The Eyes Have It

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1953

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Summary

Background

Story Analysis

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Important Quotes

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Literary Devices

Dramatic Irony

Dramatic irony means that a character in the story and the audience of that story understand a situation quite differently. In “The Eyes Have It,” the narrator truly believes he has stumbled upon indisputable evidence of extraterrestrial life, though it is clear to readers that he has simply grossly misinterpreted the figurative language of one particular book. Dick’s use of irony here not only heightens the pervasive humor of the story, but it also further emphasizes the inherent difficulties of establishing a uniform understanding of reality. This is one of Dick’s perpetual themes.

Readers of “The Eyes Have It” intuit that what the narrator/the reader reads is not to be taken literally, and the irony lies in the extremes of his misreading. Even though this story is quite short, dramatic irony also propels the reader forward to see how the narrator will react to this “knowledge.”

Foreshadowing

“The Eyes Have It” uses foreshadowing in a subtle manner. With a simple tense change from the first to the second sentence, Dick indicates that the narrator is already reflecting on the events that make up the brunt of the story. With this foreshadowing, the narrator’s moral paralysis is established, as is his ineptitude.

From creating a particular atmosphere to establishing readers’ expectations for characters and plot, foreshadowing carries substantial narrative weight in this story. It prepares the audience for the narrator/the reader’s eventual failure from the start but sustains suspense in not revealing the way in which he will demonstrate his ineptitude. Being sickened by creatures who can literally detach limbs and eyes and have them roam around would be considered a reasonable response; however, the protagonist cannot read figurative language but uses it to describe his experience.

Setting

Dick provides minimal detail on the setting of “The Eyes Have It,” but each piece of information provided helps establish his contrast between two worlds. Dick provides no specific information on where the story takes place or in which specific decade, but he establishes a simple domestic setting with a father, a mother, and an unspecified number of children. Small details are given regarding the family’s home life: The narrator reads in a recliner, there is a detached garage, and the family plays Monopoly together.

These seemingly mundane details are neither accidental nor unimportant to the text. Rather, they reinforce his contrast between the mundane and the extraordinary. After what he perceives as a stunning and menacing “discovery,” the narrator rushes back inside his safe and comfortable home, where he joins his family in playing a board game that typifies capitalism and the American dream of acquiring expansive riches.