Eveline

"She felt her cheek pale and cold and, out of a maze of distress, she prayed to God to direct her, to show her what was her duty. The boat blew a long mournful whistle into the mist. If she went, tomorrow she would be on the sea with Frank, streaming towards Buenos Aires. Their passage had been booked. Could she still draw back after all he had done for her? Her distress awoke a nausea in her body and she kept moving her lips in silent fervent prayer. A bell clanged upon her heart." p. 221

In this short story, I believe the theme to be not wanting to leave your family and what you love behind. I think this is something that we all go through and it is definitely the main struggle for the character of Eveline. In the beginning of the story, Eveline tells of a time when she was younger when she was having fun and enjoying life. It shows a more innocent time in her life. However, there is a dramatic shift from this carefree, easy life as she entered adulthood. Her mother died and she had a somewhat abusive father who was hardly supportive of the things that she did. In addition to having to support herself and her father, she was also caring for two young children. She worked constantly and was basically scraping money wherever she could. Even though she went through all of these terrible things and hardships, she still did not want to leave. She was supposed to marry Frank, a sailor who made her feel safe. But she never left with him because she felt a sense of comfort in the house and land that she has lived her whole life. She had made a promise to her mother that she would be there to make sure everything is alright. So a part of her wanted to uphold that promise and not give up on the life that she had. She felt a tie to her family and knew in her heart that she could not abandon them.