THEME

[Gwen Bloomsburg]

When we talk about the theme of a work of literature, we are attempting to express some understanding that is communicated in the work. In the case of Blindness, what would you say is a theme?

HINT: Please try to express the theme in a complete sentence, not as a single word. For example: a possible theme of Romeo and Juliet is not just "love" but "When love breaks boundaries, it ends in tragedy."

[Andres Munoz]

Blindness is a story that is based, from my perspective a utopia controlling the blind making this a tragedy, in this utopia having the alienation of the rest, they try to survive with the people that show they don't care about others and having no mercy for the blind. The theme that was greater for me, "Survival", all this blind trying to survive having no help at all from the outer people, the non-infected.

[sebas]

For me, in this book called Blindness, its main theme is the strength that the people have, how they never give up and never refuse to lose hopes of dying and to see again, to see the other people and to see the people they love. So for me is we have to talk about the main theme for this book, definitively and with out doubts, is the idea of never giving up and no matter what are the problem that you have in life, you should still be your self and enjoy life no matter what.

Sebastian Gordillo Davalos

[majotorressanteli]

Saramago’s work can receive multiple interpretations and points of view, but overall I think the story takes you to the point of analazing if an individual affects the society or if the society affects the individual. In fact, I consider that the main theme is a phsycological blindness that passes through all kind of barriers, a blindess in which humans can see, but don’t want to see. A cultural, social, economical, political, ethical blindness that enables people to see what really matters and takes them to having superficial, irrelevant matters as their main priorities in life. The consequence of this blindness takes out the worst side of people, and turns a community into an incredible mess, ruled by freedom. Since they were blind, no one had control over nothing, so each one of them struggled to survive and live on their own as they could. This freedom takes them to such a misfortune, both inside and outside the quarentine, that they no longer seem to be persons but animals, ruled by instinct. “There are many ways of becoming an animal […] this is just the first of them.”(pg. 93) It is intriguing how Saramago shows human conditions, both positive and negative aspects, and takes you to actually closing your eyes and trying to see beyond.
Majo Torres-Santeli. Int.

[Melissa Messler]

One of the main themes in the novel Blindness is the indifference of society after a tragic event; such as everyone becoming blind except the doctor's wife. When a tragedy like that happens people become lost and all of a sudden they have to deal with something they are not use to dealing with. It makes them very uncomfortable and they find themselves having a hard time interacting at first with other people possibly due to their insecurities and to them being afraid. People are so consumed by their own lives that they don't take the time to worry about tragedies in other peoples lives, until it happens to them, like blindness. The whole society learns to depend on one single women, the doctors wife, because of their needs but this makes the society very unstable and thats what creates an imbalance in society.

[Sebastian Villacreces]

In the novel themes may vary depending on the people and points of view. For me the main theme for me in the novel is society and how can society act when panic strikes them. I believe this as a theme for the novel because throughout the entire novel you can see how blind people start living in the mental hospital and in the city. Power and violence takes over the mental hospital. Whoever had the more power in the mental hospital had the "control" over the rest of the blind people, in this case the people with the gun and other weapons. On the other side this situation does not happened in the city, no one has the power. Hunger and starvation is what makes the society go crazy. Everyone was desperate for food, and were capable of violence just for getting food. This is why I think why society is the theme of the book, how can people start living after a tragedy.

[jorgelara]

As any other novel; there is always different interpretations a reader can have about the entire book. Specialy the theme, and Saramago doesn't make it any easier. through the novel I have identify several themes but there is one that really attracts my attention as a reader which is: You don't always have to be physically blind for not seeing. This was the major theme I interpreted, because is always shown in the novel. As people starts to become blind we can see what is the meaning of being physically blind; which means that you are not able to see anything, you have lost your eyesight as shown in the novel. But then the other type blindness is shown. this type of blindness represents the society, the ones that are able to see but not to watch. what the theme means is that sometimes people that don't give enough importance to things what makes them blind, like the society in the novel that at the beginning people didn't care about anything but themselves. this makes them blind. but then the blind people who where at quarantine where the ones to watch how hard things really are and how you do realize that you need others to survive; in this case the doctor's wife.

[Majo Borja]

The main theme of the novel Blindness is mainly the primitive instincts observed in humans in a given situation of desperation and any kind of severe need. The novel shows a society in which hunger strikes and a whole new organizational system must be created. People are going back to living in clans, as society was millions of years ago, in order to be able to be safe and look for food and shelter. The rule of the strongest can be clearly observed in the mental hospital when the leader was the man with the gun. His aisle was benefited with extra food rations since they were his followers. When the man was killed, his successor was the born blind man who had taken his gun.
Strength decided who the leader was. As the time passed by, people tended to forget any rule of civilization. There were violations and no sense of respect for the rest of the humans, but for themselves. People would no longer be able to control their needs, and would act as instinct tells them to.

[dome ayala]

This book can be interpreted in many ways because the author shows many ideas that can be consider the theme. From my personal point of view the main theme is the peoples different reactions when they face something they did not know how to control. They became less humans each time and brought out behaviors that were really frighting on how a society can turn out to be. It shows how humans think and act in times of desperation and how they can change their ways of being. Not only violate the moral integrity but also turn against each other in times when they need to help each other the most. For me its a wake up call that tells us so many things that are wrong with our society because even though we see with our eyes we still are not truly seeing what's in front of us, for me this is what the book is trying to tells us that we are blind people who can see, people who are not actually seeing what's in front of us.

[ralbornozr]

The theme of the novel for me is how society is blinded in more of a metaphoric way not just the blindness as the epidemic, but how society being capable of seeing, is blinded towards the reality that everyday surrounds us.

Rafaela Albornoz R.

[ricardoperez]

The theme of this novel is strength. Strength because all the people are having trouble with their life but they never give up. These people are overcoming their disability and are living their life as they can. The inner strength people have is really important for them and it is also important for the doctor's wife. The doctor's wife is also really strong because it is really difficult to help someone with any disability.

I also think that another important theme is leadership. Leadership because the doctor's wife, being the only one not blind, takes care of the people with problems such as blindness. She never gives up and wants to help people life their life they always had.

Ricardo Perez

[mpbravo]

One of the main themes in the novel Blindness, for me is to be strong no matter what the problem is because in some way life will give you the solution or unless you would understand the problem. This epidemic left people’s faith and inner strength behind, and that is one of the main problems because people stop fighting for what they wanted to achieve. The citizens didn’t know what to do with this new disease that has come to the world, but even though they should keep with their life and do not permit that an obstacle make them give up and convert life, into a disaster.

Maria Paula Bravo

[vperez]

The main theme of this novel is courage and perseverance. In life no matter what the problem is you have to keep hope and faith in that problems would be resolved and with courage and perseverance you can try to solve problems. Although there was this big epidemic in the city the blind and the doctor’s wife who was able to see tried to maintain calmness, and worked for everyone’s good. They were perseverant in what they wanted and especially the doctor’s wife had the courage to deal and care for all the blind.
vperez

[kgabela]

The book blindness is a book that has many themes and that can be interpreted in many different ways. For me the main theme is even thought the struggle and obstacles for survival perseverance is the key for surviving. This means that even tought you are passing though a very hard situacions like the case of the blind people lack of food, not enough water and caos perseverance is always needed. If you give up and aren’t patient you don’t go anywhere. Here enters also the quote that says “If you don’t want to see you would not see, you need to see beyond”, and that is what killed many blind people. They thinked I am blind which is to be dead which was wrong. Because many people born blind and turn blind also and survive. Also they said I can’t take shower eat or do other things because everybody is blind. So in conclusion according to me the book teaches to the reader to never give up and have perseverance for surviving.
Karina Gabela 11th grade

[cbenitez]

The novel blindness has many different themes such as courage perseverance ignorance, and strenght facing difficult situations. I think that the theme of the novel is the caos that people have to face to realize and appreciate the important things in life, and how life can change if we are taken of the things we are used to have, in this case sight.