Eveline by James Joyce summary BBS 2nd year

In the beginning, we see that Eveline was sitting beside the window watching the darkening evening avenue taking the odor of dusty cretonne curtains. She felt tired in herself. It was the place where they used to play in their childhood with her brothers and many other children. She remembers those beautiful days in childhood but those days are gone now. Her father was not so bad then and her mother was alive. Now, she is more than nineteen and her brothers are grown up. One of her brother (Waters) had gone to England, another (Ernest) was dead and still another (Harry) had left home to work on his own. She wonders how everything changes; and she also wants to leave home.

Home! When she recalls her housework, she fells dizzy. She had been dusting, wiping, and mopping the house for years and years. She had been cooking meals preparing two of her younger children to their schools regularly and still being scolded by her violent father. Thinking all those, she instantly wanted to leave home. But was it wise? What to do after leaving? Where to go? Besides doing all those housework, she had been doing her job at a store from where she would get some salary and it would be spent at home. So, she wanted to run away from there and elope with her boyfriend, Frank. After her mother was dead and her brothers left home, her father became more violent and threatening, and there was nobody to protect her when he comes to beat her. Her father said that he would not give his hard-earned money to squander at the street. She would get some money for Sunday's dinner, go to the market, buy all the things, hurry back home and prepare the dinner. All these things made her to look some other way to escape such a hard work and a hard life.

Therefore, she was about to explore a life with Frank, who was kind, manly and open-hearted. She planned to go away with him by the night-boat to be his wife and to live with him in Buenos Ayres, Argentina where he had a home. She believed everything he told her but she hesitated how could a deck boy have a house of his own. She felt pleasantly confused. Once, her father had also met him, quarreled with him and after that she had to meet him secretly.

She remembered all those days when her mother was alive. She remembered her last words and she had promised her to maintain the house in her absence if any. But now, she could bear it no longer and suddenly she stood up with some terror. She had to run away with Frank who would save her, would give life to her and perhaps love. She had a right to happiness but how?

Yes, she went to the station to get on the night-boat. Frank held her hand in the crowd and she did not know what she was doing, what she was saying or what was going to happen. She only prayed the God to direct her in distress. The last bell rang for the departure of the night-boat. Frank caught her hand and shouted 'Come!' But she released her hand from him. Both of her hands gripped the iron railings and she was shouting 'No, no, no!' He was calling her from the boat she only set her white face to him like a helpless animal. The eyes of her didn't give any sort of recognition, Love nor any sort of farewell. Here, we see that she was neither able to live at home nor able to leave it.