Eveline” As a Fairytale

Locus: The Seton Hall Journal of Undergraduate Research Volume 3 Article 10 October 2020 Far, Far, Away… in Ireland: Reading “Eveline” as a Fairytale Anne Pino Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.shu.edu/locus Recommended Citation Pino, Anne (2020) "Far, Far, Away… in Ireland: Reading “Eveline” as a Fairytale," Locus: The Seton Hall Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 3 , Article 10. Available at: https://scholarship.shu.edu/locus/vol3/iss1/10 Pino: Far, Far, Away… in Ireland Far, Far, Away.. in Ireland: Reading “Eveline” as a Fairytale Anne Pino Seton Hall University Abstract princess. The tale of Cinderella ends with leav- ing her abusive past behind, making for a happy This paper gives a fresh new perspective ending presumably filled with comfort and luxury. on James Joyce’s classic short story “Eveline”. Eveline, on the other hand, fails to get her happy “Eveline” is read and analyzed through a fairy- ending. Instead, she is struck by “paralysis” as tale lens and compared to the classic Disney she freezes “like a helpless animal” who lets her princess Cinderella. This comparison provides only chance of escape sail away without her, leav- perspective on gender roles, Irish oppression, and ing her to remain in her brutal and lowly situation the purpose of Eveline’s ultimate paralysis. Gar- (Joyce 41). The paralysis in “Eveline” has become nering support from critics Gary Leonard, Margot a common Joycean theme, as well as epiphany. In Norris, and Maxwell Uphaus, this paper serves to addition to the common Joycean themes, the char- evaluate the importance of symbols and allegory acteristics between the characters of Eveline and in the text. The most important symbols that re- Cinderella are worth nothing. “Eveline” and Dis- late “Eveline” to a dejected Irish princess are the ney’s Cinderella take place in different historical lack of parental support, dust, and prince charm- time frames, but both characters have commonly ing meant to rescue the main character. This pa- been subject to many criticisms and have made per also covers why the comparison to Disney’s significant impacts on literature and culture. Cinderella specifically and how this short story translates to represent Irish oppression and col- Many critics, such as Gary Leonard, Margot onization under British Imperialism. Norris, and Maxwell Uphaus, have contributed to “Eveline”’s analysis. Gary Leonard’s “Wondering In the Dubliners story, “Eveline”, James Joyce Where All the Dust Comes from: ‘Jouissance’ in creates Eveline as Ireland’s dejected princess ‘Eveline,”’ examines the specific role of dust that through symbols and archetypes associated with binds Eveline to her household duties, connects fairytales. Eveline is similar to a romanticized her to her family, and symbolizes her repressed Disney princess but dramatically differs as Joyce “jouissance” or sexuality (Leonard 26). Widely deprives Eveline of a typical fairytale happy end- known critic Margot Norris, in her article “The ing. In this paper, I will compare Eveline to Dis- Perils of ‘Eveline,”’ comments on Joyce’s ability ney princess Cinderella, whose father dies when to encourage “the reader to participate emotion- she is young and forced to live at the mercy of ally in Eveline’s dilemma in making an agoniz- her cruel step-mother and wicked step-sisters. I ing and difficult life decision” through Eveline’s will also extrapolate the significance of comparing re-examination of her life, but ultimately realizes Joyce’s Eveline to Disney’s version of Cinderella that either “outcome risks disaster for her what- as opposed to other versions of the rags to riches ever or however she chooses” (Norris 56). Finally, Published by eRepository @ Seton Hall, 2020 1 Locus: The Seton Hall Journal of Undergraduate Research, Vol. 3, Iss. 1 [2020], Art. 10 Maxwell Uphaus’s “An ‘Unworkable Compound’: a helpless animal. Her eyes gave him no sign of Ireland and Empire in ‘Eveline”’ also uses vari- love or farewell or recognition” (Joyce 41). Eve- ous symbols, such as dust and water, as metaphors line extends beyond the typical desirable princess for the power structures that affect Eveline’s de- attributes, such as beauty and kindness. Instead cision and allusion to Ireland’s national dilemma. she highlights lesser desirable traits, such as re- Joyce’s symbolism and archetypes suggest “Eve- strictions and oppression, to convey a realistic but line” is a twisted Dublin fairytale that ends in disheartening young woman. paralysis to display the resignation and oppression Eveline also displays the qualifications of a lit- of the Irish people. Through specific examples and erary princess in her show of kindness, even when symbolism, Joyce’s Eveline serves as a compara- she herself is in an abusive situation. Joyce makes ble princess archetype to represent Irish oppres- Eveline’s warmth apparent in the mentioning of a sion, the burden of femininity, and the responsi- childhood memory. As Eveline succumbs to the bility of constantly making the correct choice. nostalgia of “little Keogh the cripple, she, and her The mass appeal of a princess in folkloric sto- brothers and sisters” playing in the fields as chil- ries lies in her ability to be the champion of the dren, Joyce tactically displays Eveline’s empathy young, the poor, and the weak. Typically a pro- towards those of disability where there would nor- tagonist, the princess is a character that readers ac- mally be contempt, similar to the kindness Cin- tively root for and support. For the long-suffering derella shows to her rodent companions (Joyce Irish, Joyce invents Eveline as the long-suffering 36). Not only did Eveline and the other children princess. Suffering is only one aspect, although include Keogh the cripple, as named in the story, not always necessary to be considered a literary but they gave him a role as the lookout. Eveline’s princess, that Joyce associates with Eveline. Shan- exemplary capacity for thoughtfulness is also dis- non Dahmes Puechner, in her article “”But He played in her responsibility “to see that the two Was Your Prince Charming!”: Accounting for the young children who had been left to her charge End of ”Ever After” with a Divorce Fairytale,” went to school regularly and got their meals regu- examines how the princess criteria set by Disney larly” (Joyce 38). Norris asserts that Eveline takes may help to understand the characteristics of, at on the role of “surrogate mother”, a role only a least in Eveline’s case, a more realistic version of few truly special women can take, in “an attempt a princess. According to Puechner, the qualifica- to sift and evaluate her alternatives through a se- tions for a princess are her virtue and passivity ries of memories, fantasies, images, echoes, and (Puechner 166). She draws a particular focus on fictions” (Norris 57). As Eveline acts as “surro- the first three Disney princesses, including Cin- gate mother”, to not one, but two sets of children, derella. Most striking and most related to Eve- she embodies the model of femininity, as there is line is that Puechner claims, “it is not enough for nothing so exclusively feminine than motherhood the princess to be ‘good’; she must also be a vic- (Norris 57). When reminiscing about her time tim – a passive, helpless victim at that” (Puech- with children, Eveline “did not find it a wholly un- ner 166-167). Passivity and helplessness are qual- desirable life” displaying the compassionate per- ities seen in Joyce’s main character Eveline. She sonality that separates her from any other woman has a paralyzing moment of truth at the end of the in the story, similar to the lack of kind women story, as she remains motionless as the boat be- in Cinderella, thus making Eveline a princess in gan to depart. Eveline’s peripeteia, or reversal, her own right (Joyce 38). Puechner also agrees takes place as she leaves her lover to board with- with the limited roles women can take in classical out her. Joyce even writes in the last lines of the fairytales. Eveline must be a princess since Puech- story, “she set her white face to him, passive, like ner highlights that the only other options for fe- https://scholarship.shu.edu/locus/vol3/iss1/10 2 Pino: Far, Far, Away… in Ireland male characters in folkloric stories are evil queen, her and say what he would do to her only for her witch, or dead. The evil queen presents herself in dead mother’s sake. And now she had nobody to the story as a watered-down Miss Gavan. Miss protect her” (Joyce 37). Suddenly, her role be- Gavan, representing abuse from another female comes the mother. Included in this new role is the figure, is cruel and unmarried, the ultimate pun- abuse and responsibility that follows. ishment for a beautiful young woman during the Eveline, like Cinderella, attempts to connect time of “Eveline”. While there is no active magic with her deceased mother. With the second inhala- or witch, the dust serves as a magical element that tion of the “dusty cretonne”, Eveline remembers brings Eveline fond memories and recollections of the promise she made to her dead mother to “keep her past. The dust’s significance relates to her du- the home together as long as she could” (Joyce ties, femininity, and sexuality, which will be elab- 39). By recalling her mother through the dust, orated later in the paper. Death is also a subtle Eveline is attempting to “resurrect and strengthen” theme in the story that is ironically very common the relationship she had with her protective mother in fairytales. The death of her mother and her “during this frightening lull in her life” (Leonard brother has significant impacts on Eveline.

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