Vying for Ownership: Eveline

A detailed Summary of Vying for Ownership: Eveline

In Women In Joyce, Suzette Henke and Elaine Unkeless note that "Joyce pits men against women in his tales, [and] it can be proved that drastic economic and social pressures actually forced Dubliners into such situations of frustration, deprivation, and hostility" (53.) In Joyce's "Eveline," father and lover are pitted simultaneously against Eveline, vying for ownership of her. Through her thoughts and memories Eveline realizes that she can chose neither Frank nor her father- both merely want to control her. This deprivation of self leads her to freeze in the final moments of her escape; she is stunned with the thought that trading one oppressor for another is not the answer to her problems.

Oppression began for Eveline in childhood. "There used to be a field there in which they used to play" (Joyce, 36.) Even this memory of playing in a field is smothered by control of men. First, "her father used to hunt them down" (36) to end their playtime and, next on a more extreme level, "a man from Belfast bought the field" (36.) These ends to playtime set up Eveline to be controlled by men later in the story.

Joyce notes that Eveline herself "weigh[s] each side of the question" to try to figure out which man to stay with, her fa

Her father states his fear at losing control of his daughter by telling her "I know these sailor chaps" (Joyce, 39.) Soon after this is said her father quarrels with Frank and Eveline is forced to take their affair into secrecy. Eveline is not only pitted against the men in this story, but through her the men are pitted against each, vying for ownership of her. Eveline's vision of her dying mother shocks her into action, scares her into turning away from her familiar master and give herself over to Frank. "He would give her life...she wanted to live" (40.) Eveline reaffirms her statement that "she would not be treated as her mother had been" (37.) Although she feels Frank is the better choice she knows that he too will come to own her and "fold he in his arms" (40) to claim her as his own poppet.

Frank enters the picture seeming to be an escape for Eveline, a break from her oppression. Eveline is "pleasantly confused" when Frank sings to her about the lass that loves a sailor, but rightfully so- the song hinges around a group of sailors toasting to the love of women that they have conquered (Gifford.) Frank also calls Eveline "Poppens," whose root, Webster's states, is poppet. A poppet literally translates to a small doll. So Frank actually does view Eveline as someth

Some common words found in the essay are:
Eveline Joyce, Henke Unkeless', Oppression Eveline, Frank Eveline, Eveline Poppens, Joyce's Eveline, Elaine Unkeless, Gifford Frank, 36 playtime, father lover, vying ownership, oppression eveline, deprivation self, control father,

Approximate Word count = 869
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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