Vathek

Eyes, particularly the “terrible eye” of Vathek, are a motif throughout the story. They mirror the characters’ mental states: Vathek’s eye is frightening when he is enraged, Nouronihar’s eyes enlarge upon the sight of riches, and the Stranger’s eyes are “huge” and “glow like firebrands” (6). In a Gothic text like Vathek, these descriptions reflect the genre convention of heightened emotion while also suggesting the characters’ motivations.

Eyes also recur as a motif in connection with material satisfaction and The Dangers of Excess. The Delight of the Eyes is one of Vathek’s palaces of the senses, Vathek desires to be great in the eyes of others, and Vathek’s astrological observations make his eyes tools for divining the path to more riches. In this way, eyes are also connected to power. They can be used to assess people and situations and even to transmit emotion. Vathek’s eye is almost lethal, all but killing Fakreddin when they argue over Nouronihar.

Eyes’ dual function allows the narrative to draw a broader connection between material satisfaction and the inner soul and to comment on Appearance Versus Reality. The eyes, uniquely susceptible to material wonders, are avenues for excess to imprint itself upon the soul.