Eveline’s Sorrow In the short story, Eveline by James Joyce, Eveline is shown in the beginning of the story sitting by the window and recalling her childhood memories. Although she has some fond memories of her past, she also has some dark memories. The topic of these dark memories sets up the mood of this story. Although the story is about love, the dark and depressing mood of the story gives it a very ominous tone making it a sorrowful story. Eveline is described as sitting next to the window, recalling her childhood memories. She describes the children that played on the street in front of her house. “Years ago, the children on the avenue used to play on a field where now stand many houses.” This quote explains Eveline’s fear of change. Her fear is made clear when a sailor named Frank asks her to come to Buenos Ayres with him. Although Frank loves her and treats her nicely, she is too afraid to leave with him. During one of Eveline’s memories, she describes her mother and how she died. “She remembered the last night of her mother’s illness.” After her mother died, her brother, Ernest, also passed away soon after. This left her alone with no one to protect her from her abusive father. With both her mother and brother gone, Eveline was left to take care of the house and her father plus her two younger siblings. She works and cares for the house, using all of her money for the family. When Frank invites Eveline to move away with him, many of her memories resurface, including the promise she made to her mother to take care of the house and family. The entire story is built
