Revisions and outline

James Joyce utilizes tone to highlight the nature of Eveline’s thoughts and how those thoughts come to be. He does this in his short story, “Eveline” by using his matter-of-fact tone to depict her life previous to what is happening in the story to show why Eveline never knows what to do with her decisions. This tone evolves as the story progresses to coincide with Eveline’s internal struggle with keeping the life she has or starting anew with her boyfriend. He ultimately uses his different tones in the work to make an example of Eveline’s life. By doing this he makes obvious his point that in order to live as an individual people need to make their own decisions, especially those that are life changing.

I. James joyce uses an extremely nonchalant tone in the beginning of the text in order to make obvious the everyday boredom and sadness that is Eveline’s life during and before the story takes place. This in turn makes the reader feel bad for Eveline and it shows the reader how Eveline may react to certain situations.

a. “Still they seemed to be rather happy then. Her father was not so bad then; and besides, her mother was still alive. That was a long time ago; she and her brothers and sisters were all grown up; her mother was dead. Tizzie Dunn was dead, too, and the Walters had gone back to England.”

-the way that it is narrated so passively shows that she will not take action in events in her life until necessary

II. As Eveline’s life takes a major turn, breaking her routinely boring day with a boyfriend, Joyce’s tone also takes a turn, becoming a little more cheerful in order to illustrate Eveline’s feelings, or what she thinks her feelings are, and later becomes frantic as the story comes to a close.

a. find quote from first paragraph on pg 22

b. “All of the seas tumbled in her heart. He was drawing her into them; he would drown her. She gripped with both hands at the iron railing… No! No! No! It was impossible. Her hands clutched the iron in frenzy. Amid the seas she sent a cry of anguish!”

III. Throughout the entire work, the author uses different tones to highlight Eveline’s thoughts and feelings and to make an example of Eveline. He wants to make his point obvious that in order to live as an individual people need to make their own decisions, especially those that are life changing.

a. find quote that proves point