The short story “Eveline,” concerned with the practical realities of the titular protagonist’s daily life, is an example of Modernist literature. Modernism developed during the early 20th century as a new mode of creative expression. Modernist authors experimented with new forms and purposefully sought to challenge and subvert traditional writing methods. James Joyce is considered to be a titan in Modernist literature. In many of his works, including “Eveline,” Joyce uses stream of consciousness, a writing technique that was new at the time and is used to depict characters’ passing thoughts and feelings.
“Eveline,” like the other stories in Dubliners, is also a work of realism. Literary realism is concerned with representing reality truthfully without implausible or supernatural elements. The story portrays the everyday reality and experiences of Eveline, a young woman living in early 20th-century Dublin, and so it references commonplace settings like her home, church, and “the Stores” where she works.
“Eveline,” significantly, is the first story by Joyce to be written from a woman’s perspective, and it focuses on Eveline’s practical concerns as a young Irish woman living and working in Dublin. As such, it could be classified as an early feminist story. Women had limited opportunities in society during this time; in order to change their social circumstances they often had to rely on their male family members or husbands. These social realities are reflected in the story: Eveline sees marriage with the sailor Frank as a potential means of escape from her rather mundane, limited life, but she struggles to leave Dublin due to a sense of duty and obligation to her family and hometown. Eveline feels helpless as she struggles to decide what she wants and ultimately cannot act on that desire. Her paralysis at the end of the story reflects the confinement felt and experienced by many women at the time.
