Week one, blog question two

[always_succesful]

The story “Evaline” deepens and complicates the theme of Larkin’s poem by showing the effect of what a parents ideals, morals and duties has on a child. Even as the children become adults. This short story perfectly sums up the line “Man hands on misery to man,” in Larkin’s poem. Evaline, a woman from a small town, shows how parental influence can sometimes dictate the lives of children. When Evaline was still young, she witnessed her mother becoming gravely ill. When the time came for her mother to pass on, Evaline promised to her that she would keep the home together as long as she could. As time passed she realized how horribly unhappy she was due to her father now threatening with physical violence, the responsibility of taking care of the foster children and working at the business. Once she broke out of her rut and began to take action to create a new life, she still had thoughts and strong feelings for her home and father. These thoughts manifested into a physical reality when she ran off the boat and left her lover Frank without as much as glimpse of love or recognition. Evaline, her soul, her being, wanted to leave the small town and create a new and fulfilling life so badly and yet, something stopped her. Evaline and her subconscious mind, with her vast stores of memories of her mother and what she had promised to her stopped her. This one simple event between her and her mother caused her to throw away her lover, self respect and confidence. As Larkin expresses it “They fuck you up, your mum and dad.” For if it were not due to her mother and her father opinions and views, Evaline may have had a rich and fulfilling life.