Preference or Passivity?

             Eveline appears to have missed her opportunity in escaping the monotony of her daily life in Ireland. She wastes her chance in leaving Dublin with her lover, Frank, as she watches him leave for Buenos Ayres. She spends much time debating over her two choices. She examines the benefits of both staying and leaving, and ultimately decides that leaving Ireland would be the best choice. However, at the dock, she is unable to board the boat with Frank, apparently struck with paralysis, and watches as he sails away.

While the paralysis in Ireland definitely played a role in Eveline’s sudden choice, her own passivity also leads to her missing her chance. Her current home life appears to be in a terrible state, living with an unreasonable father who appears to abuse her. She hopes that when she finally escapes, she will finally find respect from others and will adopt a completely new lifestyle, devoid of the blandness and the violence her Irish lifestyle has. However, even though Eveline wishes to break the stagnancies within her life and to escape the abuse of her father, it appears that she is not ready to completely move on. Near the end of her reflection, because “she was about to leave it she did not find it a wholly undesirable life” (27). While her life appears difficult, it appears manageable. Furthermore, she remembers that “[s]ometimes [her father] could be very nice” (28). Because her departure to Buenos Ayres with Frank means leaving everything in Ireland behind, she remembers all the positive aspects of her life, and appears to give herself reasons why to stay.

In a way, Eveline is in denial, refusing to acknowledge the fact that she wants to stay in Dublin. She remembers “the promise to her mother, her promise to keep the home together as long as she could” (28). This promise appears to bind her to Ireland, giving her a reason to stay. Furthermore, “[a]s she mused the pitiful vision of her mother’s life laid its spell on the very quick of her being” (28). The sameness of her mother’s life is something Eveline does not want to repeat. Before she is about to leave with Frank, “she felt her cheek pale and cold and, out of a maze of distress, she prayed to God to direct her” (29). Eveline seeks guidance within religion, hoping to magically find the correct answer, refusing to think for herself. Her reliance on religion to make decisions for her characterizes her as a passive person. Furthermore, as the ship carrying Frank departs, “[s]he set her white face to him, passive, like a helpless animal. Her eyes gave him no sign of love or farewell or recognition” (29). Eveline is described as “passive” because the lifestyle she has in Dublin obliges her to remain submissive to the force of paralysis.

Eveline’s passivity can be connected to the feminine ideal of Ireland at the time. Women were expected to be submissive to men within the society. This explains why Eveline allows her father to abuse her, and continues to live on. This also explains why Eveline feels obligated to keep her promise to her mother, who by Irish standards at the time, was a very good house wife. It seems that Eveline wishes to keep this feminine ideal of the woman as the housekeeper, performing all the chores and caring for the children. By moving to Buenos Ayres, she would potentially give up the lifestyle of an Irish woman, abandoning her culture.

Eveline exhibits characteristics of someone with Stockholm syndrome. She is held captive by Irish society, and when given the opportunity to leave, she suddenly sees her circumstances in a good light. Although her father abuses her and the Irish society mistreats her by giving her a boring life, she remembers how her father can be nice, and reasons that her current life is not all suffering, even with the dull routine she experiences every day. She reasons that leaving would be better for her, but when the time arises, she remains passive, unable to board the boat with Frank, feeling compelled to remain a captive of Ireland and to remain paralyzed.

An ending question:

Does Eveline willingly choose to stay within Ireland of her own free will, wanting to keep her promise to her mother, or has she experienced too much paralysis within Irish society that she feels compelled to remain within the city?