Paralysis in Eveline (James Joyce)

The notion of “paralysis” means a sudden inability to act or react. This inability, which is at the heart of the news, appears to us on several occasions, as well as on several levels. Indeed, the narrator tells us the story of Eveline, a rather fragile young woman, victim of her father's violence, who meets a young sailor, Frank. The latter decided to leave her dull and routine life for Buenos Aires, but Eveline remained paralysed when she had to get on the boat taking her to Argentina. We will therefore analyse this final paralysis, and then realise that Eveline remains passive and undergoes a form of constant paralysis throughout the extract. We will then conclude by asking ourselves why this global paralysis is occurring.

The first aspect of the notion of paralysis, which appears to us, is, of course, at the end of the story. Eveline is petrified, paralysed when she has to board the boat with Frank who has to take her to Buenos Aires. Indeed, he may call her (“Come!”, repeated twice on line 167 and 171, “Eveline! Evvy! Evvy!” at line 174), take her by the hand, tell her to come, Eveline doesn't move. She remains “[gripped] with both hands at the iron railing.” (line 170). She is so paralysed that she is no longer even able to recognise Frank: “Her eyes gave him no sign of love or farewell or recognition” (lines 177 and 178).

This paralysis, in addition to its purely physical and material aspect with a precise description, is also rendered at the mental level by internal focusing. The narrator, who is omniscient, tells us the thoughts that pass through Eveline's head, especially those relating to the consequences of this departure with Frank as at lines 144-149, with especially : “Frank would save her. He would give her life, perhaps love, too’’ (lines 145-146). Eveline is also in a state of total passivity, as if she were a victim of what was happening before her eyes. The narrator really describes the scene through Eveline's eyes, who is petrified, and doesn't know what to say. This paralysis is truly present from line 150 to line 165. It is also interesting to see that being the passive victim, Eveline, necessarily has a kind of executioner, or in any case, a person acting on her. This is the case with Frank, since the narrator puts him at the heart of the action as in lines 168 and 169 with: “All the seas of the world tumbled about her heart. He was drawing her into them: he would drown her.”. In order to reinforce this effect, the narrator also uses free indirect discourse. For example, on line 172, the words “No! No! No! It was impossible.” could appear to us as an answer to Frank's multiple interpellations.

However, when we read this news, a second aspect appears to us. This one is more spun, and shows us a passive or even paralytic physical state of Eveline.

The very beginning of the story opens on Eveline who is sitting and looking passively through her window. A few paragraphs later, this paralytic effect is reinforced since it is always in the same place: “Her time was running out, but she continued to sit by the window” (line 125-126).

The narrator also uses literary processes as metaphors that reinforce this passivity and paralysis, with, for example, the adjective “tired” in line 4, or Miss Gavan's reply “Look lively, Miss hill, please” in line 50, which shows a certain

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