Letter to Eveline

Letter to Eveline

Dear Eveline,

I heard the story of your life and it really troubled me. I cannot understand your decision. Now, please hear me out. We are equal in age and probably have similar dreams of marriage, family and a good life. But we are separated by time and mindset, for as a 21st century American woman, I would not have let my chances for a greater life sail away. Honestly, I find your decision appalling. You had found the love of your life, the one who could save you from your bland life in Dublin and take you to a new exotic place that was sure to be full of adventure, and yet you decided to stay behind and watch him leave. Worse still, you watched him leave without even the slightest expression of care on your face. My heart broke after I read that line. But dear Eveline, my heart did not break for poor Frank; it broke for you. You let your sense of duty and the fear of the unknown paralyze you, stopping you from pursuing happiness.

Marrying Frank was possibly the only chance you had of leaving your life in Dublin behind, and at the beginning of the story, you wanted nothing more. You wanted to escape your life. You felt deserving of a life better than the one your mother had. You deserved a life free from abuse, poverty, and duty to your family. Alas, your sense of duty to your father ripped your dreams apart at the seams. Because you felt your duty encompassed your staying in Dublin and taking care of your family, you are now stuck in Dublin living the same life you wanted to abandon. In America, it is a widely believed concept that we all have the right to fight for what we want. It is one of the beliefs our country was founded upon. As an American I am telling you to go fight for what you want, Eveline.

Go find Frank. I know that in your era duty to your family is important, but you have sacrificed so much for your father and brother. I believe it is now time to do what is best for you, not what is best for the ones you look after. You have been paralyzed by your fear of the unknown, your sense of duty, your mother's last request, and the fear of your father, but trust me when I say it will be all right. Take hold of the American belief and fight to get rid of what paralyzes you! You should not let fear and uncertainty hold you back. I, too, am uncertain of what the future holds, but I know that I can shape the future with the choices that I make. I would have chosen true love over duty. It is now your turn to do the same.