The Eyes Have It by Ruskin Bond

In The Eyes Have It by Ruskin Bond we have the theme of kindness, determination, independence,
desire, perception, memory and confidence. Taken from his Complete Short Stories collection the story
is narrated in the first person by a young unnamed blind man and after reading the story the reader
realises that Bond may be exploring the theme of kindness. Throughout the story the narrator shows
kindness to the young woman in the compartment. He compliments her when he can which is
somewhat ironic considering that he cannot see her. The fact that he considers that the woman has an
interesting face may also be important as it suggests that the narrator is attempting to appeal to the
woman’s intellect rather than to her vanity as most men would do. If anything throughout the story the
narrator is flirting with the young woman. Which may explain as to why the narrator is acting so kind to
her. He himself is a young man and it would only be natural for him to be interested in a young woman.
It may also be significant that at no stage of the story does the narrator allow the fact that he is
physically challenged get in the way of what he would like to do.

If anything the narrator shows the reader that he is resilient and determined when it comes to his
engagement with the young woman. Something that the reader suspects is mirrored by the narrator’s
outlook on life. He may be blind but the narrator does not consider this to be an obstacle. While others
might admit defeat and rely on others. The narrator doesn’t. He maintains his independence. However it
is noticeable that the narrator is somewhat self-conscious when he is in the compartment. He does not
wish to let the young woman know that he is blind. Possibly fearing that she may judge him negatively
should she be aware that he cannot see. It is also possible that the narrator is working from memory
when he talks to the young woman about the landscape as he is looking out the compartment window.
If this is the case then it would further emphasis the fact that the narrator wishes to hide the fact that
he is blind. In reality the narrator may be aware of how those who are blind are treated by others. It is
as though those who are blind are considered different.

It is also noticeable that Bond is using the narrator’s other senses in the story particularly smell. Similarly
it is noticeable that the narrator has a strong desire to touch the young woman’s hair. Such is the
favourable perception he has of the young woman. It is as though the narrator is attempting to paint a
picture of the young woman for himself based on what she says to him and what he can smell. This
could be important as the narrator appears to be compensating for his inability to see and seems to be
doing so successfully. It is also interesting that the young woman, just like the narrator, is attempting to
hide her blindness too. When the narrator asks the young woman to describe the landscape to him.
Rather than admitting she is blind she tells the narrator to look for himself. This may be important as it
highlights the same independence that the narrator is showing throughout the story. The young woman
may be blind but she does not allow it to be a stumbling block or a topic of conversation. Which is very
similar to the narrator. The determination that the narrator shows in the story is mirrored by the young
woman.
The end of the story is also interesting as Bond appears to be introducing further irony into the story. It
is only after the young woman has left that the narrator discovers that she too was blind. Every effort
that the narrator has made to hide his own blindness has been in vain. The young woman would not
have known he was blind regardless of the narrator’s actions. It might also be important that the
narrator does not change his opinion of the young woman when he is talking to the man in the
compartment. Rather than agreeing with the man and suggesting that the young woman was pretty.
The narrator sticks to his original appraisal that the young woman had an interesting face. Though
ironically he was unable to see the young woman’s face. By sticking to his remarks it is possible that
Bond is suggesting that the narrator is confident not only about what he has said to the woman but he
may also be confident about who he himself is. Despite being physically challenged the reader suspects
that the narrator has the ability to life a full and varied life. Something that is noticeable by the fact he is
travelling on his own. Bond again possibly highlighting to the reader how independent the narrator is.

This is a very popular story by Ruskin Bond about two blind persons who happen to meet on a short
train journey. The story is a great example of irony as both persons, a young man and a young girl, are
blind but they show as they aren’t. This story is also known by other names like – The Girl on the
Train and The Eyes are not Here…

The narrator is a young man – he was alone in the compartment till Rohana, well then a young woman
boards the train and with her comes her parents who instruct her what to do and what not to do while
traveling on a train. As the train chugs out of the station, the young man sitting opposite her by the
window side strikes conversation with her. She politely replies to all his questions and he shows off as he
is not a blind chap.

First they talk about nature and the young man in between compliments that she has a beautiful face.
Upon this the girl says that this is a very common remark she often gets. The train is bound for
Dehradun. The girl says that she will get down at Saharanpur where an aunt of her coming to receive
her. The girl feels envious when the man says that he is going to Mussoorie. The girl loves to be in the
mountains.

At Saharanpur she gets down, next a male passenger boards the train. The new passenger says that it
would be disappointing for him as he is not that beautiful like the previous passenger. The blind man
asks about the girl, the new passenger says that her eyes were beautiful but useless as she was blind.
This revelation almost shocks the young man and he laughs on the co-incidence.

The main themes of the story are kindness, independent nature and of course desire. In fact the
prominent theme in the story is desire, because both persons are blind but still they pretend as they are
full-sighted and enjoy the colours of life like other normal people. Another great aspect is independent
nature of both the characters, as both are blind but they are traveling alone, thus it shows how brave
they are on practical grounds. Kindness is reflective through their conversations, as they both are
strangers to each other, but still talk like they know each other for years. It shows how humble both
characters are. Despite all themes, the biggest theme of the story is irony of fates. Both people blind but
it never comes out. This is classic stuff by Ruskin Bond.
The Eyes Have It (also known as The Girl on the Train & The Eyes Are Not Here) is a short story by Ruskin
Bond that was originally published in Contemporary Indian English Stories. The narrator of this story, a
blind man whose eyes were sensitive to light and darkness, was going to Dehradun by train when he
met a girl and had a chit-chat with her. It was only after she left and another passenger came into the
compartment that the narrator realizes the girl was blind.

SUMMARY

Up to Rohana, the narrator was alone in the compartment. Her parents bid her goodbye at the station
and were anxious about her well-being and advised her where to keep her belongings, not to lean out of
the windows and to avoid talking to strangers.

Once the train left the station, the narrator started a conversation asking if she too was going to
Dehradun. The voice startled her as she thought she was alone in the compartment. The girl told him
that she was going to Saharanpur where her aunt would come to take her home. She also envied the
narrator as the hills of Mussoorie, where he was headed to, presented a lovely sight in October (the
month in which the story takes place).

After some more interesting talks, the narrator told her, quite daringly, that she had an interesting face.
She was happy at this and replied that it was indeed a welcome deviation from the often repeated
phrase: "You have a pretty face".

Soon it was time for the girl to bid goodbye as the train arrived at her destination.Then the author heard
a commotion near the door of the carriage and he could hear a man apologizing. The man then entered
the compartment and apologized, as a matter of fact, for not being as attractive a traveling companion
as his predecessor. When the narrator asked him if the girl had her hair long or short, he replied with
interest that he had not noticed her hair but only her eyes, which were beautiful but of no use to her, as
she was completely blind.