Short Fiction · Chapter
The Blind Man explained
A blind peasant, neglected and cruelly mistreated by his family after his parents' death, is subjected to relentless abuse, forced to beg, and ultimately abandoned in the snow to die.
What happens
A blind peasant, neglected and cruelly mistreated by his family after his parents' death, is subjected to relentless abuse, forced to beg, and ultimately abandoned in the snow to die. His corpse is discovered half-eaten by crows, a stark contrast to the joy of a sunny day.
Themes in this chapter
Cruelty and Suffering
The blind man endures relentless physical and emotional abuse from his family and community, culminating in his death by exposure.
Isolation and Loneliness
Despite living among others, the blind man is utterly isolated, unable to connect or receive compassion, and dies alone in a snow-covered field.
Illusion vs. Reality
The opening contrast between the joy of sunshine and the blind man's eternal darkness highlights the disparity between perceived happiness and actual suffering.
Characters to notice
- The Blind Man
The protagonist, a blind peasant whose life is a martyrdom of cruelty and neglect.
- The Brother-in-Law
The blind man's brother-in-law, who abuses him, forces him to beg, and abandons him in the snow.
- The Sister
The blind man's sister, who takes him in but allows his mistreatment.
Key passages
“Why is the first sunshine so delightful? Why does the light falling upon the earth fill us so with the happiness of living?”
The narrator questions why sunlight brings such joy, setting up a contrast with the blind man's experience.
Opens the story with a rhetorical reflection on the joy of light.
“I knew one of these men, whose life was one of the most cruel martyrdoms that can be dreamt of.”
The narrator recalls a specific blind man whose suffering was extreme.
Introduces the central figure of the story.
“His relatives made a show of inquiring and searching for him for eight days. They even cried.”
The family pretended to look for him and shed crocodile tears.
Highlights the hypocrisy and lack of genuine grief from his family.