The Dangers Of Relationships In James Joyce's Eveline

In “Eveline” by James Joyce, the protagonist, Eveline, is faced with a difficult decision. She must choose if she is willing to flee the country with her love, Frank. Eveline and her father’s relationship is complicated. It was not always complicated, but their relationship got more difficult after her mother passed. She had two brothers, Ernest and Harry, and she preferred Ernest over Harry, but Ernest had passed too. All she had was Harry and her father. When her mother was alive, Eveline perceived their family as more pleasant and happier than she, Harry, and her father are (Joyce 1). Eveline’s father became abusive after his wife’s passing. “Even now, though she was over nineteen, she sometimes felt herself in danger of her father’s violence. She knew it was that that had given her the palpitations” (Joyce 2). Her father’s abuse towards her mentally affected her because he would threaten her while no one was there for her. All she heard was negativity toward herself as a person and as a daughter. Eveline worked hard for a limited wage and put all of her money towards their home and her father did not contribute like she did. He would scream at her and tell her that he was not going to give her any money and he would later give her the money. She was the one that kept the house in shape, not her father. She worked, she cleaned, and she was able to get two young kids ready for school, fed them, and got them to school on time. Eveline was having a difficult time