Love Unit- Eveline

Eveline

By: James Joyce

The short story by James Joyce uses multiple literary techniques such as flashback, dialect, metaphor, and hyperbole. Most influential to the work, however, is the use of metaphors and hyperbole as they illustrate the narrator's true feelings as connected with her past and present experiences and circumstances. Additionally, the hyperbole connects the flashbacks, dialect, and metaphors. 

"Everything changes (Page 218)." This hyperbole reflects the narrator's view that with maturing, people change as well as one's own emotions. Yet, in this phrase, the narrator illustrates that the protagonist is overlooking those things that have served as constants in her life: her surroundings and her family. These constants become crucial to the narrator's decision to leave all constants behind for adventure and change or to stay behind where everything would be the same in a hard, yet not fully undesirable life. The phrase, originally meant to exaggerate the differences in the past and present, later can be reflected upon to illustrate the difference between love for a spouse or love for family. Most importantly though, the hyperbole illustrates the central theme of change. Change as something powerful, adventurous, and promising. Change as moving away from the past in focus on the future.