Student Question

What are key aspects of syntax and diction in "Eveline," and how do they relate to the mood, themes, and the final epiphany?

Quick answer:

The syntax and diction of James Joyce's "Eveline" reflects the story's introspective turn. It utilizes a stream-of-consciousness style as it meanders along, following along with its protagonist's own internal narration. Joyce's use of grammatical structure reflects the abrupt changes of tangents that shape her internal narration. At the same time, as early as in the story's opening paragraph, his use of language helps to establish Eveline's passivity in her own life.

Expert Answers

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I think Joyce's opening paragraph is one of the most interesting pieces of writing that you will find in "Eveline," and it does a powerful job at setting up Eveline's characterization within the story that follows. Look very carefully at the grammatical structure here:

She sat at the window watching the evening invade the avenue. Her head was leaned against the window curtains and in her nostrils was the odour of dusty cretonne. She was tired.

I would suggest that the critical sentence in this paragraph is actually the second one. Grammatically, note how unconventional this sentence is, given how it relies on the use of passive voice. (This is usually discouraged among professional writers in the English language, where active voice is almost universally preferred.) Rendered in active voice, this same sentence would read something like follows: "she leaned her head against the window curtains and smelled the odour of dusty cretonne" or "her head leaned against the window curtains," but note that Joyce doesn't do this.

Quite on the contrary, in this case he departs from standard literary convention. I would suggest this is actually very purposeful on his part, given that Eveline herself is such a passive character, as we can see reflected in the image this sentence presents. She is not actively doing anything: she is being a passive observer, and the grammatical structure reflects this.

Beyond this, the other thing that I would note is this story's use of stream of consciousness. It meanders, following its protagonist's own internal narration. Consider the following transition, as her internal narration is abruptly jarred and she jumps to an entirely new tangent:

Tizzie Dunn was dead, too, and the Waters had gone back to England. Everything changes. Now she was going to go away like the others, to leave her home.

Home! She looked round the room, reviewing all its familiar objects which she had dusted once a week for so many years, wondering where on earth all the dust came from.

Note the jump between paragraphs and Joyce's repetition of the word "home." Furthermore, note also just how abrupt this transition is. Reading these two paragraphs together, you can almost feel a sense by which Eveline has been jarred by the idea of home, especially given Joyce's use of a one-word sentence fragment accompanied by an exclamation mark. What we see here is an abrupt leap from one tangent to another, and the writing reflects the nature and abruptness of that shift, one which has been entirely created by the idea of "home."

"Eveline" is a deeply introspective story, and, when reading it, you should try to be aware of the ways in which Joyce's use of language corresponds with that introspective tone.

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