Feb 08, 2013

I think this short story is probably the best example in which a protagonist has a very obvious epiphany. He begins by asking about the blind man’s recently deceased wife, but doesn’t stay on that question for too long before changing the subject. By asking this question and then proceeding to quickly change the topic shows that he really doesn’t have any interest in the blind man or his life. The husband shows his true feelings towards the blind man early in the story and I get the feeling that he will not sway away from them. I feel that he hates the blind man not because of any qualities the blind man has but because he does not understand him. The husband shows this when he becomes upset that the blind man will be staying at his house and he can’t really control that. Towards the end you notice the husband tries to get to know the blind man but is so nervous about it he seems to make the situation a little awkward. It really isn’t until he realizes the blind man is figuratively like the cathedral, with a rough exterior and an unseen beauty inside that he begins to understand the blind man.
The language of the text made it seem as if the husband was a little uneducated and very stubborn in his ways. My personal image of the husband is that he might have a little alcohol problem. Maybe in the time period it was ok for him to have several glasses of whiskey before and after dinner but to me it just shows that he is drinking to distract him from interacting with the blind man. I also see it as a way he might open up more to the blind man, once the alcohol kicks in. Maybe that is why later on he starts to talk about the program on television that interest him and thus showing some insight into his upcoming epiphany. The television is another area of bonding between the two men, they talk about the change that color television is having on the world,