Joycean Absences

There are perceptible absences in James Joyce's story, "Eveline" where it focuses on the main protagonist, Eveline. The first absence would be that of how Eveline's mother died and Eveline made a promise to take care of the household as she took her mother's place. The only family Eveline has left are her abusive father, whom she lives with, and her brother, who use to live at home. Her mother's inconclusive, sad life embraced her decision to escape the very same fate by leaving with her lover, Frank. The second absence is why Eveline froze when she only had to take Frank's hand for that chance of starting a new phase in her life. Eveline's subconscious was not completely ready to leave her home, family, and the promises she made to her mother. Joyce noted that Eveline was "passive like a helpless animal," a position in which society of the time period assumed women were constantly in. In the last scene of the story, the closing image is of Eveline, who is immobilized and her hards are frozen to the railing while being stripped of human will and emotion. Eveline is viewed as a lowly female during this time who must stay home to take care of her home and family. In the end, it was Eveline herself, who has casted a life sentence on herself on being a 'housekeeper'.