Big Fish: Part 2: The Old Lady and the Eye Summary & Analysis

Edward leaves Jimson’s store and decides to attend college, so he heads for Auburn. When he finally arrives, exhausted, he boards with an old lady and sleeps for three days. Edward feels much better when he wakes up, so he offers to help the lady as a gesture of thanks. The lady explains that some kids broke into her apartment a few days ago and stole her glass eye from her nightstand. Edward sets off to find the glass eye, and he learns that many rumors are circulating about it. People say the eye has “magic powers,” that it can see, and that looking directly at it will summon the old lady to torture you.  

The gang who stole the eye takes turns to watch it every night. Edward decides to befriend the group to learn more. After asking around, Edward’s told to come to a secluded barn that night. When he enters, he sees a group of ominous-looking hooded figures sitting around the eye, which rests on a silk pillow. Edward explains that the eye summoned him, so the gang leader deems that Edward should look after it that night. They warn him that if the eye disappears, they’ll take one if his eyes instead. Edward leaves with the eye, not knowing what to do and wondering what it would feel like to lose his own eye.

In the morning Edward returns to the barn and hands over an empty box. The gang leader lunges at Edward in fury until Edward explains that the eye is here, it's just not in the box. The door creaks open and the old lady walks in, wearing the glass eye. The boys can’t turn away. They stare into the old lady’s eyes and she stares right back. One boy screams, one cries, and another just looks confused. Terrified, the boys run away, vowing never to bother Edward in case the old lady comes for them. Edward sticks around and becomes an “A student” who remembers everything—including the face of the leader, who is actually the man William’s mother (Sandra) almost marries.