The act of going blind in symbolic literature always seems to represent a willful avoidance of the truth or reality. Invisible Man, a novel written by Ralph Ellison in 1952, reminds me of Blindness by Jose Saramago in many ways. I realize that we have not read this novel in class, but Ellison’s approach to blindness as a symbol of ignorance is so closely related to Saramago’s work that it should be briefly researched. The narrator of Invisible Man repeatedly mentions the inability of the characters to see what their hate and bias prevents them from seeing. A physical blindness affects two man characters, Reverend Homer Barbee and Brother Jack, and phrases such as “empty eyes” and “blinding lights” prevent many from actually observing (which I think was an important distinction of seeing that we discussed at the beginning of class on Wenesday). Although this novel is much different from Blindness, the theme of blindness in the sense of voluntary ignorance and denial is very similar. This was such an influential novel in its time, as well as today, that I cannot help but think that Saramago was greatly influenced by Ellison’s poetic usage of the themes of blindness, white versus black, and stereotypes (labels).
Blindness is completely timeless. It has no color, no names. There is nothing which a future generation could reference as a specific time in history because they will be experiencing the same stereotypes and “blindness” towards what they choose not to observe. This is kind of novel that we need to take note of and realize that unless we start to observe our similarities and embrace, not just remain blind to, all of each other’s differences, prejudice will continue to thrive. One last point that I thought of after class was how the milky white color of blindness seemed to represent a type of purity to me. I agree that it has aspects and symbolism in accordance to fog/seeing etc, but white strikes a purity reference in the minds of many analytical readers and might make sense if the act of going blind is looked at as putting everyone on a “level playing field” (temporarily purifying/taking away the ability to sin by way of bias). I would like to know what everyone thinks of that idea and the Invisible Man reference.