The Beliver
... Frank, the tragic deathbed promise made to her mother, and the relationship she has with her father, all contribute to Eveline’s strange and final decision. We first meet the title character within her home, a home full of dust and stifling familiarity. As she sits at her window, she notices a man walking home to one of the new red houses. These houses are “…not like their little brown houses but bright brick houses with shining roofs” (Joyce 4). The imagery shown in Eveline’s comparison of the two types of houses symbolizes one of the main themes in the story. The little brown houses represent her familiar and dreary life at home, while the shining. I think that Eveline's father had so much mental control over her that she did'nt get on the boat with Frank. She probably started to walk up the stairs with Frank and when she got to the last one, she let go of his hands and started to walk backwards down the stairs. She pictured her father's face and saw the disappointed look in his eyes and decided that she couldn't leave him. Even if she wanted to, she promised her mom that she would always take care of the family and now that her mom is dead she cou...