The Effectiveness of Using the Resource of Language

The Effectiveness of Using the Resource of Language

In the short story entitled ‘Eveline’ from James Joyce’s Dubliners, the character Eveline achieves an awareness that her place is at her current home. Everything about her home is familiar and she is used to her routine. Even though she is faced with the opportunity to leave her current life to get married to someone who would take her away from her hard life to another life abroad, she eventually chooses to stay at her current home in Italy. Joyce uses imagery and personification to show how Eveline reaches her decision to stay in her current situation and to not leave with her companion to start a new life and home abroad.

One language resource that Joyce uses is imagery. Toward’s the end of the story he uses the sense of sound to show how Eveline was in turmoil over whether to stay home or leave home with her companion, Frank. One example of this is when he uses the sound of a street organ playing, that reminds her of a promise that she made to her mother that she would keep the home together as long as she could. Joyce states, “Down far in the avenue she could hear a street organ playing. She knew the air. Strange that is should come that very night to remind her of the promise to her mother, her promise to keep the home together as long as she could.” The sound of the organ playing reminds Eveline of the promise she made to her mother before her mother died. This makes her have second thoughts about leaving.

Joyce also uses personification to show how Eveline reaches her decision to stay home rather than leave with Frank. An example would be when Joyce writes, “The boat blew a long mournful whistle into the mist.” This sentence actually uses both sound imagery and figurative language. The sound of the boat’s horn must have sounded very depressive to Eveline and gave Eveline a sense of sadness and grief over leaving her home. Personification is also used when Joyce states, “A bell clanged upon her heart,” meaning that that her heart was beating loud and fast due Frank grabbing her hand. She was still not sure about leaving and was afraid.

The way Joyce uses the resources of language such as sensory imagery and personification to show how Eveline reaches her decision to stay home is very effective. The reader is able to see and feel the turmoil that Eveline is going through when trying to make a decision on whether or not to go with Frank or stay home. The sound that the organ makes reminds her of a promise that she made to her mother about keeping the home together. This makes her second guess leaving. Also, the personification that Joyce uses helps the reader to feel what Eveline is feeling as she struggles to decide whether to leave or not. The language Joyce uses is very effective in showing how Eveline reached her decision at the end of the story.