Prophecy in Eveline by James Joyce - Essay Example

Prophecy in EvelineIn “Eveline”, James Joyce articulates the anguish that modernists like Virginia Woolf, Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot among others faced. This anguish was one that also one that was shared by an entire generation of people who felt a paralysis in their lives owing to what was perceived as the loss of meaning in society. The last words that are uttered by Eveline’s mother in the story are evidence to this paralysis and inertia. This can then be considered to be important in understanding and decoding the meaning of language and its uses within the work of Joyce.

The words “Derevaun Seraun! Derevaun Seraun!” (Joyce 25) has been translated in certain cases as "the end of pleasure is pain." This may be a prophetic utterance that signals the inability that Eveline displays in following her decision through to its very end. She is unable to take a strong and firm decision as to whether she wants to leave with Frank or stay on with her family. This inability to take a firm decision is then indicative of the modernist inertia that anticipates a painful end to any enterprise that would provide one with happiness.

Happiness is then looked upon as a manifestation of meaning that would not be possible according to the modernist ethos. This would be an expression of the ultimate fate that befalls Eveline. Happiness for her is only something that lies in the anticipation. Even this is tinged with pain and the completion of pain is what eventually results. This impossibility of happiness is what the author is highlighting through the prophetic nature of the dialogue that Eveline’s mother utters. The nature of the dialogue also then needs to be analyzed and looked into.

The dialogue has been a source of constant bafflement to critics through the ages. The language, which is most probably Irish, is one that Joyce frequently refers to. This is because of the fact that Ireland at this point of time was colonized by England and its language had, as a result, suffered a great deal. Joyce’s articulation is pessimistic in anticipating and conflating the fates of both the language and the protagonist of the story, Eveline. The language and the fact that many would not be able to understand its literal meaning, let alone the connotations of it, also points to the fact that the end the story would not offer an easy resolution.

The resolution then is something that is foretold and in this prophecy of doom, there is a great deal of pessimism that Joyce is trying to articulate. This articulation then becomes one that indicates the modernist predicament- one that recognizes the inadequacy of language but still attempts to convey meaning through it. The story “Eveline” is a part of the collection Dubliners. This is one of the most important stories in the collection. It reflects the modernist concerns with an overarching sense of gloom.

This is present in the prophecy and pervades the world of the story.Works CitedJoyce, James. “Eveline”. Dubliners. London: Wordsworth. Print. 25.