In literature, there are countless representations of gazes that reflect the emotions of protagonists. In this regard, authors use various literary techniques to emphasize the importance of looks in their stories and to convey the characters’ emotions. Here are some examples:

Gaze descriptions: Authors may use detailed descriptions of gazes to illustrate the emotions of their characters. For example, “Her eyes fell to the floor when she heard the sad news,” or “His eyes sparkled with joy when he saw the surprise.”

Direction of gaze: The direction a character is looking at can also tell you a lot about their emotions. For example, “She stared stubbornly straight ahead, her eyes narrowed in anger,” or “He looked down at the ground in embarrassment as he confessed the truth.”

Eye contact: Eye contact between characters can convey strong emotional messages. Intense eye contact can indicate passion, love, anger, or other strong feelings. For example, “Their eyes met and an electrifying tingle ran through her body” or “He couldn’t take his eyes off her sad eyes.”

Gaze statements: writers can also use direct statements about the meaning of gazes to clarify characters’ emotions. For example, “His piercing gaze betrayed his determination,” or “Her fleeting glance made him suspect that something was wrong.”

Metaphorical descriptions: Authors often use metaphorical descriptions of looks to convey their characters’ emotions. For example, “His eyes were like twinkling stars of joy” or “Her gaze was like an icy dagger of contempt.”

Examples

To make it more concrete, here are a few examples where I describe different emotions about the looks:

Dislike: “She turned a contemptuous gaze on him, her eyes narrow and cold, and then abruptly turned away to ignore him.”

Weary: “His gaze seemed tired and blank, his eyelids heavy, as if he barely had the energy to look at anyone.”

Disgust: “Sensing the vile odor, she contorted her face in disgust, her gaze fixed on the cause in disgust.”

Defense: “He raised an eyebrow in skeptical defense, his gaze filled with suspicion as if shielding himself from the words of his counterpart.”

Absence: “Her gaze slid over the pages of the book, but her thoughts seemed far away, her eyes glazed and unfocused.”

Aggressiveness: “His gaze was piercing and his eyes sparkled with anger as he stared at his opponent, ready for battle.”

Cluelessness: “He shrugged his shoulders and looked clueless, his eyes searching for answers, but his gaze remained blank.”

Alertness: “Her gaze was alert, her eyes scanning the surroundings sharply, looking for signs of danger.”

Silliness: “A cheeky smile spread across her face and her eyes sparkled with exuberance as she gave her friend a teasing look.”

Loneliness: “His look was sad and lost, his eyes searching for a familiar face in the crowd, but he felt lonely deep inside.”

These examples are meant to illustrate how the gaze can be used in literature to express different emotions and states. Authors often use a combination of gaze descriptions, gaze directions, eye contact, and metaphorical descriptions to convey their characters’ feelings and enhance the atmosphere of their stories.