Eveline Group

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acahoon
acahoon
Student
College - Junior

How does Eveline tell Frank that she can't run away to Buenos Ayres with him in "Eveline"?

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Posted by acahoon on Saturday November 29, 2008 at 3:46 PM and tagged with characters, eveline, frank, summary, themes.

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  1. dymatsuoka

    eNotes Editor

    Eveline never speaks a word to tell Frank that she can't run away to Buenos Ayres with him; it is her actions, or rather, her complete inertia, that communicates this fact to him. 

    In the last scene of the story, Eveline is standing with Frank at the dock, in "the swaying crowd", waiting to board the boat that will take them across the sea.  Their passage has been booked, but when the boat's bell clangs and Frank seizes her hand, she draws back, snatching her hand away and gripping the iron railing with both hands "in frenzy".  He calls to her to come, but she cannot respond, and when they are shouted at to board, Frank rushes beyond the barrier that is closing to them and calls to her to follow.  Eveline can only "set her white face to him, passive, like a helpless animal".  She cannot follow him, and "her eyes )give) him no sign of love or farewell or recognition".

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

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    Posted by dymatsuoka on Saturday November 29, 2008 at 4:16 PM