What instructions were given to the girl by her parents before she started her journey? Do you think the narrator started to like the girl from the very beginning? Support your answer with reference to the text.
in the short story, ‘The Eyes Have It’ written by Ruskin Bond, as the train stopped at Rohana a couple came to see a girl off who boarded the narrator’s compartment. They were very anxious about her comfort and safety. The woman gave her detailed instructions as to where to keep her things, when not to lean out of the windows and how to avoid speaking to strangers. Their concern for the girl made the narrator conclude that they were her parents. They bid her goodbye as the train moved out of the station.
The narrator had started to like the girl from the very beginning because of her voice and the sound of her slippers. The narrator was pleased with the clear, ringing laugh of the girl. The fascinated narrator even described the girl’s voice as a voice which has a sparkle of a mountain stream.
….my voice startled her.”- Who is the speaker here? Who is mentioned as “her”? Why was she “startled” by the voice of the speaker? What did she do afterwards?
The speaker of the quote mentioned above is the narrator.
The girl who was accompanying the narrator on the journey is mentioned as “her”. The girl was “startled” by the voice of the narrator as she was unaware of anybody else’s presence in the compartment. The girl gave a little exclamation and said that
she was unaware of anyone else’s presence. As the girl was blind, she could not realise the presence of anyone until she heard the voice.
“I didn’t see you either”, I said. “But I heard you come in.’ Was it not a hint for the girl to understand that the narrator was blind? What did the narrator think before stating this?
What was the destination of the narrator in the story The Eyes Have It’? What description of his destination did he give? How could he give such a description in spite of being blind?
“Oh, how lucky you are.” -Who is the speaker here? Who is “you” referred to? Why is the person spoken to being called “lucky”?
“Yes, October is the best time”- Who is the speaker? On what occasion is the remark made and to whom? Why is October the best time?
“…she thought me a romantic fool”- Who might be thought a romantic fool? When and … why did the speaker doubt so?
“Then I made a mistake”-What ‘mistake’ did the speaker make? Why was it a ‘mistake’? What removed the speaker’s doubts? What did the speaker do then?
“Why don’t you look out of the window?”- Who said these words to whom? Why? Describe the action of the listener.
“Do you see any animals?” -Who asked this and to whom? What was the reply? How could the person give the answer?
“You have an interesting face”- Who said this? To whom was it spoken? When did the speaker make this remark? What was the reaction of the person spoken to?
“Few girls can resist flattery”- How did the narrator try to flatter the girl?
“I’m tired of people telling me I have a pretty face.” Who said this, to whom and when? What did the person speak to reply?
“But the thought of laughter only made me feel troubled and lonely.”- Why did the narrator feel so?
“The voice had the sparkle of a mountain stream”- Who thought so? Whose voice is referred to here? Why was the voice so special?
“She would forget our brief encounter;”—Who said this and about whom? What is the brief encounter referred to here? Why did the speaker think so?
“She was standing very close to me”- Whom does ‘she’ refer to? When and why was she standing very close to the narrator? What was the effect of her proximity to the narrator?
“The man who had entered the compartment broke into my reverie”- Whose reverie is referred to here? What was the reverie about? How was the reverie broken?
“She was an interesting girl.”-Who said this to whom and when? What else did the person say? What reply did he get?
“She was completely blind. Didn’t you notice?” Who said this to whom? When was this said? Explain the irony in the line.