Frank Character Analysis

As Eveline reflects on her relationship with Frank she reveals the lack of depth in their attraction. She likes Frank because he has stories about “distant countries” and he took her to sit in an “unaccustomed part” of the theater, meaning the seats were probably more expensive than Eveline was used to. So she likes his exotic stories, his financial gestures, and the fact that he is offering her an escape from Dublin. He sings the song “The Lass that Loves a Sailor,” which leaves Eveline “pleasantly confused” as she does not understand that it is about how unfaithful sailors can be. This interaction highlights Eveline’s naivety as well as the fact that her escape depends on her trusting someone she does not know that well and probably should not trust. Joyce is using these details to make the point that escapism for its own sake can be dangerous: Eveline has glorified her escape from Dublin so much that she is overlooking many risk factors, such as the fact that she does not know Frank that well and he might not be a faithful partner. Unfortunately her role as a woman means she probably has little power in finding a husband, as generally (in this society) it is the man who is expected to pursue the woman. Eveline even says that at first she just liked the attention, and it is not until later that she actually begins to like Frank, but even then it is mostly just for his exotic stories.