons Eveline is having such a hard time deciding whether she really should leave, or if she should just stay at home and make do with her miserable life.  Her and the young man from Buenos Ayres have only been courting for a short while, and even though she has no one to look after, she still feels strapped down by the promise she made to her dead mother. 

So finally she goes to the ship and is getting ready to soon board, and is thinking to herself that she deserves happiness, love and a life to live.  But as the times arrives and she has to board the ship, Eveline chickens out and leaves Frank to take the ship all by himself, because it is too late and he, himself cannot get off. 

If I were in Eveline’s shoes I think I would want to leave, even if I had made that promise.  Sure, I would feel extremely guilty for a while, but after spending time away in a new house with a new family, I imagine that happiness would soon overtake that guilt.

The song Eveline by Nickel Creek was inspired by this story.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKizkUlgob8