In the short story, "Eveline," James Joyce introduces us to the life of a young woman torn between duty and desire, the known and unknown. She has the opportunity to escape with Frank (the man she thinks she loves) to Buenos Aires in search of a new life. It seems obvious to the reader that Eveline should take advantage of this opportunity and escape. Instead, she decides to stay in the dreary and gloomy life she already knows. To understand Eveline's absurd decision to stay, we must analyze the reasons that prevent Eveline from pursuing a better life. Her uncertainty of Frank, the tragic deathbed promise made to her mother, and the relationship she has with her father, all contribute to Eveline's strange and final decision.
             We first meet the title character within her home, a home full of dust and stifling familiarity. As she sits at her window, she notices a man walking home to one of the new red houses. These houses are "...not like their little brown houses but bright brick houses with shining roofs" (Joyce 4). The imagery shown in Eveline's comparison of the two types of houses symbolizes one of the main themes in the story. The little brown houses represent her familiar and dreary life at home, while the shining red houses represent her opportunity to embark on a new journey with Frank.
             Although she describes him as "...very kind, manly, [and] open-hearted" (5), what Eveline knows about Frank is only what he tells her. "He had tales of distant
             countries...He had sailed through the Straights of Magellan and told her stories of the terrible Patagonians" (5). The word "tales" suggests that Eveline might believe these stories are false.
             Because Eveline's father does not like Frank, he prohibits her to see him. " "I know these sailor chaps," he said. One day he had quarreled with Frank and after that she had to meet her lover sec
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