Trapped in a world where mental anguish imprisons her, Eveline is another of James Joyce's paralyzed souls. Her life is full of ups and downs. Every day she struggles with burdens that she should not have to bear and when the opportunity comes for her to get away from this retched life, she denies herself the chance. The reasons why I feel Eveline did not leave for Buenos Aires with Frank is because she was obligated to her family, she was afraid of the unknown and she did not know how to receive love.
"Strange that it should come that very night to remind her of the promise to her mother, her promise to keep the home together as long as she could." (Joyce 32) How is it possible for one to not follow out a parent's last wish? Eveline's mother's last request was for her to take care of the family. That is a great responsibility to be put into a child's hands. Everyone deserves a chance to be happy, so why did she go along with something that would only continue to make her life miserable? Eveline felt tangled knowing that it was all up to her to keep the family together, and to support her father, so she decides to stay. "She always gave her entire wages-seven shillings-- (Joyce 30). This is again another example of what Eveline does for her family. After working all hours of the day, in the end, she gives all of her earnings to her father. It gives her a sense of purpose in a weird sort of way. .
Would she have that same feeling of belonging if she went off to Buenos Aires with Frank? Maybe that is why she did not go, because she just did not know what her future would hold. ""Come! Come!" Along with this clear, but not schematic pattern, Joyce emphasizes ambiguities. Eveline's twilight musing on home and the adventurous alternative to which she "had consented," poses the explicit question, for the reader and character, "Was it wise?"" (Hart http://f33.mail.yahoo.com/ym/us/ShowLetter?YY=96460&order=down&sort=date&pos=0) This question which Hart also finds intriguing is very strong.
