The Eyes Motif in the Works of D.H. Lawrence
D.H. Lawrence's short stories The Shadow in the Rose Garden, The Prussian Officer and The White Stocking possess an eyes motif. This motif, along with a variety of other motifs, are used throughout the works of the author and adds depth to the stories.
"The Shadow in the Rose Garden" possesses an eyes motif. The eyes as a "window to the soul" is an ever present reference in this work. First, Lawrence notes the "china-blue eyes" of Mrs. Coates, who is a "delightful, erect old lady." (70) Later, when the young woman sits down on the bench in the garden in front of the white roses and sees the man in front of her, she notices his eyes. Lawrence write: "She looked up, blanched to the lips, and saw his eyes. They were black, and stared without seeing. They were not a man's eyes" (73). The young woman was greatly disturbed by the man whose eyes "stared without seeing." After they began talking, the young woman noticed that his eyes "were the glistening, strange black eyes that she had loved" (74). This deranged man she was talking to reminded her of a man she once loved, who is not her husband because Lawrence makes reference to "his brown eyes" (75). Therefore, Lawrence writes, "Her eyes searched him, and searched him, to see if he would recognize her, if she could discover him. 'You don't know me?' she asked, from the terror of her soul, standing alone" (p.74). These lines incorporate the theme of the eyes as a 'window to the soul.' The young woman tries to reach the disturbed man's soul by searching his eyes.
The eye motif in "The Shadow in the Rose Garden" can also be found in "The Prussian Officer." Many references are made to the eyes of the older Captain and the younger orderly in "Officer." Lawrence describes the character's eyes when he writes,"The eyes of the two men met, those of the younger sullen and dark, doggedly unalterable, those of the elder sneering with restless contempt" (5). This comes after the orderly becomes more aware of his Captain's affections and starts to show off with his girlfriend a little more. Future lines in the story also carry the theme of eyes as a "window to the soul": "The withering smile came into the Captain's eyes .
Tim O’Brien employs the elements Symbolism, Theme, and Author’s Style in his book The Things They Carried.
Throughout the novel, “Their Eyes Were Watching God”, Zora Neale Hurston uses colors and other symbols to describe the state of relationships, feelings, and even show a certain point of view. As Janie goes through relationships, she encounters different colors. Hurston also shows us Janie’s feelings within those relationships as well as the common view of the world on Janie. Next to the colors, Hurston uses other symbols to show the reader even more specific meanings.
The color and temperature of a person’s eyes comprise the first layer of his identity. Welcoming, smiling eyes identify their owner as a friend, while angry, bitter eyes warn of a comparably biting personality. A person’s eyes show much at a first glance. In literature, they perform a more significant job, reflecting the character of the soul they guard. In developing the famously complex characters of his novel East of Eden, John Steinbeck heartily subscribed to this literary symbolism by giving special meaning to the eyes of his characters as ‘windows to the soul.’ This can be seen especially in the characters of Adam and Cathy Trask.
upon their husbands whether they loved them or not. As the woman stares out of her window the reader quickly learns about her true feelings. Through foreshadowing with symbolism we find out...
On the most basic level, Eliot is continually describing the physical eyes of her characters, and reminding us of their presence, although she gives up talking about God's eye. Adam's eyes, for instance,...
The eyes are a one-way street to a person’s soul. Throughout F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby, there are many connections between eyes and a greater symbol, which symbol lies deep within the story. The reader is given small hints through the story on how the character truly is, based on descriptions of the character’s eyes. Throughout The Great Gatsby, the eyes of various characters are used as a symbol, from the symbol of being able to reveal true personalities to being an all mighty figure.
Owl Eyes takes the reader through the different stages of chasing the Dream, first we see the theatrics that are put on to impress people and make up a character for the hopeful person to play. Then Owl Eyes demonstrates the consequences of living one's whole life chasing a dream around the wrong people. Finally, the reader sees the downfall the American Dream can cause on a person. Leaving them alone and with nothing to show for themselves. Gatsby was chasing the dream of Daisy and being with her, he focused so much on achieving this dream he never paused to see that he was dealing with people that did not care about Gatsby and were only concerned with themselves.
The eyes of T J Eckleburg represent the loss of moral and social values in America, the hollowness of the American Dream, and the corruption of people. T.J. Eckleburg’s eyes stare down at everyone around them, including the main characters that pass by it on their trips to New York City. In this way, the symbol of the eyes reveals the corruption of the American Dream through the people that the eyes are watching. The eyes ‘watch’ as Gatsby goes to luncheon with Nick to meet Wolfshiem, the dishonest man who helped fix the World Series. The eyes too have watched Tom go into the city...
Tucker, B. D. "The Tell-Tale Heart and the Evil Eye." Southern-Literary-Journal 13:2 (1981 Spring): 92-8
“Her face was fair and pretty, with eyes like two bits of night-sky, each with a star dissolved in the blue.” This elaborate simile creates a mental image of the natural beauty of the young princess, Irene, by comparing her eyes to the night sky. The simile also parallels the depth of Irene’s soul to the dark, endless night sky.
The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg are perhaps the most important symbol in The Great Gatsby. The eyes can be taken as the eyes of God or even as us, the observers. We are observing the characters in what they do and analyzing them as an example of what is wrong or what is right. In this case, we are observing Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. We are observing their conducts and deciphering whether their actions are wrong or right.
In There is a Garden in Her Face, the subject of the speaker's affection is idolized beyond reality and is placed so high upon a pedestal that she is virtually unattainable. Campion uses metaphors and similes to compare the lady to the splendors of nature. Roses and cherries are repeatedly used to describe various parts of the lady, like her rosy cheeks and luscious lips. Her teeth are said to be made "[o]f orient pearl a double row" (line 8). The white of the pearl, the lilies and the snow build the image of a woman of purity and virtue. This notion of the lady as a divine creature is further emphasized by the many references to heaven. Her face is seen as "[a] heavenly paradise"(3), her eyes are "like angels"(13), and her lips are called "sacred cherries"(17). They are a forbidden fruit, similar to those of the garden of Eden, that no one may touch or even look at "[t]ill 'Cherry ripe!' themselves do cry" (5). The lady is viewed to be unapproachable unless she gives her permission to be approached. She seems cold and unfeeling when her brows are described as "bended bows" (14) ready to kill with "piercing frowns"(15), so it is likely that she does not give her permission easi...
These lines may seem confusing if not read properly. At first look, these might not make sense because the night is acquainted with darkness, but when the lines are read together as intended, one can see that the night is “cloudless” and filled with “starry skies” (1, 1-2). The remaining lines of the first stanza tell the reader that the woman's face and eyes combine all the greatness of dark and light:
As an education major at State College, I’ve decided to become a teacher for several reasons. As I progressed through elementary, middle, and high school, many of my teachers were great role models for me. This has inspired me to become a role model for someone in the near future. My love for science and math has also influenced my desire to teach and make a difference in a child’s life. I want to teach students the subjects that I love so much. I want the feeling that I helped a child accomplish or learn something they couldn’t understand. One of the main reasons I want to become an educator is because I feel education has really lost teachers who truly love teaching and those who truly love teaching and those who have the desire to make a difference. I feel I can really help make a difference in the education world and bring back the love to teach.
In this age of cyberspace and global connectivity, reliance on statutes and stare decisis simply cannot keep up with a rapidly evolving technological environment. Traditional law…might condemn rules regulating conduct in cyberspace to perpetual obsolescence.37