Eveline

by James Joyce
Style
Explanation and Analysis:

“Eveline” is an unusually short story, at under 2,000 words long. It is written from a third-person omniscient point of view, meaning that the story’s narrator is separate from the protagonist Eveline but has access to her thoughts. The story’s style is characterized by stream of consciousness, a technique common in early 20th-century Modernist writing that attempts to capture the rhythm of a character’s thoughts, often through the use of disorienting pacing and inventive or unusual language. “Eveline” is structured around Eveline’s evolving thoughts and emotions, with the story seeming to flow from her thoughts. This stylistic choice allows the reader to access her inner conflict about whether to stay in Dublin or leave for a new, married life in Buenos Ayres with Frank.

In addition, sentence structure and word choice are both important aspects of Joyce’s writing style in “Eveline.” In the opening paragraph of the story, for example, Joyce uses passive voice when introducing Eveline:

“Her head was leaned against the window curtains and in her nostrils was the odour of dusty cretonne. She was tired.”