'The Eyes Have It'- A Short Story by Ruskin Bond

Hello Friends... 

Sure, we all are doing well... Be careful, we must stay fit and shouldn't fall ill getting our studies affected. We shall eat and drink healthy, exercise regularly, and won't avoid our domestic and social responsibilities. And whatever time we get for ourselves at the end of the day, we must study hard for most of the time, so that we learn to think... and learn. We simply cannot afford to stop thinking, for we are learners, and we are the chosen ones who got the scope to learn... 

Let's learn to think first...

Who May Participate in the Discussion

This is a discussion on the short story The Eyes Have It by Ruskin Bond. Students of Class XII, WBCHSE have to study this text for their final examination. So, it is very likely that they may find this discussion helpful for them. 

However, this discussion may help any learner to develop a strategy suitable for him/herself to study a text of fiction. Even those who prefer reading stories for leisure may find this platform suitable to share and discuss their own views of what they read with others.

It's time to start reading the story...

The Eyes Have It

Ruskin Bond

The Title

What is your say about the title? Have you been able to make any sense out of it?

We need not worry. Let's rather read the story to make some sense out of the title...

I had the train compartment to myself up to Rohana, then a girl got in. The couple who saw her off probably her parents; they seemed very anxious about her comfort, and the woman gave the girl detailed instructions as to where to keep her things, when not to lean out of the windows, and how to avoid speaking to strangers.

The Narrative

What type of narrative do you find here as the story begins?

Yes, it's a first person narrative. The speaker is sharing her/his own experience with us, the readers.

The Speaker/Narrator

What do we know about the speaker as we go through the first paragraph of the story?

Yes, we know that s/he had the train compartment to her/himself upto Rohana. What else?

Nothing? 

Well, we are not told directly, but that doesn't mean we can not observe on our own. Isn't it?

The speaker was travelling by train, and s/he was going somewhere beyond Rohana. I hope you agree, right?

What else?

Yes, the speaker must be a very minute observer- s/he observed the couple who came to see the girl off very close, particularly the woman and her actions. And based upon her/his observations, the speaker concluded that the couple were probably the girl's parents, and were very anxious about the girl's comfort. Right?

The Couple

How do you find the couple? Do you also feel them to be the anxious parents of the girl? What are your opinions?

From the way they instruct the girl, I feel they are quite anxious about the girl, the way parents/guardians habitually feel anxious about their children. Hence, I too feel the way the speaker felt about the couple. Let me know if you have something else in your mind.

The Reason Behind their Anxiety

Yes, you may very well assume that maybe the girl was sick/ill, or maybe it was her first journey alone by a train, or maybe travelling singly by train was not very safe for a girl...

Why don't we study the instructions given to the girl once again? She was instructed about where to keep her things. Maybe she was travelling by train for the first time?

She was also advised against leaning out of windows. Was she a kid? But is it likely for a little kid to travel all on her own?

She was also instructed to avoid speaking to strangers. Do you have any idea about the possible reasons?

Let's move on with all our guess-works/assumptions to find out how right we are with our assumptions.

They called their goodbyes and the train pulled out of the station. As I was totally blind at the time, my eyes sensitive only to light and darkness, I was unable to tell what the girl looked like; but I knew she wore slippers from the way this slapped against her heels.

Collocation And Colligation

Have you noticed that they 'called' their goodbyes? How would you have written this?- That they 'said' their goodbyes? Well, now you have another acceptable way of saying the same. I mean, you can also 'call' your goodbyes apart from 'saying' them. Can you think of any other verb phrase suitable for expressing the same?

How does the saying 'the train pulled out of the station' differ from 'the train left the station' in meaning? Why don't you check this phrasal verb [pull out] out to learn about its meanings in details on the internet?

The Speaker

Now we know that the speaker was blind at the time, his eyes were only able to sense light and darkness. But still, wasn't s/he a minute observer? S/he was unable to tell about the look of the girl, but was able to know that she wore slippers from the sound they made while she walked.

Would you like to get back to the first paragraph once again to see how the speaker had observed the couple who came to see the girl off through her/his ears only, in case you've missed it earlier?

Anyway, do you now feel that the title must have got some connection with this blindness of the speaker? 

Let's continue our reading to get more things revealed...

It would take me some time to discover something about her looks, and perhaps I never would. But I liked the sound of her voice, and even the sound of her slippers.

The Speaker

What are you now going to add to your observations on the speaker?

Yes, the speaker sounded quite confident in the beginning [It would take me some time to discover something about her looks,...], but never impractical [...and perhaps I never would.]. The speaker knew that a smart, intelligent person can always explore other ways to perceive something, but may not always be successful, particularly when time is short.

Do you think that the speaker had the luxury of time?

The speaker liked the voice of the girl. Some are blessed with voices that can impress, you must be knowing as you yourself admire some among your teachers for their voices in particular. Don't you? But is it quite common for people to appreciate the sound of slippers as people walk wearing them?

Maybe the girl was a natural dancer, and the speaker liked the rhythm of her steps? 

Too far fetched? 

Maybe the speaker was quite bored with her/his loneliness in the train, and was delighted to have a companion from Rohana. I hope you still remember that the speaker was all alone in the compartment upto Rohana where the girl boarded the train.

Shall we continue?

"Are you going all the way to Dehra?" I asked.

Direct Speech

The narrative has been a first person narrative till so far. And we know, the speaker is telling us her/his own story directly. Doesn't the speaker seem to be an active character in the story [till so far]? 

Why then the speaker is using direct speech [quoted speech] once again to tell us about her/his own words? 

Do you find the person asking this question different from the person telling us the story?

Yes... they are different indeed...

Well, they are different only in respect to time. The person asking the question was the 'speaker' travelling by train long back, and the person telling us the story is the 'speaker' telling us the story later.

The use of direct speech here, not only takes us back to the time of travelling by train once again, but also reveals the strong memory of the speaker as s/he recalls her/his exact words uttered long time back. Does this trick make the tale more authentic to believe? Let me know...

The Destination

Do you have any idea how far the train used to go on the particular route the narrator and the girl were travelling?

Yes, it must be Dehra... Did you miss the way the speaker had said 'all the way to Dehra'? Didn't it clearly indicate that the train had Dehra as its ultimate destination?

Let's move on to find what happened next...

I must have been sitting in a dark corner, because my voice startled her. She gave a little exclamation and said, "I didn't know anyone else was here."

The Girl

We got introduced to the girl from the very first paragraph of the story, but this is for the first time we get to listen to her. Isn't it so?

Did she answer the speaker?

No, not at all... Rather she got startled and told the speaker about her amazement to find someone else in the compartment. She seemed to have believed that she was travelling all alone in the compartment.

Why do you think the girl didn't know that the speaker was there? What is your observation here?

Well, as the speaker had already pointed out, s/he must had been sitting in a dark corner. What else?

Is it very difficult to say that the speaker stayed calm and silent enough throughout to stay unnoticed amid the surrounding sounds?

And what about the girl? Do you get any glimpse into her character from her words?

Well, it seems from the way she spoke that she was not a kid, but a grown-up. Would you like to rewrite the words of the girl considering her to be a kid? What changes would you like to bring in?

By the way, have you noted the way the conversation began without any formal greeting? But surely you don't find this unexpected, for often in reality, we start interacting without any sort of formal greetings that we are taught in the classrooms.

Why don't we continue our reading?

Well, it often happens that people with good eyesight fail to see what is right in front of them. They have too much to take in, I suppose. Where is people who cannot see (or see very little) have to take in only the essentials, whatever registers most tellingly on their remaining senses.

The Reflection

Don't you get our story-teller back again? Now, if you notice carefully, you will find that the speaker will continually move forward and backward along time to tell us the story at present and to get back to the moments of the actual events to relive them. 

When do you think we will find the traveller? When the speaker moves forward, or backward, along time?

What does the speaker do here in this paragraph? 

Yes, the speaker seems to come up with a general reflection on human behaviour. People who can see fail to observe because they have much in front of their eyes. on the other hand, if people are visually challenged, they register/make note of whatever they perceive through the other sensory organs.

Do you feel the speaker felt this way because s/he her/himself was blind?

Shall we resume reading the story again?

"I didn't see you either," I said. "But I heard you come in."

The Speaker

So, we got the speaker speaking again in Direct Speech, right? And this means the speaker who is telling the story has moved backward along time again.

Why did the speaker say that s/he didn't 'see' the girl 'either'? Did the girl say anything about seeing? What did she say?- "I didn't know anyone else was here."

Why do you feel that the speaker assumed that the girl didn't 'know' because she didn't 'see', or actually 'observe'? Don't you feel that she failed to listen as well? Is 'knowing' possible only through 'seeing'

Have you noted the use of 'But'? Do you think the speaker was trying to point out the way s/he was different from the rest of the people who could see? Does it reveal the character of the speaker to you in some other way? Was s/he trying to exert her/his superiority over the girl? Let me know...

I wondered if I would be able to prevent her from discovering that I was blind. Provided I keep to my seat, I thought, it shouldn't be too difficult.

The Speaker

Really!!! Did you get any clue to the fact that the speaker was trying to conceal her/his blindness from the girl earlier from the text?

Why do you think the speaker was trying to hide her/his blindness?

Have you noted that the speaker already had developed a strategy to keep her/his blindness a secret? - The speaker was planning to stay at her/his seat to keep her/his blindness from being revealed. Why was the speaker bent on being at her/his seat to conceal her/his blindness?

Yes, because the speaker had developed the idea that s/he was sitting in some dark corner [I must have been sitting in a dark corner, because my voice startled her.] for which the girl had failed to see her/him. But weren't the speaker's eyes sensitive to 'light' and 'darkness'? Why the speaker had to deduce the idea that s/he was sitting in some dark corner then. Why couldn't s/he know the fact for certain? Isn't it confusing?

Shall we read on?

The girl said, "I'm getting off at Saharanpur. My aunt is meeting me there."

The Strange Response

Don't you find this response to the comment made by the speaker a strange one? But, do you remember the way the speaker had begun the conversation?

Yes, the girl had chosen to reply to the very first question that was asked to her at this point of time. And, simultaneously, she seemed to have avoided reflecting upon the comment made by the speaker. Intelligent and smart, wasn't she?

"Then I had better not get too familiar," I replied. "Aunts are usually formidable creatures."

The Speaker

Do you feel the speaker was trying to ease and pace up the communication? Do you think the speaker made the comment on 'aunts' on a lighter note? Do you think the trick would work?

"Where are you going?" She asked.

The Girl

Were you expecting something else in response, maybe a smile, if not a laughter? Do you think it to be a deliberate avoidance of the expected action, or just the way somebody not used to speak with strangers communicates with strangers?

However, though the strategy of the speaker to ease up the communication did not work, don't you find the communication gaining on some pace?

"To Dehra, and then to Mussoorie."

The Speaker

Can you trace the eagerness to talk? The speaker not only conveys that s/he was going up to the final destination of the rail-route, but also adds that s/he was going further to Mussoorie.

"Oh, how lucky you are. I wish I were going to Mussoorie. I love the hills. Especially in October."

The Girl

Do you find the girl spontaneous, off her guard now? Maybe she needed this much of time to be on her own,- free from those words of caution from the couple who came to see her off at Rohana...

I Wish I Were

This is when we use 'be' verb in its plural form with 'I',- to express strong desire... For instance: 'I wish I were a bird flying up in the sky avoiding the jam down below on earth.'

"Yes, this is the best time," I said, calling on my memories. "The hills are covered with wild dahlias, the sun is delicious, and at night you can sit in front of a logfire, and drink a little brandy. Most of the tourists have gone, and the roads are quiet and almost deserted. Yes, October is the best time."

The Time

Do you now get the time of the incident being described?

Yes, it all happened in the month of October. 

October is the beginning of winter on the Himalayas [Mussoorie is a Himalayan hill station, and Dehra is a Himalayan valley, locally called 'dun/doon']. So most of the tourists who had been up there to avoid the sultry summer down on the plains below used to return back again as soon as the temperature started dropping down. It used to be the best time of the year up there on the Himalayas with least tourists, its seasonal flowers [dahlias], pleasant sun, empty roads, candid fire-side nights with the warmth of brandy, and the freezing chill till distant.

Yes, October used to be the best time then... It has changed a lot nowadays, with tourists thronging the town round the year, and hotels cropping up everywhere pushing the wild dahlias way back...

She was silent. I wondered if my words had touched her, or whether she thought me a romantic fool. Then I made a mistake.

The Speaker

Don't you feel the speaker growing increasingly eager to impress the girl? 

At this point, when the girl remained quiet without continuing the conversation, don't you find the speaker growing impatient thinking about how did the girl evaluate her/his remark on the month of October up there in Mussoorie?

Did the speaker's impatience lead her/him to the mistake s/he made? But, more importantly, we should first ask, what was the mistake?

"What is it like outside?" I asked.

The Mistake

Isn't it just a simple question? Does it seem to be a mistake to you? But who would ask such a question? Only a person who cannot see it for her/himself, right?

And, we the readers know that the speaker was trying to conceal her/his blindness from the girl. But this question could have revealed the speaker's inability to see to the girl, which the speaker never intended. Hence it was a mistake on part of the speaker indeed.

She seemed to find nothing strange in the question. Had she noticed already that I couldn't see? But her next question removed my doubts.

The Speaker

Do you feel the agony of the speaker right at this point of time? S/he was dying to know if the girl had already noticed that s/he could not see?

However the speaker's doubts got removed by the very next question of the girl.

Did the girl discover the blindness of the speaker? 

Did the speaker lose her/his chance to impress the girl?

"Why don't you look out of the window?" She asked.

The Girl

Do you think that the girl had discovered that the speaker was unable to see?

Expectedly not, for otherwise it must be very rude of her to ask a blind person to to see for for her/himself... Have you felt the girl to be rude at any point earlier in the story?

Do you now feel relieved that the girl didn't discover the speaker's blindness? Then you must be feeling compassionate towards the speaker.

Do you feel a bit upset as the girl failed to discover the speaker's blindness? Perhaps you are upset with the fact that the speaker was trying to conceal her/his blindness (playing a 'dishonest' game?) with the girl.

In both the cases, you seem to be a very passionate reader...

Don't you feel either of the ways explained above? Maybe you are an objective reader just trying to trace the course of action without being involved with any of the characters...

I moved easily along the berth and felt for the window ledge. The window was open, and I faced it, making a pretence of studying the landscape. I heard the panting of the engine, the rumble of the wheels, and, in my mind's eye, I could see telegraph posts flashing by.

The Speaker

Does the paragraph reveal more than it is told? Was the speaker just trying to make a pretence of studying the landscape? Did the speaker just hear the panting of the engine, the rumble of the wheels, and in in her/his mind's eye saw the telegraph posts flashing by?

Or, was the speaker actually trying to pacify hers/himself after the brief moment of torment s/he had to pass? Was it her/his own lungs breathing loud, and not the engine of the train panting? Was it her/his own heart beating loud, and not the wheels of the train rumbling? Were they actually the chances that the speaker could not utilise earlier to impress others, and not just the telegraph posts that flashed by as the train moved on?

Whatever be it, at least we find the speaker a little more eased now that s/he was, moments earlier, isn't it? In case you disagree, why don't you let me know down there in the comment box?

"Have you noticed," I ventured, "that the trees seem to be moving while we seem to be standing still."

"That always happens," she said. "Do you see any animals?"

"No," I answered quite confidently. I knew that there were hardly any animals left in the forest near Dehra.

The Conversation

This is perhaps for the first time, the two characters responded appropriately to each other. But did the speaker sound simple to you as s/he probably sounded to the girl?

We, the readers perhaps know the speaker a bit more than the girl.

Why is it that most among us try to hide our limitations than learning to live with them, and overcoming them, if possible?

I turned from the window and faced the girl, and for a while we sat in silence.

The Pause

Do you apprehend a twist, or turn, or an increased complication in the course of the action?

Who do you think would step first?

"You have an interesting face," I remarked. I was becoming quite daring, but it was a safe remark. Few girls can resist flattery. She laughed pleasantly- a clear, ringing laugh.

The Speaker

Did you guess it correct that it would be the speaker who would step first? Why did you think that it would be the speaker who would be the first?

Did you guess it the other way? Would you mind explaining the reason?

The speaker confesses to us that s/he was becoming quite daring. But still, s/he had her/his emotions under control, right?- The speaker had opted for a 'safe' remark?

Do you feel the way the speaker felt then? Was the remark 'safe'? 

Is the next remark 'safe' enough, that 'Few girls can resist flattery.'? Does this comment help you to guess the gender identity of the speaker? How? Would you try to make it sure that you yourself don't fall into the trap of 'gender-discrimination'?

Could you hear the girl's 'pleasant' laugh, by the way? - 'a clear, ringing laugh'- Don't you find the description apt enough to lead you to the perception it describes?

And, I am hopeful that you have noted the use of the punctuation '-' [dash]. It functions similar to ':' [colon], and indicates further elaboration.

"It's nice to be told I have an interesting face. I'm tired of people telling me I have a pretty face."

Oh, so you do have a pretty face, thought I- and aloud I said: "Well, an interesting face can also be pretty."

The Speaker And the Girl

Do you feel the urge to compare the two characters now? Is the girl much simpler than the speaker? Do you think it may have a connection with their ages?

Have you noted that the speaker had already discovered 'something about her looks'? Cunning, eh?

"You are a very gallant young man," she said, "but why are you so serious?"

The Speaker

So, now we know the gender-identity of the speaker... Did you guess it correct? That's great...

Do you feel it could have never been the other way? Would you mind revising your thought process once again?

Now that we know it for certain that the speaker was a 'young man', would you like to revisit the whole course of action till so far to revise your own opinion about the speaker, if you feel to do so at all?

So, now you know the speaker in your own way, right? How do you find the speaker the girl's way?- To the girl, he is  'a very gallant young man', but 'serious'. Do you find the speaker different from the way the girl found him? Do you feel you are right about the speaker for you know him more than the girl? Then you must admit that if you try to know more about the speaker, your present judgement may get changed as well...

I thought, then, I would try to laugh for her, but the thought of laughter only made me feel troubled and lonely.

The Speaker

Do you find the speaker less manipulative now?

Don't you find him trying to laugh, not for himself, but for the girl? But the very thought of laughter made him feel troubled and lonely...

Do you sense some untold story about the speaker now?

"We'll soon be at your station," I said.

The Speaker

Time is up... No more time to listen to the untold story of the speaker... But aren't we free to assume from our own experiences?

"Thank goodness it's a short journey. I can't bear to sit in a train for more than two-or-three hours."

The Girl

What about you? Do you really feel that this journey of meeting strangers in our lives is thankfully short?. Well, the journey from Rohana to Saharanpur was a short one indeed.

Yet I was prepared to sit there for almost any length of time, just to listen to her talking. Her voice had the sparkle of a mountain stream. As soon as she would leave the train, she would forget our brief encounter; but it would stay with me for the rest of the journey, and for sometime after.

The Speaker

Our own ways to look at life are much different from others. Haven't you felt so ever in your life?

Do you find this ironical that the speaker who tried so desperately to impress the girl couldn't move her much [at least, we don't have any clue till so far], but that he himself got much impressed by the girl, particularly by her voice?

But again, the speaker didn't lose his practical wisdom... He didn't say that the memory of the brief encounter with the girl would remain with him forever... Did he?

Have you marked the linker 'Yet' at the very beginning of the paragraph? I am sure you haven't missed how it also links contradictory aspects just like 'but'.

The engine's whistle shrieked, the carriage wheels changed their sound and rhythm, the girl got up and began to collect her things. I wondered if she wore her hair in bun, what if it was plaited; perhaps it was hanging loose over her shoulders, or was it cut very short?

The Speaker

'The engine's whistle shrieked, the carriage wheels changed their sound and rhythm...' Do you feel this auditory image reflects the pain of the speaker, that another telegraph post, another chance to get connected with other is just passing by at the moment?

Do you feel amused to find the speaker wondering how the girl styled her hair? Was he trying to keep himself otherwise engaged so that he did not feel the pain of the moment?

Was the girl feeling the same way?

The train drew slowly into the station. Outside, there was the shouting of porters and vendors and a high-pitched female voice near the carriage door; that voice must have belonged to the girl's aunt.

The Neat Perception

Do you get to see the train drawing into the busy station? It was all perceived by the speaker auditorily...

"Goodbye," the girl said.

She was standing very close to me, so close that the perfume from her hair was tantalising. I wanted to raise my hand and touch her hair, but she moved away. Only the scent of perfume still lingered where she had stood.

The Speaker

Did he say 'goodbye' back to the girl? Why?

Was he too occupied with the perfume of the girl's hair? 

Do you feel he could have touched the girl's hair had she not moved away? Why?

Was he not willing to say 'goodbye' to the girl?

There was some confusion in the doorway. A man, getting into the compartment, stammered an apology. Then the door banged, and the world was shut out again. I returned to my berth. The guard blew his whistle and we moved off. Once again, I had a game to play and a new fellow-traveller.

The Confusion

Why it was some confusion?

Yes, right you are... The speaker heard a man, getting into the compartment, stammering an apology. But he couldn't gather anything more. So he was a bit confused about what had happened and why the man had to stammer an apology and to whom he had to apologise?

By the way, would you like to reason out to whom the new passenger might have apologised, and why?

The World 

'Then the door banged, and the world was shut out again.'- What does this statement mean to you? The door of the train-compartment was closed, but why that would shut out the world? In fact, a train moves on to reach out to the rest of the world, isn't it? 

Is it possible that the blind man had none in his world? Maybe hence he was so desperate to impress the girl, to include her into his own world... And the moment the girl got down at Saharanpur, the speaker was shut out in his own world again, 'lonely', and hence, 'troubled'.

Moving Off

As the guard blew the whistle, the train moved off towards its destination. We, the readers, move off along the course of the action of the story, and of our thoughts. The girl, we may assume, was moving off with her aunt to her place. Was the speaker able to move off? 

I think you all have your answers ready: 'Once again, I had a game to play and a new fellow-traveller.'- He could not move off... He stayed with his own complex games to interact with the rest of the world...

The train gathered speed, the wheels took up their song, the carriage groaned and shook. I found the window and sat in front of it, staring into the daylight that was darkness for me.

So many things were happening outside the window: it could be a fascinating game, guessing what went on out there.

The Speaker

Would you please pick out words and expressions from the paragraph above that suggest the mental state/mood of the speaker? How do you find his mood at this point of time?

How do you feel for him now, if you have any feelings for him?

It could have been a fascinating game for the speaker to guess what was going on out there in the world beyond his world. But he had to stay there in his own lonely world, without any clue to what was happening in the rest of the world. 

Why was he so alone?

The man who had entered the compartment broke into my reverie.

The Reverie

Do you remember that the speaker also had startled the girl earlier as he started his conversation with the girl suddenly? And now we have this new passenger breaking into the reverie of the speaker.

Would you like to guess what/whom the speaker was dreaming about/of?

"You must be disappointed," he said. "I'm not nearly as attractive a travelling companion as the one who just left."

"She was an interesting girl," I said. "Can you tell me- did she keep her hair long or short?"

"I don't remember," he said, sounding puzzled. "It was her eyes I noticed, not her hair. She had beautiful eyes- but they were of no use to her. She was completely blind. Didn't you notice?"

The New Conversation

What is your opinion about this new fellow-traveller of the speaker? What was he trying to hint? Imagine yourself to be in his position. How would you have started if you have felt the urge to talk to your co-passenger?

Have you expected the speaker to respond the way he responded back? If you haven't expected so, would you like to share your expectation with us? And, I would like to know the reason behind as well...

Why do you think that the new passenger was puzzled? Did the query of the speaker astonish him? 

The new passenger didn't notice the hair of the girl. He noticed her eyes. Why do you think he noticed her eyes in particular? Do you find him a minute observer as the speaker? Would you like to explain, why?

The Girl

Are you shocked? Or were you able to see into the fact that the girl was also blind? Whatever be the case, would you now like to revisit the whole story with the confirmed knowledge that the girl was also blind?

If you choose to read the story once again, please note how you now re-evaluate the characters, starting form the couple who came to see the girl off at Rohana, to the new passenger with whom we got introduced at the end part of the story. 

The Title

Does the title make any sense now? Yes, the story is all about our eyes,- our vision,- our abilities to look at ourselves and others. It's all about how we perceive ourselves and others...

Would you now agree that we find the speaker lonely and troubled not because he is physically 'blind', but because he was blind towards his own shortcoming in accepting his 'blindness' and other limitations? Had he been less bothered with his physical 'blindness', don't you now feel that he could have enjoyed the time with the girl in a more lively manner? And, who knows, they could have initiated a long-term relation even... Look at the girl. She was 'blind' as well, but not troubled and lonely as the speaker. 

And we also have the passenger, who boarded the train at Saharanpur. He was not physically 'blind', but was actually the more blind than the two 'blind' characters of the story. Don't you agree? He had probably bounced against the girl in the doorway while getting into the compartment, and had to apologise. He had his eyes open, but couldn't see the girl before he bounced against her. And then again, while talking to the speaker, he didn't bother to look at him closely. And hence, he ended up asking a silly question to the 'blind' speaker. Wasn't his query 'Didn't you notice?' was ironical?

Let's get back to the philosophical reflection of the speaker once again:

Well, it often happens that people with good eyesight fail to see what is right in front of them. They have too much to take in, I suppose. Where is people who cannot see (or see very little) have to take in only the essentials, whatever registers most tellingly on their remaining senses.

Yes, that's the wisdom the speaker had learnt the hard way. When do you think the speaker had reflected thus, while travelling with the girl incidentally, or while telling us his story, sometime later?

What do you think the pronoun 'it' stands for in the title now? We may have an infinite set of appropriate answers to the question. So never hesitate even if your answer is different from others, just make it sure that you have your argument ready.

Grammar

Adversative Conjunctions

The text has got ample usage of adversative conjunctions like 'but', 'yet' [already mentioned earlier] etc. Such conjuncts are used to link contradictory/opposite ideas in a speech. Why don't you find out all the examples of such conjuncts that you find in the text? Also make a note of the contradictory ideas they connect here in the text. If you search for more examples on the internet, you are likely to come across some more that you may find quite useful.

Punctuation Mark Indicating Elaboration

Punctuation always contribute to meaning. In the discussion, we have also discussed how some punctuation at the end of some statement indicate detailed elaboration following. Making a list of all those examples may help you understand how they actually work.

Positions of Multiple Adjectives in a Noun Phrase

Apart from these two activities, you may also make a list of all the noun phrases that include multiple adjectives qualifying the head-noun from the text  and study them to see if you find a pattern in arranging the adjectives that precede the noun they qualify. 

For instance, let us study the noun phrase 'their remaining senses'. Here, the head noun is 'senses' and is being qualified by two preceding adjectives: 'their' and 'remaining'. Can we interchange their positions and say 'remaining their senses'?

Let me know whatever you find as you study them.

Feel free to ask me questions, if you have any, in the space meant for publishing comments. And you are certainly welcome to share your views which are different from mine. An academic argument is always the best way to learn...

Post-reading Activities:

1. Complete each of the following sentences, choosing the correct option from the alternatives provided. [Each question carries 1 mark]

i. What tantalised the narrator was the 

a. ringing laugh of the girl

b. sweet talk of the girl

c. melodious voice of the girl

d. perfume of the girl's hair

[H.S. 2020] 

Answer Key:

i. d.

2. Answer the following questions, each in a complete sentence. [Each question carries 1 mark]

i. What did the narrator ask the new fellow-traveller about the girl? [H.S. 2020]

ii. Why did the narrator think that his voice must have startled the girl? [H.S. 2020] 

Model Answers:

i. The narrator asked the new fellow-traveller about the girl's hair.

ii. The narrator thought that his voice must have startled the girl because he heard the girl giving a little exclamation.

3. Answer the following questions, each in about 100 words. [Each question carry a total of six marks]

i. 'I'm tired of people telling me I have a pretty face.' -Who said this, to whom and when? What did the person spoken to reply?    [1+1+2+2] [H.S. 2020]

Model Answers:

i. The girl said this.

The girl said this to the narrator.

The girl and the narrator of the story once shared a train compartment from Rohana to Saharanpur while they were travelling by train. They had a little chat on their way together when the narrator made the cunning remark that the girl had an interesting face. It was at that time the girl said this.

The person spoken to, that is the narrator, replied that an interesting face could also be pretty. [Word count: 83]