Have you ever been torn between family obligations and love? Eveline had to make a decision that would change her life forever. The young woman had to make a decision to stay with her father or to follow the man who could have been her true love. I disagree with Eveline's decision to stay with her father. She had an opportunity to escape the confines of the streets of Dublin; yet she chose to be miserable and depressed for the rest of her life.
Eveline was afraid of her father's violent eruptions. Now that no one was in the house to protect her, his temper taken a tool on her she was never trusted with any money.
He felt that she "Had no head" and would only "Squander the money." She was only given enough to buy the food; she would have to rush out, fighting her way through the crowds, to accommodate him. She lived an uncontrolled life under her father" watchful eyes; although she was given a "Load of provisions," her hard work around the house wasn't ever noticed. He disregarded her feelings by forbidding her to see Frank the one person who showed her life and was willing to her love.
Nevertheless, she feels obligated to care for her father. Her father was growing old and she knew that he would need her more than ever at his age. She felt that it was her duty to take her mother's place. She would think about "The pitiful vision of her mother's life" and how it "Laid a spell on the very quick of her being." Even though she had some happy memories from her childhood, she still felt as if she was trapped and wanted to "Escape." .
As an unmarried woman in Dublin, Eveline was looked down upon on and disrespected. The thought of leaving with Frank would give her life of happiness that she deserves. However, she contemplated her decision based on her past. She wasn't ready to let go her past that she vividly remembered. Even though, her mother and brother had passed away and almost everyone she knew moved away; she was afraid to leave her secure life of reliable food, shelter, and familiarity of he desolate home.