Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes

The idea that eyes can be deceived is an old trope that underlies adages like “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Peter Nimble, robbed of eyesight in infancy, has never learned to trust his eyes, so they cannot deceive him. His other senses are so acute that he detects sounds and smells that would escape a sighted person, a distinct advantage in a world in which all is not as it seems. When Mrs. Molasses rescues Peter, she raves about how perfect the kingdom is: the palace, the food, the king. The optics support that assertion, but Peter, who cannot see the surface richness around him, knows something is off. In his food, Peter can taste the Devil’s Dram, a sensory feat none of the adults can manage. In the Eating Hall, he hears the strangely unequivocal jollity of every person he meets: “there was something behind the clean floors and cheery voices that made him uneasy” (173). The visual world of the Vanished Kingdom is a carefully constructed mirage designed to keep its subjects compliant. Peter has lived his entire life trusting his other senses, so when those senses raise a red flag, he knows to heed the warning.