Evelines And Ednas Worries About Better Future English Literature Essay
This essay focuses on motive of a life alteration at the short narratives Eveline by James Joyce and Something Childish But Very Natural by Katherine Mansfield. Both the chief female characters of the narratives, Eveline and Edna, have the chance to alter their current lives they are non satisfied with, but at the terminal of the short narratives they decide non to.
At the first short narrative, we meet Eveline. She is 19 old ages old and she is believing about her current life. Her life seems to be empty and suffering. She takes attention about her household, which is sometimes really boring for her. She does non like her occupation at the Stores, her superior Miss Gavan degrades her in forepart of other people. She gives all the money she earns to her household. She is besides afraid of his male parent, who is acting violently and treats her really severely. Similarly, the chief female character of the 2nd short narrative, Edna, is non satisfied with her life either, even though she is merely 16 old ages old. She is at the college, preparation to be a secretary, but she does non look to be happy about that. She makes it clear that she hates her life from the beginning of the narrative. Edna references her bad life at the first conversation with her hereafter spouse Henry. While Henry is speaking about how beautiful thing life is, she answers: “ I do n’t believe so. But so I ‘ve been a determinist for a long clip now, months. ” ( Mansfield 611 ) . This shows that she feels sad about her life. Edna besides compares herself to her female parent who is non happy about her life either.
Both characters have a opportunity to alter their life, though. Eveline has met Frank and they have become lovers. Frank is really sort to her and she feels good when she is with him. He offers her new place at Buenos Ayres, where they could populate together. It would be the best alteration of her life. She likes the thought of new place, where cipher would cognize her and people would handle her better there than at her current place. Equally good as Eveline, Edna has found new love, excessively. She has met Henry and they have fallen in love with each other. Henry loves her from the first minute he has seen her on the train. She is passing most of the clip with him. They are happy and they imagine populating together at new place. They discover an old abandoned house and Henry wants they could populate at that place but it is non possible because they do non hold adequate money. Some clip subsequently, when they are holding tea at Henry ‘s favourite bungalow, the adult female who serves them offers them her bungalow which is for sale. Henry knows that this is an chance for them. He offers Edna to populate with him at the bungalow. It would be a great alteration for both of them.
Even though both characters have the chance which can alter their modern-day lives, at the terminal of the short narratives they are non able to make it. Eveline decides at the last minute non to travel with Frank on the boat to Buenos Ayres. The chief ground why she does non travel with her lover is the promise that she gave her female parent when she was deceasing. She promised her that she will maintain the place together. When Eveline is believing about go forthing her place, she besides realizes that her male parent could be really nice sometimes and he will lose her ( Joyce 24 ) . The reader can see Eveline ‘s concerns from the really beginning of the narrative, when she is looking out of the window and chew overing on go forthing her place ( Luft 50 ) . Besides Edna is at the same state of affairs. Henry is waiting for her at the bungalow but Edna does non come. But her grounds were likely different in comparing with the Eveline ‘s. She is non afraid of go forthing of her modern-day life, but she worries about a manner of her new life. Her biggest job is that she is afraid of any physical contact with Henry. Every clip he tries to touch her, she pushes him aside. She explains him that if she let him to touch her or snog her, she would non experience like a kid any longer. Henry comprehends it, but he seems to be sort of defeated. Even though she grows up during the narrative and seems to be ready to physical contact with Henry ( Dowling 45 ) , she does non come to his bungalow at the terminal of the narrative. The grounds why she did non come are non truly obvious, but the reader can think that it was this facet that frightened her.
The female characters of the short narratives, Eveline and Edna, have both a opportunity to do their lives better. They found the true love and are ready to go forth their current lives, but when they eventually stands in a forepart of their alteration, they change their heads and back off. It is clear that if they did travel to populate with their lovers, their state of affairs would be better and they will be happier, but the grounds for their attitude are apprehensible. For Eveline is non easy to go forth her male parent who would lose her and she does non desire to interrupt the promise she gave her female parent. Edna ‘s state of affairs is hard, excessively. She loves Henry but she is afraid of any physical contact with him. In malice of the fact that go forthing would be their best pick, the readers can understand their determination.
