Tuesday 5 August 2014

In the short story "The Eyes Are Not Here," how does the narrator try to find out more about the girl?

"The Eyes Are Not Here" by Ruskin Bond is a short story revolving around the interactions between two strangers on a train in India. The narrator, a young man who is essentially blind, plays a "game" of sorts with each new passenger he meets, in which he tries to interact with them without giving away that he can't see. When the girl arrives in the compartment, he utilizes his other sensory perceptions to discern details...

"The Eyes Are Not Here" by Ruskin Bond is a short story revolving around the interactions between two strangers on a train in India. The narrator, a young man who is essentially blind, plays a "game" of sorts with each new passenger he meets, in which he tries to interact with them without giving away that he can't see. When the girl arrives in the compartment, he utilizes his other sensory perceptions to discern details about her, such as assuming the people with her are her parents due to the anxiety in their voices out of concern for her safety. He can hear the slapping sound of her shoes, indicating that she wears slippers. He smells the roses of her perfume. In talking with her, he is careful to provide leading, but not intrusive responses, such as remarking about how her destination is most enjoyable in October. He continues to make cultivated observations about the train and the landscape outside to both keep up the conversation and maintain his charade. He similarly uses his compliment to her, "You have an interesting face," to learn more about her and how others perceive her, as she responds that she is tired of being told her face is pretty. The narrator, in his quest to know how she wears her hair, later asks the new passenger after the girl leaves, eventually finding out that the girl was also blind.

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