Literary Analysis Of Eveline - 731 Words

Authors often use literary techniques to convey a central theme in their writing. In his collection of short stories, Dubliners, James Joyce uses a multitude of literary techniques to communicate the ideas of escape and freedom. Joyce’s use of narrative perspective, selection of detail, and conventional diction in his short story â€Å"Eveline† allow him to express Eveline’s oppressive environment as well as her ultimate submissive nature to it. Though â€Å"Eveline† is told from the point of view of a limited third person narrator, the story directly follows the thoughts of the protagonist and titular character. The first paragraph introduces this third person narrator as if they were sitting in the room watching Eveline as she mused at the†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"She sat at the window watching the evening invade the avenue† (Joyce 41). Eveline is watching the sunset, but instead of describing the sun setting in colors, the night sky is forcefully entering the city. â€Å"Her head was leaned against the window curtains and in her nostrils was the odour of dusty cretonne† (Joyce 41). Similarly in this sentence, Eveline is not smelling the odor of the cretonne, but rather the smell has already entered her nose. She makes no decisive effort to inhale the unpleasant scent, but it invades her body anyway. This demonstrates the submissive nature of Eveline to her circumstances. Joyce also pays extensive attention to detail in his writing of â€Å"Eveline†. The first paragraph, in which the reader is introduced to Eveline, creates a dismal feeling about her. Joyce uses words such as â€Å"dusty cretonne† to convey this sense of heaviness. Eveline self-describes her house as â€Å"little† and â€Å"brown† in direct contrast with â€Å"new red houses† being built on her block. The deliberate use of the word brown to describe the oppressive environment in which she lives is importan t because it is used again at the end of the story to detail a similar situation. Joyce describes the â€Å"soldiers with brown baggages† at the station where Eveline is supposed to get on the boat and make her escape with her lover Frank. However, EvelineShow MoreRelatedEveline1643 Words   |  7 PagesIn â€Å"Eveline,† James Joyce uses the juxtaposition of the ever-changing setting and the unchanging stoic character of Eveline in order to exemplify the character’s reluctance and inability to move forward. James Joyce is known for his juxtaposition of light and dark throughout his short stories, specifically in his story â€Å"Araby.† I would argue that Joyce is using the contrast of opposing forces described above between the setting and the character in a similar way as he was light and dark. â€Å"Araby†Read MoreDantean Allegory In Dante And Joyces Inferno973 Words   |  4 PagesThe key to appreciating Joyce’s use of Dantean allegory is found in identifying the relevant Joycean motifs, the recurrent thematic conceits informing his characters and their philosophies. One method of analysis, which highlights the verity and significance of a shared allegory of paralysis in Dante and Joyce, demonstrates the strength of the claim by means of reviewing the weakest possible examples. In this way, one examines individual Joycean images (however much they are repeated throughout theRead MoreAnalysis Of James Joyce s Dubliners1668 Words   |  7 Pagesbelief by allowing for other literary elements such as irony and sympathy . The point of view in literature is one of the central focuses for interpretation. Dubliners, by James Joyce is an outstanding example of how the use of point of view influences how characters and events are interpreted. Joyce writes the firs t three stories of Dubliners in the first person point of view, the rest are told in there person. Taking a look at a few of the short stories , Araby, Eveline, and Clay, it is obviousRead More Reader-Response Criticism of James Joyce’s Eveline from Dubliners2399 Words   |  10 PagesCriticism of James Joyce’s Eveline The subjectivity evident in literary interpretation is hard to deny. Though one person may feel that James Joyce’s writing proves Joyce’s support of the feminist movement, another may believe that Joyce views women as inferior. What could account for such a difference in opinions? Schwarz explains that subjective reader-response critics would respond to a question such as this by answering that each reader uses the literary work to symbolize hisRead MoreSummary Of Araby And Araby1134 Words   |  5 PagesZarin Chowdhury Assignment Two: Literary Analysis â€Å"Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisoned by the enemy, don’t we consider it his duty to escape?... If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we’re partisans of liberty, then it’s our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can,† asserts J.R.R. Tolkien. We occasionally need to have our heads in the clouds and be lost in them. Everyone, at some point in their lives, has the desire to escape fromRead MoreChange: The Seed of Evolution2514 Words   |  11 Pageslate arrival, he overhears a flirtatious group and decides to return home without a gift. â€Å"Eveline† is placed in the second section of Dubliners, which explores the adolescence phase (Dubliners). The story has little action as it mostly reviews Eveline’s thoughts (â€Å"Eveline†). She must decide whether to accept the proposal of a sailor named Frank or to stay with her ill father and younger siblings (â€Å"Eveline†). The final story of Dubliners is â€Å"The Dead.† This story depicts a married couple, GabrielRead More Triangular Structure in James Joyces Dubliners1970 Words   |  8 PagesTriangular Structure in James Joyces Dubliners Within the body of literary criticism that surrounds James Joyces Dubliners is a tendency to preclude analysis beyond an Irish level, beyond Joyces own intent to create the uncreated conscience of [his] race. However, in order to place the text within an appropriately expansive context, it seems necessary to examine the implications of the volumes predominant thematic elements within the broader scope of human nature. The psychic drama