Ruskin Bond’s The Eyes Have It Important Questions Answers
The Eyes Have It Analysis with Descriptive Questions Answers
Here is the summary of the story The Eyes Have It. Here is the detailed study of Ruskin Bond’s short story, “The Eyes Have It”
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Questions Answers of The Eyes Have It
1) “She was completely blind” – Who said it and to whom? Explain the irony as suggested in the quoted line.
Ans: The quoted line is told by a new fellow passenger in the compartment to the narrator.
Ruskin Bond’s short story “The Eyes Have It” is full of irony dealt with the eyesight of two major characters in the story. The blind narrator thought the girl who was his fellow passenger with normal eyesight. But actually she was blind too. The discovery of her blindness comes as an ironical twist at the end of the story. When the girl entered the compartment, the narrator considered her to be with normal eyesight.
So he wanted to conceal his blindness and involved in an ironical game of hide and seek. He even praised the girl’s face and described the beauty of Mussoorie recalling from his memories. But the blind narrator came to know that the girl too was blind only after her departure. It was really irony to hear that the girl had beautiful eyes but of no use. The revelation of the real situation at the end makes the story ironical. The narrator was outwitted in the game of deception. Gradually, the readers could anticipate the ironical twist at the end.
2) “The voice had the sparkle of a mountain stream” – Who thinks so? Whose voice is referred? Why has the voice become so special to the narrator?
Ans: The narrator of the short story “The Eyes Have It” thought so.
The voice of the girl who was the co-passenger of the narrator in the train compartment is referred here.
Being blind the narrator could not assume a very clear idea about the girl’s looks. But his ears were open to hear the sweet voice of the girl. He liked her voice so much that he wanted to sit there almost any length of time just to listen her talking.
The readers may assume that a bond of unspoken love developed between them out of inner compulsions. Her sweet voice touched the narrator so much that he metaphorically compared it to a mountain stream which is as lively and delightful as the voice of the girl.
3) Bring out the significance of the title of Ruskin Bond’s short story “The Eyes Have It”.
Ans: The story ” The Eyes Have It” emphasises upon the vision of two major characters in the story. Though the title seems to relate to eyes but indirectly refers to the loss of the sight of eyes. The situation is presented through the two blind passengers in the compartment of a train. Though both of them are blind, neither of them know that the other is equally blind.
What is more that both the passengers try to conceal their blindness to one another. They behave and talk in such a way as to show that he or she can see normally. Thus the title is indicative that the persons have eyes, though actually they have not. The narrator has also shown that people having eyes often overlook what is right in front of them.
But those without eyes do not lose their sense of perception. So absence of vision is not hindrance to them. Thus the story has shown the blessing of vision from different perspectives and angels. The title of the story is enough suggestive and significant.
4) “Then I made a mistake”- What was the mistake? Why did the speaker consider it mistake?
Ans: The narrator of the short story ” The Eyes Have It” made the mistake.
The narrator made the mistake by asking the girl, his fellow passenger in the compartment what it was like outside the window.
The narrator was completely blind. But he did not want to reveal his blindness to the girl who was his fellow passenger. But neither of them knew that the other was equally blind. So the narrator was playing a game of deception, making pretends of having a good eyesight. In course of conversation, the narrator asked the girl how it looked outside the window.
The narrator at once felt that he had made a mistake and the girl would easily understand that he was blind. The narrator felt that it was a mistake to ask a foolish question like that from a person with normal eyesight. But the next question of the girl removed his doubt and the narrator was convinced that his mistake did not cause any effect on the girl and the secrecy of his blindness was not revealed.
5) “You have an interesting face” – Who said it and to whom? When did the speaker say so? How did the listener react to it?
Ans: The narrator, a nameless passenger in a train compartment said the quoted line to a blind girl who was his fellow passenger in Ruskin Bond’s short story “The Eyes Have It”.
The narrator met a girl who entered the compartment at Rohana was completely blind. The narrator who was also blind at that time wanted to discover about the girl’s look. However, he started conversation with her. In course of conversation, the narrator remarked that she had an interesting face.
The girl accepted the compliment with a pleasant laugh. It was apparent from her gesture that the remark pleased her. She assured that it was nice to be told that she had an interesting face. She further mentioned that she was tired to hear people telling her that she had a pretty face. She also remarked that the narrator was a very gallant young man and wanted to know why he was so serious.
6) “Well, it often happens that people with good eyesight fail to see what is right in front of them.”- Who said this and in what context? What did the narrator opine about the people having eyes and those who do not have eyes?
Ans: The narrator, a nameless traveller in train compartment in Ruskin Bond’s short story “The Eyes Have It ” said this. He said this when he came to know that the girl who boarded his compartment did not notice him.
The narrator thought that the girl possessed normal eyesight. Still she could not see him. But the narrator took it casually and made a general remark that the people having normal eyesight often fail to see what is right in front of them. He wanted to suggest that the people with normal eyesight are busy in seeing many things.
So they fail to concentrate their mind on a particular thing and sometimes overlook the essential things. But on the other hand, the people having no eyesight can not see anything. So they use their inner perception to take in necessary things. Their remaining organs are more active and sensitive that help the blind people to pay importance to essential things that leave long lasting impression on their remaining senses.
7) “She would forget our brief encounter; but it would stay with me for the rest of the journey….”
—What is the brief encounter referred to here? Why does the speaker feel that the encounter will stay with him for long time?
Ans: The narrator was on his way to Mussoorie via Dehra. During his journey the narrator had a pleasant conversation with a girl who boarded the compartment at Rohana. The conversation was short as the girl got down from the train in a short time. This conversation is referred to here as ‘brief encounter’.
The narrator seemed to be fascinated by the sweet voice of the girl in the solitary compartment. So he longed for her company till the rest of his journey. But when he came to know that the girl would get down at Saharanpur, he was disappointed. It is hard to know that if the brief conversation has left any effect on the girl as she was pleased that it was a short journey.
So the narrator thought that the girl would forget the brief encounter as soon as she would get down. But the narrator would ruminate over her presence and enjoy the rest of his journey thinking of her. Infact, her sweet voice would ring in his sensitive mind and give him pleasure. Actually the brief conversation with the girl left a lasting impression in the mind of the narrator.
8) “The man who had entered the compartment broke into my reverie” – Where does the line occur? Whose reverie is mentioned here? What was the reverie about? How did it come to an end?
Ans: The quoted line occurs in Ruskin Bond’s short story ” The Eyes Have It”.
Here the reverie of the blind narrator who was travelling in a train compartment mentioned here.
A reverie means day dream. In the story the blind narrator was day dreaming of having eyesight after the departure of the girl who was in the same compartment with the blind narrator. He was trying to make visualise of the banging of the door of the train, gathering speed of the wheels taking up their song, groaning sound of carriage and activities outside the train.
The narrator was involved in day dreaming staring at daylight which was only darkness to him. It seemed a fun to guess out what was happening outside in the world.
The reverie was broken by a new passenger who got into the compartment at Saharanpur. He apologised to the narrator for not being so attractive as the travelling companion as the girl who had just left at Saharanpur. Thus the reverie of the narrator came to an end with a shock when the narrator came to know that the girl who was travelling with him was also blind as the narrator.
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