She was not only tired but sick: Illness and inertia in James Joyce’s “Eveline”

James Joyce’s short fiction “Eveline” has been widely anthologized in literary readings. Many readers feel curious when reading the final episode of the story, where the eponymous female protagonist determined to stay in Ireland rather than leave with a godsend sailor for a better tomorrow. Most critics propose that Eveline refused to leave due to her great sense of responsibility and her promise to her dying mother. Although these explanations are generally sensible, they do not specify the heart of the matter. Eveline did not leave her hometown mainly because she was sick. Secluded in the stasis and sterilization typical of the Irish society in the early 20th century, Eveline’s hesitation and inertia result from her Stockholm syndrome, a mental problem characteristic of the victim’s abnormal identification with the perpetrator and his/her endeavor to protect the wrong-doer in spite of the suffering during victimization. By reading Joyce’s “Eveline” via the lens of Stockholm syndrome, this paper aims to investigate the female protagonist’s mental illness in relation to her reluctance or inability to leave Ireland. It is expected that this study will help shed new light on the enigmatic paralysis of Eveline in Joyce’s story. Copyright © 2023 Literature and Language Teaching Conference.