In the opening lines, Eveline breathes in the scent of “dusty cretonne” and notices that she is tired. The dust is a reminder of her endless daily tasks, which seem empty of meaning. Dust also represents death, or the cyclicality of life.

Joyce uses a variety of symbols in Eveline. One which is used early in the story is the window. Eveline looks through her window to the outside world. The window symbolizes her perception and tells the reader what she thinks and believes the world outside of her home and her community represents.

Fueled by her memories of the field and her childhood, Eveline’s perspective shifts from the outside world to her home and “all its familiar objects which she had dusted once a week for so many years” (658). Dust and dusting symbolize together the past and daily routine. Though she removes the dust, it always returns.

The main themes in Eveline are Paralysis, Epiphany, Stream of Consciousness and Irish Social Conditions and Emigration. Paralysis This sense of stagnation or paralysis is emphasized with the very words Joyce uses. The story “Eveline” presents an excellent example. The protagonist barely moves throughout the tale.

‘Eveline’ focuses on a young Irish woman of nineteen years of age, who plans to leave her abusive father and poverty-stricken existence in Ireland, and seek out a new, better life for herself and her lover Frank in Buenos Aires.

She died of an unspecified illness, and was driven mad by her “life of commonplace sacrifices,” although it is unclear if her mental state is related to her death.

It says, “Her father was becoming old lately, she noticed; he would miss her.” Here, Eveline is beginning to guilt herself into staying. Her father hates Frank because, of course, he wants Eveline to stay at home and continue cleaning the house taking care of the cooking and shopping.

Eveline’s father was abusive to her siblings and mother, but spared Eveline when she was young since she was a girl. He also forbids Eveline from seeing Frank, assuming that he is unfaithful because he is a sailor.

Some of the things that made Eveline want to leave her home include her relationship with her father, her job at the Stores, the consuming task of keeping the house together, and the general inability of Eveline to lead a life under these conditions.