Allusion in Eveline

Henkes discussion of the roles played by Eveline and Frank highlights the extent to which literary allusion
is an important dimension of the story. By comparing her to a Dublin Desdemona, Henke suggests that
Evelines predicament can easily be related to conventional images of female passivity where women
acquire a mythic or stereotyped status as the victims of male aggression (with clearly sexual undertones,
since Desdemona is the victim of her husbands extreme jealousy).* Henke regards Frank as a version of
Odysseus and Sir Galahad, the former because of his legendary adventurousness and resourcefulness,
and the latter because of his heroic character and his gallantry. The similarity to Odysseus takes place
when Frank tell him all his adventures while was travelling around the world , he was a sailor and
he enumerated her how boats he was and he told her tales of distant countries. The diversity of
experiences Odysseus had in some way. The allusion to Sir Galahad can be related perfectly
incarnation knightly that this knight has with the pretensions Frank has in order to impress Eveline
giving her surprises like going to the theatre, waiting her when she leaving work, he wants Eveline
go with him on boat to be her wife.
Henke further develops the idea that the protagonists of Eveline contain traces of those in other fictions;
according to her, Eveline repeats a pattern generalized in popular entertainments ( a good example could
be when Frank wants to carry Eveline to the theatre seeing The Bohemian Girl, based on the
greatest play La Bohme, whose plot is about a young girl captured by gypsies who discovers she
was a princess) that were consumed in mass form in the early twentieth century: He took her to see
The Bohemian Girl and she left elated as she sat in an unaccustomed part of the theatre with him.
Eveline, then, would have become, in her life, a distorted version of literary heroines, and her character
would have been shaped by these fictions rhetorical and emotional formulas. S. Henke thinks that
Eveline is like Desdemona (Shakespeares Othello) who fetishizes her beloved this way Eveline
does with Frank thinking of him like a bronze-faced prince and thinks he give her completely
bliss. Otherwise, Henkes alludes to Virgin Marys because she is willing to do what she was told
the same way in which Eveline does it.
There would be at least three more specific ways in which Eveline could be considered to remind readers
of other texts. Firstly, and given what we have learned about the ironic use of the name of Frank, it could be
argued that Evelines name is also used in an allegorical manner, reminding us of the universal condition of
woman; The name of Evelin remember us to Eve (from Adam and Eve). Bible character Eve was the
first woman, this was who originated the sin in the world. Like in this plot we can see the way in
which Eveline is treated could be think that female role is worthless therefore the role of men is
more important. So, we can find an allusion where Eve depending on the rib of Adam thanks to him
Eve was born. The female role is treated like a secondary role, something that just have worth..
Secondly, Eveleen is the protagonist of a ballad by Irish Romantic author Thomas Moore, Eveleens
Bower. Eveleens Bower was written by Thomas Moore(1779-1852). This ballad was published in
1808. Eveleen is a young girl who wants to lose her virginity with Lord of Valley who sings
agreeing the fame what Eveleen has, her virginity compared with soon, night and white snow. The
strong excited relationship between both, she has given her virginity to Lord of the Valley. This
example can give us an annotation that it is not good that a young girl have sex with a older men
chiefly if the girl give her virginity, it is like Eveline with Frank.
Finally, and even more literally, Eveline is the name in the title of a pornographic novel that had been in
circulation since the 1840s Eveline, by James Joyce,,** whose plot revolves around the theme(s) of a
young girl who is immersed in a sexual and full of submission life. Although the Evelins tale does
not change, nothing changes on any part of tale. Evelin is a Dublin Desdemona, she has a conflict
desire. She thinks that is her duty to have submission and be docile. Furthermore, she grow up in
an iniquity atmosphere where role of men was de only important in her life. Moreover she feel a
strong commitment since she did her mother and she fell the need to have the same life that her

mother had. This plot has many euphemisms and imageries which are not good defined but it is
full of meaning. This story has an erotic plot where the main character (Eveline) have sexual
intercourse with her father. Her sexuality is between her father (who is not appointed) and Frank
(her beloved, her bronze-faced princes). This plot are closely related with prostitution, hence his
alleged trip to Buenos Aires. Complex life of a submissive young irish girl.
Arguably the allusion in Eveline is continuous. The main plot is the sexuality life of woman, her
role like duty of women. Her name appeals to important literary and biblical characters such as
Virgin Marys or Eve. Furthermore, Frank give allusion to Odysseus and important knight of
English culture both of them are honest and we can see Franks honesty, but his actions arent it.
She thinks that she is a victim more such as her mother for this reason she speaks with her mind
all time. In Blessed Margaret Mary Alacoque we can see the idea of Eveline grief for being an
orphan and being surmised to her father sexually. For this reason she does not want to name his
father. Patriarchal authority made her can be free. Eveline is the cannon a young girl who loses her
virginity and is threatened like a sexual object, her role of woman must be submissive and docile to
the wishes primarily to those of his father, the role of woman subservient, the beginning of sexual
experiences. She is pressured by everything around her.
* The text strongly suggests a relation involving physical and sexual abuse by Evelines father it said
Even now, though she was over nineteen, she sometimes felt herself in danger of her fathers
violence it does she is scared. who is also presented in terms of jealous rivalry against Frank. Of
course, her father had found out the affair and had forbidden her to have anything to say to him.
Because he feel she barely is not his possession.

** The ironic connection between Eveline and erotic literature could also be justified if we remember the
protagonists family name. The name Hill of family give allusion to Fanny Hill Memoirs of a Woman of
Pleasure, by John Cleland, published in 1748. Where Fanny also is a young girl who loses her
virginity, this story contains an important hidden erotic and sexual meaning . Fanny wrote letters
where she talks about her life and it could be consider like a biographic. Fanny like Eveline have a
strong connection between her lifestyle because both of them are submissive sexuality.
By: Snchez Silva, Cristina.

Henkes discussion of the roles played by Eveline and Frank highlights the extent to which literary allusion
is an important dimension of the story. By comparing her to a Dublin Desdemona, Henke suggests that
Evelines predicament can easily be related to conventional images of female passivity where women
acquire a mythic or stereotyped status as the victims of male aggression (with clearly sexual undertones,
since Desdemona is the victim of her husbands extreme jealousy).* Henke regards Frank as a version of
Odysseus and Sir Galahad, the former because of his legendary adventurousness and resourcefulness,
and the latter because of his heroic character and his gallantry. Galahads gallantry comes from his
actions, as he tries to impress her by going to the theatre, showing off or by visiting her: Then
they had come to know each other. [] and see her home. The similarity to Odysseus is drawn
from him telling her his story when he started as a sailor and the many adventures he has lived.
He had tales of distant countries. He had started as a deck boy at a pound a month on a ship of
the Allan Line going out to Canada. [] and he told her stories of the terrible Patagonians.

Henke further develops the idea that the protagonists of Eveline contain traces of those in other fictions;
according to her, Eveline repeats a pattern generalized in popular entertainments (an example of this
is The Bohemian Girl, the operetta to which Frank takes Eveline, which is based on the bigger
play La Bohme, telling the story of girl captured by gypsies who discovers she was a princess)
that were consumed in mass form in the early twentieth century: He took her to see The Bohemian Girl
and she felt elated. Eveline, then, would have become, in her life, a distorted version of literary
heroines, and her character would have been shaped by these fictions rhetorical and emotional
formulas. In the opinion of S. Henke, the main references to Eveline are Desdemona, from
Shakespeares Othello, which idealises his husband as a hero, as Eveline does with Frank, and the
Virgin Mary. This last comparison is established by her obedience to the family without any type of
condition, exactly like the Virgin did in the Annunciation.
There would be at least three more specific ways in which Eveline could be considered to remind readers
of other texts. Firstly, and given what we have learned about the ironic use of the name of Frank, it could be
argued that Evelines name is also used in an allegorical manner, reminding us of the universal condition of
woman; the first part of the name reminds us of Eve, the biblical first woman. They share the
female weakness which produces, in the case of Eve, the called original sin. Secondly, Eveleen
is the protagonist of a ballad by Irish Romantic author Thomas Moore, Eveleens Bower.This poem was
published in 1808. On this, the protagonist is Eveleen, who appears to lose her virginity with the
Lord of the Valley. There is a strong connection between the virginity of her with the snow and
the moon, which are covered metaphorically meaning the loss of virginity. A Selection of Irish
Melodies is the work in which this piece is contained.
Finally, and even more literally, Eveline is the name in the title of a pornographic novel that had been in
circulation since the 1840s, Eveline, by James Jennings,** whose plot revolves around the themes of a
girl immersed in sexual initiation which even involves episodes of incest. The complexity of
Eveline is not based on words or the plot, but in the many, subtle and hidden messages that it
transmits. Since the title, revealing the name of the protagonist, the journey into double meaning
and metaphor starts. This text can be seen as coin, with two faces that do not need to have
anything in common. The upper part is an armour to protect the text, in which it tells us a story that
may satisfy or not the needs of the reader. However, the lower part, the subjacent part, involves the
requirement of a sufficient knowledge to understand a series of connotations that come mainly
from other works. So, the name of Eveline draws a strong relationship with lost virginity, with
sexual initiation and incest. The family name, Hill, also unveils this sexuality beneath this peculiar
character. Allusions or allegoric ways of creating characters (as an example of this we can
take Pilgrims Progress, by John Bunyan) are an aspect which makes the content of the text much
richer and entertaining. Also, the irony through the lines of Eveline, as it is woven with the
allegory and intertextuality, plays a special role to give a characteristic sign to the text.
The allusion is one of the aspects that catch a strong attention upon the text of Eveline, as it can
be found in many parts of it. First of all the similarity between Frank and two heroic characters
from both English and Classical Greek literature remarks an important part. This gives the
character of Frank a new deeper dimension. Also the literary influence on the characters is
developed on the case of Eveline, when The Bohemian Girl operetta takes part. Furthermore, not
only Frank but also Eveline can be compared to other figures, such as Desdemona, from
Shakespeares work Othello or even the Virgin Mary. However, the strongest technique seen in
terms of allusion is the intertextuality, as it gives a subtle ironic sexuality behind the inability to
move of Eveline. On this part is where the name of Eveline takes a special role, as the tradition of
characters with this name has revealed a high connection between her and the sexuality, and the
sexual initiation. The final highlight is her family name, Hill, which gives the final detail of how
related she is to the erotic world.
Notes

* The text strongly suggests a relation involving physical and sexual abuse by Evelines father: Even now,
though she was over nineteen, she sometimes felt herself in danger of her fathers violence, who
is also presented in terms of jealous rivalry against Frank: Of course, her father had found out the
affair and had forbidden her to have anything to say to him.
** The ironic connection between Eveline and erotic literature could also be justified if we remember the
protagonists family name. Hill, the family name, reminds us of Fanny Hill: Memoirs of a Woman of
Pleasure, by John Cleland, published in 1748. This text, through the letters of Fanny, forms an
autobiography of her life, with a strong pornographic content. Then the message that this name
gives is significant according to her family and herself. The hidden sexual and erotic meaning
arises evidently.