Eveline

In James Joyce's Eveline, Eveline's present circumstances leave much to be desired. She is often lonely, having few friends, an abusive father, one absent brother, and one dead brother. She must "keep the house together and see that the two young children who had been left to her charge went to school regularly and got their meals regularly" (pg 220). Her supervisor, Miss Gavan, is characterized as judgemental and critical, making working even harder for Eveline. Despite disliking this work, her father is the main source of her unhappiness. He is characterized as tempermental, prone to fits of violence and rage. He even fights with Eveline about money, forcing her to give all her hard-earned money to keep the family going. However, none of this is what eventually pushes her to attempt to leave. Instead, the memory of her mother's final days gives her the courage to decide to leave. She fears ending up like her mother, stuck in the house with an abusive man for a life of sacrafice and despair.