James Joyce wrote Dubliners as a meditation on Dublin, which he described as “the centre of paralysis” (Walzl, Florence L. “Pattern of Paralysis in Joyce's Dubliners: A Study of the Original Framework.” College English, 1961). On the first page of the collection’s opening story subtly introduces this theme to the reader: “Every night as I gazed up at the window I said softly to myself the word paralysis” (7). Each character throughout the 15 stories feels emotionally paralyzed in some way. Many wish to leave Dublin but are ultimately unable to (such as Eveline standing at the docks watching her new life disappear), or simply want to break free from their static state, such as the various working class characters who aspire to a greatness they’re never able to achieve.

“Eveline” reveals a deep thematic interest in the moment when a character finds themself at a crossroads—an opportunity to escape from the inertia and paralysis of their life and pursue a new, propulsive future—but remains unable to break free. In “Eveline,” Joyce presents a girl from difficult, underprivileged circumstances who is offered a clear way out: a paid voyage to a distant land with her new boyfriend, Frank.