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The Eyes
""The Eyes"" is a short story written by Edith Wharton, an American novelist and short story writer. The story revolves around Mrs. Newell, a wealthy woman who is obsessed with her own beauty and the power it gives her over men. She is married to a much older man, Mr. Newell, who is blind and unaware of his wife's affairs. Mrs. Newell's obsession with her beauty leads her to manipulate and deceive those around her, including her husband and a young man named Ned Van Alstyne, whom she seduces and then discards. However, her actions have consequences, and she ultimately meets a tragic end. The story explores themes of beauty, power, and the consequences of one's actions. Wharton's writing style is known for its psychological depth, and ""The Eyes"" is no exception, delving into the complex motivations and desires of its characters. Overall, ""The Eyes"" is a compelling and thought-provoking read that offers insight into the darker aspects of human nature.Phil, my dear boy, really -- what's the matter? Why don't you answer? Have you seen the eyes?' Frenham's face was still hidden, and from where I stood behind Culwin I saw the latter, as if under the rebuff of this unaccountable attitude, draw back slowly from his friend. As he did so, the light of the lamp on the table fell full on his congested face, and I caught its reflection in the mirror behind Frenham's head.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
48 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1910
196 people want to read
About the author
Edith Wharton
1,478 books5,309 followersEdith Wharton emerged as one of America’s most insightful novelists, deftly exposing the tensions between societal expectation and personal desire through her vivid portrayals of upper-class life. Drawing from her deep familiarity with New York’s privileged “aristocracy,” she offered readers a keenly observed and piercingly honest vision of Gilded Age society.
Her work reached a milestone when she became the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, awarded for The Age of Innocence. This novel highlights the constraining rituals of 1870s New York society and remains a defining portrait of elegance laced with regret.
Wharton’s literary achievements span a wide canvas. The House of Mirth presents a tragic, vividly drawn character study of Lily Bart, navigating social expectations and the perils of genteel poverty in 1890s New York. In Ethan Frome, she explores rural hardship and emotional repression, contrasting sharply with her urban social dramas.
Her novella collection Old New York revisits the moral terrain of upper-class society, spanning decades and combining character studies with social commentary. Through these stories, she inevitably points back to themes and settings familiar from The Age of Innocence. Continuing her exploration of class and desire, The Glimpses of the Moon addresses marriage and social mobility in early 20th-century America. And in Summer, Wharton challenges societal norms with its rural setting and themes of sexual awakening and social inequality.
Beyond fiction, Wharton contributed compelling nonfiction and travel writing. The Decoration of Houses reflects her eye for design and architecture; Fighting France: From Dunkerque to Belfort presents a compelling account of her wartime observations. As editor of The Book of the Homeless, she curated a moving, international collaboration in support of war refugees.
Wharton’s influence extended beyond writing. She designed her own country estate, The Mount, a testament to her architectural sensibility and aesthetic vision. The Mount now stands as an educational museum celebrating her legacy.
Throughout her career, Wharton maintained friendships and artistic exchanges with luminaries such as Henry James, Sinclair Lewis, Jean Cocteau, André Gide, and Theodore Roosevelt—reflecting her status as a respected and connected cultural figure.
Her literary legacy also includes multiple Nobel Prize nominations, underscoring her international recognition. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature more than once.
In sum, Edith Wharton remains celebrated for her unflinching, elegant prose, her psychological acuity, and her capacity to illuminate the unspoken constraints of society—from the glittering ballrooms of New York to quieter, more remote settings. Her wide-ranging work—novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, travel writing, essays—offers cultural insight, enduring emotional depth, and a piercing critique of the customs she both inhabited and dissected.
Her work reached a milestone when she became the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, awarded for The Age of Innocence. This novel highlights the constraining rituals of 1870s New York society and remains a defining portrait of elegance laced with regret.
Wharton’s literary achievements span a wide canvas. The House of Mirth presents a tragic, vividly drawn character study of Lily Bart, navigating social expectations and the perils of genteel poverty in 1890s New York. In Ethan Frome, she explores rural hardship and emotional repression, contrasting sharply with her urban social dramas.
Her novella collection Old New York revisits the moral terrain of upper-class society, spanning decades and combining character studies with social commentary. Through these stories, she inevitably points back to themes and settings familiar from The Age of Innocence. Continuing her exploration of class and desire, The Glimpses of the Moon addresses marriage and social mobility in early 20th-century America. And in Summer, Wharton challenges societal norms with its rural setting and themes of sexual awakening and social inequality.
Beyond fiction, Wharton contributed compelling nonfiction and travel writing. The Decoration of Houses reflects her eye for design and architecture; Fighting France: From Dunkerque to Belfort presents a compelling account of her wartime observations. As editor of The Book of the Homeless, she curated a moving, international collaboration in support of war refugees.
Wharton’s influence extended beyond writing. She designed her own country estate, The Mount, a testament to her architectural sensibility and aesthetic vision. The Mount now stands as an educational museum celebrating her legacy.
Throughout her career, Wharton maintained friendships and artistic exchanges with luminaries such as Henry James, Sinclair Lewis, Jean Cocteau, André Gide, and Theodore Roosevelt—reflecting her status as a respected and connected cultural figure.
Her literary legacy also includes multiple Nobel Prize nominations, underscoring her international recognition. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature more than once.
In sum, Edith Wharton remains celebrated for her unflinching, elegant prose, her psychological acuity, and her capacity to illuminate the unspoken constraints of society—from the glittering ballrooms of New York to quieter, more remote settings. Her wide-ranging work—novels, novellas, short stories, poetry, travel writing, essays—offers cultural insight, enduring emotional depth, and a piercing critique of the customs she both inhabited and dissected.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
August 24, 2023
It’s evening in the dark, oak panelled library, with only the glow of the coal fire to light the room. A group of eight friends meet to exchange stories of the supernatural, and we join them as we await the contribution by that evening’s host, Edwin Culwin, who tells of his own personal experience of a monstrous pair of floating eyes, that visit him repeatedly in the dead of night!
Though initially it raised a few shudders, it wasn’t quite as scary as expected, but judge for yourself.
Here’s the link https://loa-shared.s3.amazonaws.com/s...
Though initially it raised a few shudders, it wasn’t quite as scary as expected, but judge for yourself.
Here’s the link https://loa-shared.s3.amazonaws.com/s...
October 12, 2017
This is one of Wharton's ghost stories, circa 1910, that is well written, good narration, but not all that creepy. The only things creepy here are the characters. An older gentleman, a writer, gathers a group of admirers around for dinner and story telling. Was Edith channeling her good friend, Henry James, here? Maybe.
October 7, 2020
This was a bit of a disappointment. I was looking for a little premature Halloween spirit and thought this was a ghost story. It really isn't, or at least it really isn't much of a ghost story. It is actually a bit more personal and darker; an older man who habitually has younger (male) proteges that he brings into his inner circle and patronizes (double entendre intended), his dalliance turns to distain which he masks by a gratuitousness. This, eventually, inflicts him with a type of haunting and an urge to flee to safer ground. Although in the first instance he proposed to a young plain girl, there is a strong sense of repressed (homo)sexual undercurrent in his behavior, which is sad.
I've actually just borrowed The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton from Hoopla, which will probably include this story, but I found this first and read it online at: https://loa-shared.s3.amazonaws.com/s...
I've actually just borrowed The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton from Hoopla, which will probably include this story, but I found this first and read it online at: https://loa-shared.s3.amazonaws.com/s...
October 16, 2018
A Gothic ghost story on the lines of Henry James's The Turn of the Screw. More creepy than scary. A story you can interpret in several ways.
Eight men meet to discuss occurrences of the supernatural. Afterwards, the host and two men remain. It is then the host tells his story about the eyes. How do the other two react, why do they react as they do and what does this say about the host telling the story?
B.J. Harrison narrates the audiobook. The reading is clear and easy to follow. Not overdramatized, which makes it good. Three stars for the narration.
It is not bad. It’s OK. It makes you think, but it does not have the impact of The Turn of the Screw.
Eight men meet to discuss occurrences of the supernatural. Afterwards, the host and two men remain. It is then the host tells his story about the eyes. How do the other two react, why do they react as they do and what does this say about the host telling the story?
B.J. Harrison narrates the audiobook. The reading is clear and easy to follow. Not overdramatized, which makes it good. Three stars for the narration.
It is not bad. It’s OK. It makes you think, but it does not have the impact of The Turn of the Screw.
April 26, 2017
Phil, my dear boy, really -- what's the matter? ... Have you seen the eyes?
I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. Such a creepy and interesting story, with an amazing ending.
I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. Such a creepy and interesting story, with an amazing ending.
April 18, 2015
Creepy dude can't see his own creepiness.
August 5, 2024
In typical Wharton style, she’s doing a number of things with this short story. It is set up as a ghost story, and then you think it’s a moral tale, and then … I’m not sure. Is she skewering Henry James? I think more likely she’s commiserating with him.
The gothic setting is by the fire of the dark library of the wise, old, Andrew Culwin, “with the red blink of the eyes in a face like mottled bark” who liked to take on “juicy” recruits for the purpose of mentorship. After most of the men in his party had told their stories and gone, the narrator is left alone with Culwin and his latest protégé, who encourages Culwin to tell his own ghost story.
It’s not particularly scary. It’s interesting though, about how your conscience might be haunting you, speaking to you, . And I liked it better the more I thought about it.
“But it’s not enough to say they were as bad as before: they were worse. Worse by just so much as I’d learned of life in the interval; by all the damnable implications my wider experience read into them.”
The gothic setting is by the fire of the dark library of the wise, old, Andrew Culwin, “with the red blink of the eyes in a face like mottled bark” who liked to take on “juicy” recruits for the purpose of mentorship. After most of the men in his party had told their stories and gone, the narrator is left alone with Culwin and his latest protégé, who encourages Culwin to tell his own ghost story.
It’s not particularly scary. It’s interesting though, about how your conscience might be haunting you, speaking to you, . And I liked it better the more I thought about it.
“But it’s not enough to say they were as bad as before: they were worse. Worse by just so much as I’d learned of life in the interval; by all the damnable implications my wider experience read into them.”
August 3, 2024
Culwin, the host of a dinner party, tells a supernatural story to his last two remaining guests. He had been haunted by the apparition of two eyes staring at him following events when he did not treat other people well. Culwin thought they looked like the eyes of an old man:
"The orbits were sunk, and the thick red-lined lids hung over the eyeballs like blinds of which the cords are broken."
Perhaps Edith Wharton's friend, Henry James, was an inspiration for Culwin, a "confirmed bachelor."
This short story was first published in 1910 in Scribners' Magazine. Wharton wrote a book of ghost stories, and "The Eyes" is one of her best.
"The orbits were sunk, and the thick red-lined lids hung over the eyeballs like blinds of which the cords are broken."
Perhaps Edith Wharton's friend, Henry James, was an inspiration for Culwin, a "confirmed bachelor."
This short story was first published in 1910 in Scribners' Magazine. Wharton wrote a book of ghost stories, and "The Eyes" is one of her best.
January 12, 2021
Bien escrito sin embargo no tiene gracia
February 4, 2014
I love Edith Wharton. This isn't one of my favorites by her, but it's still a very effective piece. A group of men have gathered to tell each other ghost stories. Upon urging, the host of the evening shares his own - and in doing so, inadvertently reveals more about himself, and the things he regrets about his past, than he ever recognized in himself.
January 17, 2018
Not one of her best efforts but a nice light read after having a head cold followed by a migraine.
Loved the twist at the end.
Ooooh scary eyes!
Loved the twist at the end.
Ooooh scary eyes!
October 24, 2025
⭐️4.5
My fav of hers. I just love horror that reflects human nature. I liked it as much as "The Triumph of Night". Also, that shit was gay btw, very much so. I can even say that "The Triumph of Night" also had a little bit of a queer undertone. Might be me idk.
Toodles 🖖🏾
My fav of hers. I just love horror that reflects human nature. I liked it as much as "The Triumph of Night". Also, that shit was gay btw, very much so. I can even say that "The Triumph of Night" also had a little bit of a queer undertone. Might be me idk.
Toodles 🖖🏾
December 12, 2021
Spooooky. But had to read twice and really focus hard to get thru. Could've been really good, just wasn't.
January 6, 2020
A perplexing story from the author of The House of Mirth, Wharton's attempt at a ghost story leaves you feeling somewhat bewildered. Haunted by the eyes, whose identity is never revealed, the reader is left to try and find meaning somewhere between the limited information given, and yet, there is much in this story to recommend it. The relationship between Culwin and his unfortunate cousin, who he inexplicably offers marriage to only to repent of this, set against his mentoring relationship with the would-be writer presents a teasing conundrum to Culwin's own inclinations. I have to confess that this story was not what I was expecting, but it was a short, sharp read, with enough to think about when the story draws to a close.
June 29, 2009
This is the second story, chronologically, in the collection "The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton," and is aesthetically superior to the book's introductory story, "The Lady's Maid's Bell," significantly "fuller" in terms of lasting, intellectual meaning.
A plus for this story might be that the chill comes not from the supernatural (or is it?) occurrence described, but from the reality of the human effect its retelling has on the character of Frenham, in the end. Beautifully subtle, entertaining, ultimately even moving, with some genuine glimpses of insight into foolishness, negligence, and the soul of the "user."
A plus for this story might be that the chill comes not from the supernatural (or is it?) occurrence described, but from the reality of the human effect its retelling has on the character of Frenham, in the end. Beautifully subtle, entertaining, ultimately even moving, with some genuine glimpses of insight into foolishness, negligence, and the soul of the "user."
November 26, 2015
This short ghost story is elegantly eerie. But as I read it I thought, 'This story isn't frightening at all,' but then, by the time I'd reached the end I reversed my decision and realised it was exceedingly frightening.
In the tradition of all the best ghost stories, it begins innocently but by the end it's entered your psyche and the last paragraph will remain there to haunt you ... often. And perhaps forever. Because it isn't about a ghost at all ... .
In the tradition of all the best ghost stories, it begins innocently but by the end it's entered your psyche and the last paragraph will remain there to haunt you ... often. And perhaps forever. Because it isn't about a ghost at all ... .
July 15, 2024
Luckily it was a short story, so I could read it twice and get rid of any doubt that I didn't understand it at all. But it is well written and it is also very disturbing.
Per fortuna che era un racconto, cosí ho potuto leggerlo due volte e levarmi ogni dubbio sul fatto di non averlo capito affatto. Peró é scritto bene ed é anche molto inquietante.
Per fortuna che era un racconto, cosí ho potuto leggerlo due volte e levarmi ogni dubbio sul fatto di non averlo capito affatto. Peró é scritto bene ed é anche molto inquietante.
June 9, 2019
Mah.
Un racconto gotico? Gli occhi sono un riflesso del senso di colpa? Non è che sia tanto chiaro...
Un racconto gotico? Gli occhi sono un riflesso del senso di colpa? Non è che sia tanto chiaro...
April 10, 2021
This will not be reviewed on the blog. I was hoping this would change my mind about ghost stories. Unfortunately it hasn't
February 2, 2016
This was a bit disappointing... I don't think the ending held any surprise. This didn't get under my skin in the way I had hoped it would. Though I liked the writing there wasn't anything truly outstanding about it.
I'm not a fan of short stories and this book hasn't changed my opinion.
I'm not a fan of short stories and this book hasn't changed my opinion.
February 21, 2017
I don't mind ambiguous endings, but this I felt left a lot to be desired.
March 18, 2018
I just couldn’t stay interested.
April 19, 2018
Interesting, if slight, ghost story which seems to be a parable for repressed homosexuality. Lovely edition by Galley Beggar Press.
September 20, 2023
“At first I used to wonder what had put into that radiant head the detestable delusion that it held a brain.”
One of the greatest zingers I’ve ever read.
One of the greatest zingers I’ve ever read.
October 21, 2024
Modify your expectations if you want something traditionally spooky. The horror in this story comes not from the supernatural, but from the self.
Edwin Culwin is haunted by the visions of eyes, which appear only when he tries to enter into any kind of commitment. The eyes are that of an aged man, who's committed bad deeds but been careful to avoid the consequences.
When he shirks his commitments, often rather cruelly, the eyes go away, and he relishes the relief of their absence.
A few spoilers in these observations, so proceed with caution. Major spoilers will be hidden.
Culwin is subtextually gay or bisexual. He tries to force himself to enter into a marriage with a woman, only to subsequently reflect on the ludicrosity of such a union. The second time he sees the eyes is when he was mentoring a young man whom he described as "Hyacinthian." But his attraction to men is made even more apparent from the second page, where it's remarked that he *ahem* "liked 'em juicy," referring to the young men he likes to host as his guests - one of whom is the narrator.
A big part of the eyes could have to do with repression or self-loathing regarding his homosexuality, but there's actually no indication that he's ashamed of that at this point in his life. He could be, but that's open to interpretation.
I think that what weighs on Culwin is the fact that he regards men as "superfluous," and women as "necessary only because someone had to do the cooking." He looks down even on people that he seems to admire, or come close to loving -
This is a recurring pattern with Culwin: he often thinks he's being as kind as he can be, but kindness can't make up for a poor opinion of the people you're closest to. He considers men superfluous and women a utility, so how can he have any meaningful connections with anyone?
A truly haunting moment arrives at the end of the story, when
This story is thus more interesting than scary, though it is surely haunting, and invites many interpretations. My interpretation that the story is about the importance of loving wholly, with no hidden nasty judgement or caveats, and how easy it can be to run from the parts of ourselves that scare us most.
Edwin Culwin is haunted by the visions of eyes, which appear only when he tries to enter into any kind of commitment. The eyes are that of an aged man, who's committed bad deeds but been careful to avoid the consequences.
When he shirks his commitments, often rather cruelly, the eyes go away, and he relishes the relief of their absence.
A few spoilers in these observations, so proceed with caution. Major spoilers will be hidden.
Culwin is subtextually gay or bisexual. He tries to force himself to enter into a marriage with a woman, only to subsequently reflect on the ludicrosity of such a union. The second time he sees the eyes is when he was mentoring a young man whom he described as "Hyacinthian." But his attraction to men is made even more apparent from the second page, where it's remarked that he *ahem* "liked 'em juicy," referring to the young men he likes to host as his guests - one of whom is the narrator.
A big part of the eyes could have to do with repression or self-loathing regarding his homosexuality, but there's actually no indication that he's ashamed of that at this point in his life. He could be, but that's open to interpretation.
I think that what weighs on Culwin is the fact that he regards men as "superfluous," and women as "necessary only because someone had to do the cooking." He looks down even on people that he seems to admire, or come close to loving -
This is a recurring pattern with Culwin: he often thinks he's being as kind as he can be, but kindness can't make up for a poor opinion of the people you're closest to. He considers men superfluous and women a utility, so how can he have any meaningful connections with anyone?
A truly haunting moment arrives at the end of the story, when
This story is thus more interesting than scary, though it is surely haunting, and invites many interpretations. My interpretation that the story is about the importance of loving wholly, with no hidden nasty judgement or caveats, and how easy it can be to run from the parts of ourselves that scare us most.
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To SEE a WORLD in a Grain of Sand,
And a HEAVEN in a Wild Flower,
Hold INFINITY in the palm of your hand
And ETERNITY in an Hour"
~ William Blake ~
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Form is Emptiness; Emptiness is form.
Form is not different than Emptiness;
Emptiness is not different than form
~ Heart Sutra ~
Like the ocean and its waves,
inseparable yet distinct
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" I and The Father are one,
I am The Truth,
The Life and The Path.”
Like a river flowing from its source,
connected and continuous
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Thy kingdom come.
Let the reign of divine
Truth, Life, and Love
be established in me,
and rule out of me all sin;
and may Thy Word
enrich the affections of all mankind
A mighty oak tree standing firm against the storm,
As sunlight scatters the shadows of night
A river nourishing the land it flows through
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To SEE a WORLD in a Grain of Sand,
And a HEAVEN in a Wild Flower,
Hold INFINITY in the palm of your hand
And ETERNITY in an Hour"
~ William Blake ~
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Form is Emptiness; Emptiness is form.
Form is not different than Emptiness;
Emptiness is not different than form
~ Heart Sutra ~
Like the ocean and its waves,
inseparable yet distinct
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" I and The Father are one,
I am The Truth,
The Life and The Path.”
Like a river flowing from its source,
connected and continuous
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Thy kingdom come.
Let the reign of divine
Truth, Life, and Love
be established in me,
and rule out of me all sin;
and may Thy Word
enrich the affections of all mankind
A mighty oak tree standing firm against the storm,
As sunlight scatters the shadows of night
A river nourishing the land it flows through
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March 24, 2023
One of my favorite Wharton ghost stories. (I can't comprehend the <3.5-star rating. You all are hard to please.)
I love the gothic framing, the ethical dilemmas, and moral questions about how mundane compromises (some based on internalized stigma and self-denial) erode people over time. A few people have commented that it's not very scary -- that might be true. But I think it may be scarier the more you resemble Culwin, or might become scarier as you get closer to middle and old age.
There are a lot of nice descriptions of moral decay:
"But the age of the eyes was not the most unpleasant thing about them. What turned me sick was their expression of vicious security. I don’t know how else to describe the fact that they seemed to belong to a man who had done a lot of harm in his life, but had always kept just inside the danger lines. They were not the eyes of a coward, but of some one much too clever to take risks; and my gorge rose at their look of base astuteness. ... they were eyes which had grown hideous gradually, which had built up their baseness coral-wise, bit by bit, out of a series of small turpitudes slowly accumulated through the industrious years. Yes—it came to me that what made them so bad was that they’d grown bad so slowly."
The descriptions of Gilbert's ineptitude are also lovely. I think this is some of Wharton's best writing, maybe because the narrator does such a good job of balancing cattiness with compassion:
"His stupidity was a natural grace—it was as beautiful, really, as his eye-lashes. And he was so gay, so affectionate, and so happy with me, that telling him the truth would have been about as pleasant as slitting the throat of some artless animal. At first I used to wonder what had put into that radiant head the detestable delusion that it held a brain. ... There were moments of our pilgrimage when beauty born of murmuring sound seemed actually to pass into his face—but only to issue forth in a shallow flood of the palest ink."
Overall, I thought it was a surprisingly fun, philosophical, plot-driven gothic ghost story.
I love the gothic framing, the ethical dilemmas, and moral questions about how mundane compromises (some based on internalized stigma and self-denial) erode people over time. A few people have commented that it's not very scary -- that might be true. But I think it may be scarier the more you resemble Culwin, or might become scarier as you get closer to middle and old age.
There are a lot of nice descriptions of moral decay:
"But the age of the eyes was not the most unpleasant thing about them. What turned me sick was their expression of vicious security. I don’t know how else to describe the fact that they seemed to belong to a man who had done a lot of harm in his life, but had always kept just inside the danger lines. They were not the eyes of a coward, but of some one much too clever to take risks; and my gorge rose at their look of base astuteness. ... they were eyes which had grown hideous gradually, which had built up their baseness coral-wise, bit by bit, out of a series of small turpitudes slowly accumulated through the industrious years. Yes—it came to me that what made them so bad was that they’d grown bad so slowly."
The descriptions of Gilbert's ineptitude are also lovely. I think this is some of Wharton's best writing, maybe because the narrator does such a good job of balancing cattiness with compassion:
"His stupidity was a natural grace—it was as beautiful, really, as his eye-lashes. And he was so gay, so affectionate, and so happy with me, that telling him the truth would have been about as pleasant as slitting the throat of some artless animal. At first I used to wonder what had put into that radiant head the detestable delusion that it held a brain. ... There were moments of our pilgrimage when beauty born of murmuring sound seemed actually to pass into his face—but only to issue forth in a shallow flood of the palest ink."
Overall, I thought it was a surprisingly fun, philosophical, plot-driven gothic ghost story.
October 28, 2023
I did not understand this one at all. An old man is entertaining some younger men with a ghost story. In his youth, he was aimless and moved in with an aunt in NYC where he met young Alice. She wasn’t especially pretty or engaging but he fell in instalove and proposed to her. But that night, he awoke to menacing eyes staring at him from the foot of the bed. He could not sleep and left the house immediately the next morning, boarding a ship for Europe. He did not see the eyes again and so he stayed in Europe. A couple of years later, a young man,Gilbert, met him in Rome with a letter from Alice, his cousin, asking him to look after him. So he does and they fall into an easy friendship. Gilbert wants to write a book but his writing is terrible but he is afraid that if he tells him the truth, Gilbert will leave. So he lies and then he starts seeing the eyes again. Eventually he tells the truth, Gilbert leaves and he never see the eyes again. When he is done with his story, one of the young men who was listening is struck dumb, hiding the hatred on his face.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2024
I have read Edith Wharton's stories before, but this one has made a mark. 'The Eyes' is described as a ghost story but I think it is more of a psychological thriller where the protagonist is tormented by his subconscious mind when he masks his guilt with a facade of insincere benevolence but knows deeply inside the intentions behind his gratuitous goodness. I loved the depth of narration describing the eyes.
"But the age of the eyes was not the most unpleasant thing about them. What turned me sick was their expression of vicious security. I don't know how else to describe the fact that they seemed to belong to a man who had done a lot of harm in his life, but had always kept just inside the danger lines. They were not the eyes of a coward, but of some one much too clever to take risks; and my gorge rose at their look of base astuteness. Yet even that wasn't the worst; for as we continued to scan each other I saw in them a tinge of faint derision, and felt myself to be its object."
"But the age of the eyes was not the most unpleasant thing about them. What turned me sick was their expression of vicious security. I don't know how else to describe the fact that they seemed to belong to a man who had done a lot of harm in his life, but had always kept just inside the danger lines. They were not the eyes of a coward, but of some one much too clever to take risks; and my gorge rose at their look of base astuteness. Yet even that wasn't the worst; for as we continued to scan each other I saw in them a tinge of faint derision, and felt myself to be its object."
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