(Little) Through the Eyes of Eveline Hill

Eveline Hill’s Irish heritage is apparent in every aspect of her life, more embedded in her being than the dust that hugs the various neglected objects in her quaint Dublin home. In amongst the impeccable descriptions that shape James Joyce’s famous short story “Eveline,” the reader is introduced to a heroine grappling with a bewildering identity crisis. 

After accepting a proposal from a free-spirited sailor, Eveline prepares herself for a new life with her husband in exotic Buenos Aires. In the onset of the story, Joyce paints an idyllic portrait of childhood nostalgia as Eveline looks back on the youth she spent so wistfully in the city of Dublin. The protagonist struggles against the strong emotional attachment she has to her hometown as she convinces herself that a life no longer exists for her in Ireland.    

Eveline’s psychological journey to find her self is representative of the search for national identity apparent in Ireland in the onset of the twentieth century. James Joyce, through the eyes of his heroine, tells the story of a lost nation caught in the perpetual landslide of an identity crisis.

As Eveline muses on in her nostalgic reverie, she begins to feel the pressure of her conflicting emotions. Part of her psyche screams telling her to escape, to leave Ireland and never look back. It is not until the final four sentences of the story that Eveline realizes she can no longer ignore her heart as it lovingly pulls her back to her home, Dublin. 

Continuing his metaphor, Eveline’s conflicting emotions are indicative of the converging influences plaguing Ireland in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Eveline’s ultimate epiphany also showcases the passionate nationalism apparent in the Irish people at the time. In the form of a poignant vignette, Joyce manages to educate readers about the state of affairs in Dublin at the turn of the century. 

A Quote to Remember: “She set her white face to him, passive, like a helpless animal. Her eyes gave him no sign of love or farewell or recognition.”