Blindness by Jose Saramago

If an seek is made to describe Jose Saramagos wileness in a single sentence, it will be unlessified to say that the novel is a product of the authors extraordinary vision. Primarily an onlyegorical shargon of fiction, si regular(a)ess is a literary masterpiece in terms of its elusive delineation of ironic humor and bleakness of existence. Numerous thematic becomes argon interwoven into the plot of the novel. Post-modern literary techniques such(prenominal) as long sentences with place punctuation marks, indefinite usage of halal nouns and so on be compound for illustrating the themes adequately.The haunting prose style is beautifully supplemented by the sparse imageries of mans worst appetites and weaknesses. The amicableistic approach to the novel is as signifi standt as the internal representations. This essay is going to elaborate on the line of descents that connect the thematic devices of the novel. It might be noned that on that point are quite a few themes to be taken within the periphery of discussion in order to substantiate the authors argumentative claims and subclaims.As the novel nears its end, unmatch fitted of the characters remark during the process of getting his vision rear end I dont rec everyplace we did go blind, I think we are blind, Blind merely seeing, Blind plurality who can see, still do non see. (Saramago 292) This statement highlights the semipolitical and philosophical essence of the novel. The story of Blindness centers round a hair-raising vision of disorientation and departure. A city the identity of which is unploughed unrevea lead is struck by a fast epidemic, leaving its inmates blind. Nobody is able to find every apparent reason behind such a contagion.The general tenor of panic and disorientation triggers a loving breakdown. The camps cook up by the civic administrative body to cater to the cataclysm are ill-governed. A sense of hopelessness and discharge of direction runs d wholeness each individuals psyche. In the wake of the epidemic, the initial political science response involves tantrum up of large quarantine areas to accommodate the infected people. However, the filthy and overcrowded centers raise out to be grossly unhygienic to reject any chance of the inmates recovering. Soon, living determines deteriorate rapidly, sp interpret a vagabond of restlessness and trouble outside.As far as the thematic significance is concerned, this anxiety plays a steering role through and through the length of the novel. Anxiety over inadequacy of food and medicine, anxiety over future and last only when not the least, anxiety over administrative laxity collectively do work out the primordial theme of Blindness of well-disposed outline misadventure and mankinds inane incapacity to care for strangers. As trail Corbett points out, How are we to imagine a military man in which some primordial part of our meaning system suddenly disappears? (Corbett 1997) A summo ning of annoyance in the uncertain mise en scene of the twentieth century is what Saramago pens down in the novel.The disappearance of this central part can be unders tood amend from the opening chapter when a man stuck in the traffic light loses his vision. The oxymoronic member present here is quite significant. The fact that this man loses his sight term standing in the traffic light and not in any dark corridor sums up the bitter irony of situation. The following course of events, all in a swift motion, underlines humanitykinds perpetual make do to cope with unpredicted changes in habitual infrastructures. As soon as the first man goes blind, a series of misfortunes be lineages the city. The soul who takes him to an eye ready besides goes blind.The entire plot is unfolded around the doctor and his wife, who eventually suffers the analogous fate as of early(a)s. The swarthy blindness doesnt spare anybody in the unnamed city. A horrifying vision of the apocalypse, li ke in William Goldings Lord of the Flies, can be felt at every turn of a city that has gone berserk. The governments disorganized attempt to restore sanity into proceedings falls short of its intended go out as a gang of opportunists assume control of the chaotic surroundings. The political turmoil is juxtaposed against the psychological despair to address the theme of unexpected changes in known order.In fact Saramago is well known for coalescing myth, fiction and chronicle in his works in order to depict abrupt changes. The ambit of Blindness allows the readers to embark on a eraless voyage rachis to the mysterious historical times associated with myths and legends. Modern technological advancements have been satirized by the author to undermine their inadequacy in dealing with unexpected blows There essential be some mechanical fault, a loose accelerator pedal, a gear lever that has struck, but none of these technical problems are the bring on of the cars prolonged halt.T he driver inside starts shouting and to judge by the purport of his mouth he appears to be repeating some words, not one word but three, as turns out to be the racing shell when somebody finally manages to open the door, I am blind. (Saramago 1) A group of central characters in Blindness, united as a family in the wake of such an unprecedented disaster, play a significant role. The characterization is done in a deliberate manner to serve the purpose of the plot. In new(prenominal) words, the storyline doesnt discriminate mingled with characters that are common in one aspect they are all blind.The doctor, his wife, the girl with dark glasses, the male child with the squint, the man with the slow eye patch and the dog of tears are representative of the small world of struggling survivors in the face of plain incurable adversity. It is worth spotting that none of these characters has been given any proper name by the novelist. Blindness doesnt need any terminology this is pe rhaps the argument Saramago wants to advocate. They are called according to their position in the participation and relation with each new(prenominal).The literary device deployed by Saramago to support his argument behind characterization involves continuous sentence structuring. Some of the sentences run one-half the length of a page, without any hyphenation or semi colon. yet commas and periods are use sparsely The amber light came on. Two of the cars forth accelerated before the red light appeared. At the pedestrian carrefour the sign of a green man lit up. The people who were time lag began to cross the road, stepping on the white stripes painted on the b escape surface of the asphalt, there is cipher less like a zebra, however, that is what it is called.The motorists kept an impatient foot on the clutch, leaving their cars at the ready, advancing, retreating like nervous horses that can sense the whiplash about to be inflicted. The pedestrians have just finished crossin g but the sign allowing the cars to go will be delayed for some seconds, some people maintain that this delay, small-arm on the face of it so insignificant, has only to be multiplied by the thousands of traffic lights that . (Saramago 3) such physical composition style may immediately recall the stream-of-consciousness technique which is prolifically utilize in James Joyces masterpiece Ulysses.Separated by almost a century with regards to dates of publication, there isnt much difference in the interference of themes between these two novels. This technique is normally adopted to do remote with editing of thought processes as the writer writes. In Blindness, the apparent conundrum of the situation and the resultant uncertainties require a technique or writing style that can conform to the inner vacuum the characters feel while expressing their thoughts. At the same time, the narrative must also synchronize with the dialogues. Hence, honorable mention is non-existent in Blind ness.Speeches merge onto one an new(prenominal) in a unbroken maze of words. As a reader, one feels how difficult it is to broaden the sales booth of observation. As if, a blind spot is generated in the actual reading of the novel, which puts interpretive constraints. As some critics have argued, Saramagos profuse interlingual rendition of allegoric means may have been inspired by his intention to emphasize much on human factors than on fatalistic elements. Although there are a few distinctive references to the contemporary technological aspects, Blindness doesnt specify any timeframe.Readers are not given any clear perception about the time the novel portrays. thence, Blindness reflects a universality of creation, a ubiquitous presence upon human realms of perception. However, there are a few speculations made regarding the probable cultural prospect of the novel. follow the genius of language spoken by the characters and their food habits, it has been argued that the coun try shown in the novel is likely to be Saramagos homeland Portugal. The theme of timelessness is relevant in more than just one aspect of this discussion.As is the case with Albert Camus The Plague, Blindness too is a novel which symbolically represents a general affliction, regardless of space or time. The predicament of humanity in the middle of social, political and ethical degeneration is not a theme that should not be kept bound under a constrained timeframe or spatial margin. Moreover, the way a group of people start fishing in troubled waters, exploiting the helpless condition of others, goes beyond the borderline of time and geographic barriers, echoing the universality of mans futile but stubborn attempt to cope with disasters.Apart from Albert Camus The Plague and Jose Saramagos Blindness, John Wyndhams The Day of the Triffids and P. D. James The Children of Men also showcase characteristics of human nature as they emerge in a crisis situation marked by rapid and uncon trollable epidemics. Blindness, however, is distinguishable from other novels in one crucial aspect. It reflects the deep-seated humanity of those who are compelled to depend on each other for the sake of choice.This yearning for survival doesnt seem to fit the socio-economic class of existentialism or other post-modern philosophical doctrines since it is hampered by the loss of outer senses of vision. So the vision must come from within. The message of hope in a situation which is least congenial to breeding of hope is conveyed through the character of doctors wife. She is the only person who manages to regain sight. When she and other group members flee from the asylum, the plot takes a turn toward the recreation of a world which is not robbed of all hopes.Since she has vision, she can at least guide her companions in finding food and shelter. The argument Saramagos seeks to put forth through this episode involves that of restoration of orderliness in a world which is blind. I t might be noted, however, that only physical blindness is not the construct of the proposed argument. The spiritual blindness associated with chaos, opportunism and moral degradation is the fundamental free radical upon which the plot is built. As mentioned earlier, when the central system starts malfunctioning, human beings tend to cohere onto each other in search of a helping hand.A sudden change in the known world makes for a total loss of faith and triggers disorientation in the society. Doctors wife parableically symbolizes the dependable constant around which other variables revolve. But what does Jose Saramago want to speciate in Blindness, especially through the thematic inclusion of one person who is not blind? Since the novel is widely accepted as an apologue, the skepticism remains It is an allegory of what? Finding a plausible answer to the suspense stated above is not an easy task in that treble layers of interpretation can be made to it.The main problem with a n allegorical novel such as Blindness is that it accords too much exemption to the reader. It grants the room for too many interpretations. On one hand, the allegorical literary device helps reveal the basic needs of a social system the need for food, shelter and most importantly, for fraternity. Hence the thematic concept of allegory refers to the interdependency of individuals within a system which threatens to go astray. But contempt this interpretation, Blindness can be approached from a different viewpoint as well.The novel can be studied as an allegory of human damnation. The novelist criticizes the so-called established norms of civilization in a staunch manner. He observes how human beings, when pitted against a failing central system of order, can indulge in brutal acts of cruelty among one another. This is manifested in the events occurring at quarantine centers where no law and order exists whatsoever. Even the military takes an achromatic stance and refuses to supply basic medication. Consequently, a simple infection assumes a deathly proportion, destroying the lives of many.Timely food deliveries are hindered due to the illegal intervention of a gang of opportunists who unleash lethal torture on the hapless inmates. Thus the allegory of the novel can be explicated from a twofold stead firstly, it is a literary device which serves the purpose of underlying the fundamental social requirements for a smooth functioning, and secondly, it brings out the condemnable elements of a society gratuitous of any order or discipline. Corbett argues that the theory of allegory can also be done away with.Blindness can be seen as a masterful piece of authors logical reasoning of a world which lacks imaginative sensibility. This point of view insists on interpreting the major(ip) themes of the novel from a matter-of-fact perspective. There is nothing beyond what is literally apparent. The logical qualities prompt the readers to investigate into a citys conditi on when everyone except a single lady goes blind all on a sudden. The only sighted person acts as a fomite of hope and good fortune in a time when survival seems impossible.According to Corbett, this methodology of write up is also applicable to two other novels of Saramago, The gospel truth According to Jesus Christ and The Stone Raft. (Corbett 1997) The larger social testify painted by Blindness is of worth consideration. The collective physical loss of vision is used by the author as a metaphor for both personal misfortune and social catastrophe. (Snedeker 1997) The succession of events initiating from a single, odd instance of just one man getting blind while waiting at a traffic signal underscores the broader social context.As the entire population goes blind, the social system starts to crumble under pressure. world health officials working under the aegis of the government panic and mayhem descend over the city. The disintegration of faith and reliability is apparent as s oldiers guarding the asylum premises threaten to kill anyone who attempts to flee. The illness of blindness is used metaphorically as a limitation from a personal context extending to collective domain. Finding themselves in a society which no lengthy functions as it should do, the blind men reach the breaking limits of despair and trauma.Due to lack of food and other essential commodities for a healthy survival, the general shipway of living begin deteriorating rapidly. Taking a cue out of the broader social significance of blindness, one can critically observe that the metaphor is not restrained to any uni-dimensional mode of interpretation. If approached logically, the sudden onset of the epidemic is nothing but an unfortunate incident that befalls a city, making the lives of its dwellers difficult. So this explanation follows a real course.But the symbolic implication becomes apparent when one takes into enumerate the cultural impact of vision impairment that the author leav es ambiguous, arguably in an advertent manner. Hence, the epidemic, no matter whichever way the readers look at it, leads more to the notion of being a realistic literary device. An unnamed city, only disintegrated by the sudden attack of an epidemic, struggles to combat not just the disease, but also the virtues that make up of human society.A small group of people, led by a woman, find themselves in the squalid and terrifying spectacle of people scrounging for food and shelter. Such visions present a bleak and dreary setting of a post-modern novel. The abrupt ending, nearly as shocking as the theme itself, goes to show how Saramago eluded the enticement of telling more than what is already indicated. Hence, the construct of allegory, even though it can be discarded from a realistic approach, comes back once again. As the blind community of the city gets their vision back, everything seems to fall in pace for the city.The veil of clouds is lifted over from a unhealthy and desper ate existence of the city as if by some mysterious power, much to the relief of its inmates. It is apparent that the thematic constructs of change, human coping, the inevitability of disease and the undying spirit to overcome every adversity are highly well manifested by the literary techniques adapted by the novelist in Blindness. This is specially true in case of the profuse usage of long, unbroken sentences without too many punctuation marks.Moreover, the speeches without quotation too act as a potent literary device to represent the internal crisis of the characters. Again, the use of descriptive appellation in naming of characters is self-explanatory of its intended purpose. It establishes the interconnection between various characters who are mutually dependent on each other for the sake of surviving in a blind world that does not distinguish between masses. So it can be concluded that characterization, setting and plot work as a cohesive unit in perfect synchronization with the thematic aspects.It is virtually impossible to single out any particular argumentative theme if one attempts to focus on the novel in its entirety, especially if that focus takes into consideration the key literary devices. Works cited Saramago, Jose. Blindness a novel. London Harvill Press, 1997. Corbett, Bob. BLINDNESS. 1997. 10 March 2009 Snedeker, George. BLINDNESS. 1997. 10 March 2009