Eveline

I distrust all people named Eveline. Perhaps it is because thanks to last Spring's musical, I now pronounce it "Evil-een." I mean, it has evil right smack in the middle of it!

I'll go ahead and tackle question number 2: "What in Eveline's present circumstances makes it desirable for her to escape her home? Characterize her father and Miss Gavan, her supervisor. What does the memory of her mother contribute to her decision to leave?". Eveline's life kind of sucks. First off, there is nothing really good about her situation. The second paragraph essentially says that all of her friends and all of the people she once cared for have all moved on and gone away, leaving her alone at home. The only real redeeming quality that her home has is its familiarity, which is outlined in paragraph 3. Furthermore, her father is a bully and a scoundrel. He is prone to violence, as is evident in Eveline's description. While he never got physically abusive, apparently, he appears to have had an extremely emotionally abusive impact on his daughter to the point that she began having heart palpitations. Miss Gavan, one of the other minor characters, also has a bit of a mean streak, as she always seems to be criticizing Eveline, but most especially so when in front of other people, apparently deriving pleasure from her embarrassment. Eveline herself says that she would not shed a tear over leaving the Stores. So she works hard all day, both at home and at work, for an abusive father who, though not without an occasional nice moment, is gradually crushing her spirit. So why the heck would she stick around? Well, there's that pesky promise to her mother: "her promise to keep the home together as long as she could." That promise ultimately keeps her anchored in Dublin.

So that all makes sense...but what is the point of the organ-grinder in the middle of the touching deathbed scene?

*Stereotypical Italian Music*