CLASS XII: THE EYES HAVE IT

THE EYES HAVE IT

By Ruskin Bond

1. Who entered the compartment at Rohana? What made the narrator feel that the people who had come to see her off were her parents? Why were they anxious about her comfort?

Ans. A girl entered the compartment at Rohana.

        People, who had come to see the girl off, seemed anxious for her safety and comfort. The woman was cautioning the girl against peeping outside the window or talking to strangers. Their anxiety and concern made the narrator feel that they must be the girl’s parents.

      They were anxious about the comfort of the girl because the girl was set to travel alone in the train. Moreover, the girl was blind which made her parents all the more anxious.

2. What must the narrator have felt when the girl boarded his compartment at Rohana?

Ans. The narrator must have been feeling very bored since he was all alone in the compartment up to Rohana. Therefore, he must have felt quite happy to learn that someone else was boarding his compartment. The prospect of getting a fellow passenger must have cheered him up. That this newcomer was a girl must have made him happier still.

3. “Yes, this is the best time.” – Who commented it? Which is ‘the best time’ referred to here? Narrate the specification of ‘the best time’.

Ans. The narrator of the story “The Eyes Have It” commented it.

        The month of October is ‘the best time’, referred to here.

        October is the best time to visit Mussoorie for many reasons. The narrator feels that October is the best time in the hills because by October most of the tourists have gone and the roads are very quiet. The hills are covered with wild Dahlias. The sun is warm and cosy and at night, one can sit by the fire sipping brandy. It is quiet and very beautiful all around. So the month of October is exquisite to eyes as well as enjoyable for the serenity of the place.

4. What distinction is the girl making between interesting and pretty?

Ans. The word “pretty” refers only to the things found physically attractive. The word “interesting” is much different because an interesting thing rouses intellectual curiosity. An ‘interesting’ thing appeals to the mind while a pretty thing appeals only to the eyes.

5. “... but it was a safe remark.” Which remark is referred to here? How was it a “safe remark” ?

Ans. The narrator had complimented the girl by telling her that she had an ‘interesting’ face. It was a safe remark because it could not create any misunderstanding or suspicion in the girl’s mind about the narrator’s intentions. It was a subtle sort of flattery which pleased and flattered the ego of the girl without the fear of any misunderstanding.

6. “........... but the thought of laughter only made me feel troubled and lonely.’’ Why ?

Ans. The narrator had found the company of the girl very interesting. But, he could enjoy her company only for a short while. The train was approaching Saharanpur and the girl would get off the train at Saharanpur. Once more, the narrator feared, he would be left lonely and alone. The thought made him melancholic. Therefore, he could not laugh.

7. “........... her voice had the sparkle of a mountain stream.” Explain the comparison.

Ans. The water of a mountain stream gleams, shines and shimmers brilliantly. Similarly the voice of the girl was full of radiance and vitality. It had a refreshing and exhilarating effect.

8. “I wanted to raise my hand and touch her hair”. Why did the narrator want to do this ? Mention at least two reasons.

Ans. The narrator had been curious to know about the girl’s hair. He wished to know whether she tied her hair in a bun or kept them plaited, whether her hair was long or she had cut them short. When the girl was ready to get off at Saharanpur station, the narrator wanted to extend his hand and feel her hair to satisfy his curiosity.

9. How are blind people different from people with eyesight? Why does the narrator feel that people with good eye sight fail to see what is right in front of them?

Ans:- The author remarks that while people with eyesight often fail to see the really beautiful and essential things, blind people take in only the essentials, whatever registers tellingly on their remaining senses.

As the narrator was blind for a good portion of his life, he had learnt wonderful lessons about blindness. He often noticed that people with sight are worse than those without sight. Although they are able to see, sighted people often fail to see things that they should really see. In the modern, fast and furious world, people see only that benefits them materially but fail to see things that give them endless happiness. This speech of the narrator is very ironical and realistic.

10. Is the title ‘The Eyes Have It’ appropriate? Give reasons for your answer.

Ans. The title is appropriate because it brings out the true worth of the gift of sight. It summarizes the entire plot. Through the predicament of the blind narrator and the girl, the author wishes to convey that it is only the eyes that have the power to help us forming an accurate impression of the world around us. Till the end of the story the narrator manages to play successfully his ‘game’ but cannot satisfy a simple curiosity about the girl’s hairstyle.

The girl on her part also managed to deceive the narrator but fails to realise that he was blind too. The new passenger rightly points out the worth of eyes by saying, “ she had beautiful eyes – but they were of no use to her.”

11. “Then I made a mistake.” What was the mistake? Why was it a mistake/ Why did the narrator refer it a mistake?

Ans. The ‘mistake’ was to ask the girl what it was like outside.

       The narrator and the girl were discussing the beauty of Mussoorie in October. The girl remained silence for a moment. Just at that time, he wondered whether the girl was thinking him a romantic fool. So he asked the wrong question to change the topic. He was always cautious about not revealing his blindness to her. He doubted that his wrong question might reveal the fact to the girl. Moreover this was an unusual question on the part of a man with sight. So this was referred to as a ‘mistake’.

12. What leaves the reader spellbound at the end of the story?

Ans.  Both the two main characters in ‘The Eyes Have It” were blind. But we could reveal it until the end of the story. Ruskin Bond kept our pulse high with the narrator’s attempts to escape the chances of his being caught by the girl’s smart questions and remarks. The girl also succeeded in hiding her blindness by giving all the answers to the narrator’s questions properly. Until the end of the story, there was no reason either for the narrator or for the readers to suspect that there was anything wrong with the girl. That is why the end of the story comes as a surprise for the narrator as well as the readers.

13. “You have an interesting face.” – Who said it to whom? When did the speaker say it? How did the listener react to it?

Ans: The narrator of the short story ‘The Eyes Have It”, said it to the blind girl, his fellow passenger.

        The narrator met a girl who entered his compartment at Rohana. He was completely blind. He wanted to discover about her look. However, he started a conversation with her. In course of conversation he remarked that she had an interesting face.                              

        The girl accepted the compliment with a pleasant laugh. She liked the narrator’s remark about her face but she added that she was used to hearing that she had a pretty face.

14. “The voice had the sparkle of mountain stream.” – Who thinks so? Whose voice is referred to here? Why did the voice become so special for the narrator?

Ans: The narrator of the story ‘The Eyes Have It’ thinks so.

        The voice of the girl whom the narrator met during his train journey, is referred to here.

        Being blind, the narrator could not see the girl. He only felt her presence through her voice. He liked her voice very much. It was so sweet that the narrator was prepared to sit there for almost any length of time just to listen to her talking. The narrator felt that her voice was as lively and delightful as the sparkle of the mountain stream.

15. Why did the girl call the narrator, ‘a very gallant young man’?

Ans. The young man had proved himself a very likeable travelling companion. He had been very polite and courteous to the girl. He had also paid her a novel and subtle compliment by calling her face ‘an interesting face’. The girl called the narrator ‘a very gallant young man’ because of the narrator’s chivalrous manners and pleasant remarks.

16. Bring out the use the irony in the story ‘The Eyes have It’.

Ans. Irony is the strange aspect of a situation. It opposes the reality and the appearance. Ruskin Bond’s ‘The Eyes Have It’ is ironical right from the beginning. At the beginning though the girl’s mother advised her to avoid talking to strangers she had a conversation with the narrator. The narrator described Mussoorie and the landscape outside despite his blindness which a sighted person failed to do making it ironical. The narrator was happy not to be revealed of his blindness by the girl but it is ironical that he was also duped by a blind girl. Lastly in an ironical way the story is narrated through the eyes of the blind narrator.