Eyes

Eyes symbolize God’s judgement. They are a dominant symbol in “The Hollow Men,” standing for the ancient question of whether one is destined for Heaven or Hell. But Eliot portrays that judgement as a gaze one can choose to meet: in "The Hollow Men," we see that fate is determined not just by the judgement of the eyes, but by whether the speaker will face it. From the first verse, Eliot links the ability to “cross” beyond the shore with the possession of “direct eyes” (14), or the ability to look at their fates directly. This image contrasts with the hollow men’s approach. The speaker says he “dare not meet” the eyes, even in his dreams (19). Instead, he dresses up as a scarecrow – the imitation of a man – with an overlay of rat and crow to avoid the “final meeting” (37) with the eyes. The reason...