Analysis of Setting in ‘’eveline’’ by James Joyce

Setting is one of the most significant elements in a story. It also has various functions in literature. In general, it is a place where the chain of the events exists, where people live and then discover their own existence. However, by examining the setting in short story, we can easily have an idea about the character’s inner world, emotions, needs, dilemmas.It helps us to understand the way people perceive their environment, their mental state,economic conditions. It also affects the events in the story and character; for example, different places and different objects in the story may have an impact on the mood swings of the character. Old pictures, tresholds, window, waves, sea those all things have a control over the people as some of those objects makes the character realize that how they miss the past or their and how much they seek freedom, some of them are just awaken their desire running away. In other words, setting has the power to the canalise the characters and story in many ways. Eveline, by James Joyce is one of these short stories. Apart from indoors, outdoors, homes, doors, walls the story includes many little but important details which give us to hint about the mental state of the character and the atmosphere of the story. In this essay, I will analyze the setting in Eveline by James Joyce in two parts: domestic space and public space to help reader to understand how setting has an impact on Eveline’s decisions and dilemmas in her life.

First of all, I want to start to analyze the story by first examining the items inside the house. The story is mostly set in an old bright brick house which is now faded with the memories of her family. While we see Eveline’s daily life in the house and with the objects in it, her limitations clearly show itself. It also gives us about Eveline’s inner-self, since those limitations occur as a result of depressing life which she has to live with his abusive father and financial difficulties,her memories, her family bonds, her responsibilities and etc. ‘’Home! She looked round the home rewieving all its familiar objects which she had dusted once a week for so many years, wondering where on earth all the dust come from.’’ As it is understood from this line, she feels belong to the house but she has the sense of strangeness towards the house at the same time. She is acquainted with stuffs in the house but they are also harmful for her. The dust she used to smell seems trival but it gives damage to her sneakingly. She dusts and dusts but the dust never goes anywhere; the dust represents the passing of time with uninterrupted physical movement. In fact, it quite resembles with Eveline’s situation, as the dust represents her own state and static lifestyle. It is also related to the hopelessness of Eveline as she seeks out which lies beyond the window; she always thinks how to escape and how she ended up in that house of frontiers. She also mentions inside of the house, in these phrase: ‘’And yet all those years she had never found out of the name of the priest whose yellowing photograph hung on the wall above the broken harmonium beside the coloured print of the promises made…’’. The yellowing photograph could be considered significant for two main reasons; one of them is that the picture is old because of its colour and it is full of people who left the Ireland and Eveline might want to get involved in those people. On the other hand it can be understood that how careless she is. She does not know man’s name in the picture but she just passed without questioning due to the fact that she used to it. She might be in the opinion that if something stays there, questioning and trying to change it will not help at all. And from that, we can conclude no matter how conformist she looks, one side of her just want to new things from life. Even though one side of her is domestic, the other side that shines through is an adventurer. She expects new and exciting things from life, yet she is unable to do so due to her current conditions. She is sick of both her home’s and society’s order but she is unable to break the chains. These phrases shows us the side of her that does not want to break the chains either: ‘’…perhaps she would never see again those familiar objects from which she never dreamed of being divided.’ Even though she complains about those familiar objects, she still hangs on to them because of the fact that she is accustomed to it. The probability she will not be able to see these objects scares her. She does not feel ready to detach from those object. Now another dilemma is occurred between both of her mind and her house.

Another setting contexts in the story relate the house with the outer world which are door thresholds, windows, and these lines shows us: ‘’She sat at the window watching the evening invade the avenue. Her head was leaned against the window curtains and in her nostrils was the odour of the dusty cretonne.’’ Evening invading house becomes the symbol of Eveline’s sorrowful soul. She seats and put her head against the window curtains. She is longing an emotional support from someone. Someone who can give to her sense of security, who can she count on without questioning, and who she is able to see future with. Yet, after she smells the dusty cretonne she suddenly realize the reality reality of life, while she is still sitting without acting just imagining in a passive way. After these quote, active ones come: ‘’…she heard his footsteps clocking along the concrete pavement and afterwards crunching on the cinder path before the new red houses.’. This quatation indicates her life’s reality like in the part smelling cretonne she just heard men’s footfalls and crunching road. She envies them because of she can not be one of them; because of the fact that they are active, they are the ones living, do whatever they want. And all Eveline can do is only watch men while they are walking and watch them and smell the dustes which they made, nothing more. But later on she gets the opportunity of being one of the passengers with a man, thanks to Frank’s company. It has to be with a man obviously, since she has domestic side which she gets from social norms, genetic heritance from her family and witnessing his fathers attiude towards her mother. Afterwards, those lines help us to see the outside from Eveline’s window. ‘’Then a man from Belfast bought the field and built houses in it not like in their little brown houses but bright brick houses with shining roofs.’’ We can conclude from those lines that Eveline needs sense of novelty. Because she defines her own house as a ordinary, brown house which she has already used to. But while she is describing new house she mentiones how bright, shiny and well-structured they are. They are made of bricks and those bricks represent the feeling of trust, in that point Frank shows up. Frank is now new house for Eveline. Although she really wants to be with Frank so much, the other side of her was very conformist because of family trauma which her father’s psychological or physical violent towards to her mother caused. Because of these two conflicting sides of Eveline, we do not know whether she would leave her comfort zone or prefer to stay there because of the uncertanity of the new things. ‘’Her time was running out but she continued to sit by the window.’’  As I mentioned above, she can not leave her confort zone, besides she prefer to stay near the window curtains which functions as a bounds of between inside and outside.

Lastly mentioned part outside of the house, horbour. Now Eveline has to decide whether she is active or passive, if she will break the chain or not, all dilemmas have to be solved and it is time to make up her mind. ‘’If she went, tomorrow she would be on the sea with Frank … A bell clanged upon her heart. She felt him seize her hand: ‘’Come!’’ All the seas of the world tumbled about her heart. He was drawing her into them: he would drown her. She gripped with both hands at the iron railing. ‘’Come!’’ No! No! No! It was impossible.‘’ Despite the fact that see is filled with all beauty, it is also unknown and endless and it arouse the feelings of freedom and fear in her. She is feeling like drawning because she does not know what she has to do, and this darkness annoys her. Until this time, she always knows what to do, she is always in her confort zone even if it is boring. No matter how dangerous her house is, she knows it is her house and she does not question it. ‘’She set her white face to him, passive, like a helpless animal.’’ Even if she resists, unfortunately her family member’s behaviours, especially her mother’s and father’s effect on her, and society norms prevails her to be passive just like she has been all of her life.

Throughout the story, we encounter Eveline’s dilemmas. By using metaphors, setting helps us to understand her mood swings, her borderlines, her expectations from life and how it all effects her decision finally. With the powerful setting elements in the story, it gives the insight to Eveline's emotional state and the way character perceives her environment, and finally the purpose of the story, which is never forgetting to be an individual and fighting for it.

Work Cited

• Joyce James, ‘’Eveline’’ , 1904