A Review of EvelineIn James Joyce's 'Dubliners', Eveline is undoubtedly one of the most captivating characters. She was forced to become a housewife after her mother's death. Her father's abusive nature and these new responsibilities leave Eveline struggling to find meaning in her life and to overcome her existential emptiness and fear of change. However, Eveline is unable to overcome her anticipatory anxiety. Instead of deciding, she becomes a victim of her own paralysis and remains completely still and silent as if mentally absent. These events stated above have a major impact on Eveline. One of the major things that affects Eveline is her search for meaning and her paralysis. After her mother's death, she was forced to take on the role of a pseudo-housewife. On her deathbed, her mother asked her to “keep the house together as long as she could.” This promise made by Eveline would keep her clinging to the past and living in her memories. Eveline kept returning to a time when her family life “wasn't so bad” and her mother was still alive. Things were changing so quickly. With her life rapidly changing and little to no hope in sight, she finds comfort and the possibility of escape into Frank's arms. Joyce provides so little information about Frank, however, that the reader cannot make an informed decision about him. He seems like a nice guy, but his job (as his father has made clear), the plays he takes him to, and his general mannerisms show that Frank might be a shady person. Who knows what awaits him when he arrives in Buenos Aires? Eveline's possible meaning through her love for Frank never develops because of her fear of change and the unknown. Joyce tries to show us E...... middle of paper... that if she does not accept change or the unknown, she will be trapped mentally and physically. As a wise man said, nothing ventured, nothing gained. In conclusion, Eveline is a very captivating character. She is a woman trapped in a vicious cycle of abuse and forced into a totalitarian mindset. This abuse makes Eveline a very passive person and creates an existential void. She longs for a simpler time, when her family life was better and her father wasn't doing so badly. She lives in the past through her memories and continues to try to keep a promise made to her mother on her deathbed. Her life has changed so much, but it remains the same. By living in the past and being afraid of change, anticipatory anxiety sets in. She wants to leave but her fears keep her prisoner. She, just like this image and this harmonium, fades and breaks..