Analysis
Last Updated November 8, 2023.
On its surface, “The Eyes Are Not Here” is a simple story with only two major characters, a limited setting, and an uncomplicated plot. Yet, it offers a depth of meaning that many readers might miss on their first read. Indeed, the author blends a deliberate simplicity with a sophistication of language and ideas to lead readers to reflect on their own lives and perspectives, particularly with regard to their identities and awareness of the world.
Even though they are fairly well-developed, the primary characters remain unnamed. Readers come to know the characters well, especially the narrator; he allows readers to glimpse his inner thoughts, attitudes, and moods, speaking in the first person and explaining much of what he observes, thinks, and feels. The girl appears only through the viewpoint of the narrator, so readers do not have access to her internal awareness. Readers may, therefore, identify more strongly with the narrator than with the girl.
Because these characters remain unnamed, readers might find it easier to put themselves into the story, which is, perhaps, the author’s purpose. Reading stories such as this allows people to step out of their own worlds and into the reality of another. Here, readers are invited to imagine what it would feel like if they, like the characters, were blind, as well as to consider how they would act if they were in the positions of these two characters.
The story’s setting is limited, taking place in a plain train compartment that the narrator and the girl share. It is a generic sort of place that merely acts as a backdrop for the characters’ conversation. Again, this lack of specific features allows readers to more easily step into the scene and imagine themselves taking part in the exchange. They might even “decorate” the setting according to their own experiences to enter the story more fully.
The author chooses an uncomplicated plot line to move his story through to its conclusion. The exposition occurs as the girl boards the train and the narrator, who mentions to readers that he is blind, tries to find out as much as possible about her. A conflict arises when the narrator decides to hide his blindness. He is attracted to the girl and wants to appear normal.
The action rises throughout the conversation; the narrator pretends to see, and his esteem for the girl grows to the point where he is sorry to see her leave. There is a connection forming between the two that cannot develop further because of their limited time together, and the narrator regrets her departure. Yet, he does not dare ask her to stay. At the story’s climax, the girl moves close to the narrator, and he longs to touch her as she steps away from him, leaving only the scent of her perfume behind.
The action seems to fall as another passenger takes his place in the train compartment. The new traveler, however, offers a rather shocking resolution to the story; the new passenger remarks that the girl was totally blind and asks: “Didn’t you notice?”
The story breaks off at this point, and readers are left to answer the question the new passenger has proposed. The revelation should come as a shock, and since they do not see the narrator’s response, readers might substitute their own. Part of that response may, and perhaps should, be a journey back through the story’s narrative arc to discover clues they overlooked.
And the clues are there. Readers need only look at the girl’s parents’ careful instructions, her failure to notice her fellow traveler, and her...
(This entire section contains 910 words.)
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questions about what is outside the window to catch what they initially missed. Indeed, it is easy to miss these clues on a first read, just as the narrator himself misses them. Perhaps he is so focused on his efforts to hide his blindness that his usually sharp perception fails him.
Even though the characters, setting, and plot appear relatively simple, there is more beneath the surface than readers may initially perceive. The story is further enhanced by its sophisticated language and its depth of ideas. Linguistically, the author uses vivid descriptions—especially those that involve other senses than sight—to help readers better understand the scene. For instance, the narrator remarks that as the train gathers speed, “the wheels took up their song, the carriage groaned and shook.” The narrator uses personification here, giving both the wheels and the carriage human actions.
The narrator also employs metaphor to make his descriptions more expressive. The girl’s voice, for instance, has “the sparkle of a mountain stream.” He even employs allusion, quoting the last two lines of Thomas Moore’s poem “Farewell!” as the girl leaves behind only the scent of her perfume. A full perusal of this particular poem reveals the depth of the narrator’s feelings toward the girl and foreshadows the memories he will carry of their happy but brief encounter.
Finally, this seemingly simple story carries a depth of meaning that may surprise readers if they take the time to reflect on it. The themes of perception and identity provide space for meditation, as do the hints about connections between strangers, the strength of memory, and the self-absorption that sometimes prevents one person from truly knowing another. As short as this story is, it offers significant food for thought that readers might apply to themselves and their own lives.