Imagine a world without life’s magic or beauty. Where everyone is driven by the passion to be the best to an extent that there is a loss of beauty and simplicity. Life would be meaningless, with no feelings or warmth. In the short story, “Lenses, ” Leah Silverman explores the idea that by striving to become better and achieve acceptance through society, there can be a detachment from individual uniqueness. Through the process, there is a loss of liveliness which is portrayed through the main character, Corinne and her friend Grusha.

Throughout the story, the main focus is on the motif, (which are the eyes.) The personification and imagery that the author uses really open one’s eyes to see how a simple body part represents one’s true colours. Eyes are the windows to the soul, or even a metaphor of who one truly is. In the story, the eyes are symbolic and represent the sacrifice of something meaningful to evolve for the better. The new eyes are better, work longer, and are replaceable. But Grusha has replaced the irreplaceable which are her real eyes. This sacrifice also leads up to the fact that the world loses individuality as technology advances and in order to be accepted one needs to keep up. The story foreshadows a future in which people will become flawless robots but lose the understanding of live.   One will understand that achieving the best at a certain point of time may not be the best in the long run.

The loss of each individual’s attributes for something perfect becomes empty. Even though one may think that one has become better, really one hasn’t changed and has not understood the loss of what one has sacrificed. The strive for acceptance is something priceless that the gain cannot even compare.