The Loss Of Courage In James Joyce's Eveline

In James Joyce’s short story “Eveline,” the title character loses her mother when she was young; as a result, she promises her mother that she will keep house for her brothers and her father, no matter how difficult it becomes. Her mother’s death is the turning point for her father, leading him to become more harsh and violent than when she still lived. After this transformation, Eveline’s brothers leave her to live alone with her abusive father, wilting underneath his violence and anger, but she faces him and does not cower or leave. These events emphasize her lack of courage to leave, but Eveline also exhibits courage in staying with her father, since it does require bravery to decide to stay for the good of someone else. An early example of courage is Eveline’s memory of her mother’s last days, a trial underneath which most would crumble. Since her mother becomes ill when Eveline was young, the last memories she has of the woman are ones where her mother falls prey to dementia, chanting without end, “Derevaun Seraun! Derevaun Seraun!” The phrase, meaning, “the end of pleasure is pain,” haunts Eveline’s life from the moment she hears them until the last glimpse of her leaving Frank before they can run away together. As her mother’s death is a traumatic event for Eveline, the chant lingers in her brain and subconsciously influences …show more content…
She shies away from any possible happiness because her mother has warned her of the pain at the end of every pleasure, and Eveline does not want to experience any pain worse than what she has already felt. Even when