“Eveline” opens with an instance of personification:
“She sat at the window watching the evening invade the avenue.”
Rather than using a simple description to narrate the sun changing in the sky as day progressively turns to night, Joyce describes the evening as if it has a physical form and a humanlike ability to act. Giving the evening human qualities emphasizes its significance to the reader. The word “invade” connotes war, aggression, or violence and creates the sense that something negative will occur. Since this occurs in the story’s very first line, it immediately leads to a feeling of anticipation and growing suspense in the reader. It creates the sense that time is passing, whether Eveline wants it to or not—soon, she’ll have to decide whether to stay in Dublin or go through with her plan to start a new life with Frank in Buenos Ayres.
