Though the narrator was visually impaired yet he was very sensitive Discuss with examples from the text.

In spite of being visually impaired, the narrator was very sensitive. At the very beginning of the story, the narrator could easily make out that the girl’s parents were anxious about her comfort and safety. The sound of her slippers, her voice all were perceived and admired by him. The vivid, romantic description of Mussoorie which he gave, rather emotionally, showed how sensitive he was. He had the ability to recognize the sparkle of a mountain stream in the voice of the girl. Again, when the girl asked him why he was so serious, a sense of despair filled his heart. Realising that the girl would be leaving him very shortly, he felt ‘troubled and lonely’. The charm of the girl captivated the narrator, and his dark world was lighted up for a while. The thought of her departure made him upset, as his world was going to plunge into darkness again. So, being very sensitive he was immersed in wordless sorrow. He just wished the girl to stay there so that he could listen to her talking but at the same time in his mind, he knew that that was not going to happen. The narrator knew that he will be left with no other option but to live with her memory lingering for quite some time.

Does the author help us anticipate the ironical twist in the end during the course of the narrative? If yes, give examples from the text to support your argument.


In Ruskin Bond’s short story ‘The Eyes Have It’, the author drops a few subtle hints in the course of the narrative to prepare us for the unexpected twist that comes in the end. 

After boarding the compartment the girl failed to notice the narrator and was startled by his voice. This was rather strange as he was sitting right in front of her. Secondly, when the narrator gave a beautiful description of Mussoorie during the month of October, she did not say anything about the place although it happened to be her favourite place. Thirdly, when the narrator asked her to describe the scenery outside, she asked him to look at himself. Then she asked him if any animal could be seen. Finally, when she was getting down there was some confusion’ at the doorway and the man who entered stammered an apology. All these were indications of the girl’s blindness.

The narrator failed to get these hints because he was intensely conscious of his own blindness. His mind was preoccupied with the thought that how he could conceal the matter from the girl.