Eveline Group

Question:

josephlewis
josephlewis
Student
Graduate School

What is the significance of the nameless priest whose photo hangs on the wall?

James Joyce's Dubliners.  The story is "Eveline."

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Posted by josephlewis on Sunday August 16, 2009 at 9:47 AM and tagged with " character analysis, "eveline, james joyce, nameless priest's photo, symbolism.

Answers:

  1. mwestwood
    mwestwood Teacher
    Community / Jr. College

    eNotes Editor

    Early in James Joyce's short story "Eveline," the weary protagonist looks around the room,

    reviewing all its familiar objects which she had dusted once a week for so many years,.... from which we had never dreamed of being divided.  And yet during all those years she had never found out the name of the priest who yellowing photograph hung on the wall above the broken harmonium...

    Like much of Eveline's life, the photograph of the nameless priest is just there, without meaning.  Here her plight as an Irish woman is portrayed by Joyce:  trapped into a meaningless life, Eveline turns over her paycheck and is subjugated to her father, who is also abusive.  The priest was, at one time, a friend of her father's, but he has now gone to Australia and is never mentioned.  Only a "casual word" is given by the father when he "showed the photograph to a visitor."

    The photograph of the priest which is near the "coloured print of the promises made to Blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque," also hints at the Catholic obligations that Eveline may feel.  Certainly, she contemplates the promise that she has made to her mother to keep the family together after the mother dies, and she cannot help being reminded of the commandment of "Honor thy father and thy mother" with both the religious print and the photo of the priest hovering over her. In fact, Eveline's subservience is suggested in the next paragraph as she thinks of her boss, Miss Gavan, who would be glad if she left:

    She had always had an edge on her, especially whenever there were people listening.

    The plot of Joyce's story is developed through the inner reality of Eveline, whose name means "little Eve."  As Eveline has misgivings about leaving her home to join Frank and travel to Argentina, she must wonder if she, too, will become a yellowing photograph that her father will point to with a "casual word," saying, "She went to Buenos Aires."

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/eveline/summary

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    Posted by mwestwood on Monday August 17, 2009 at 9:54 PM