1. Find a place where language is used in an interesting way, and explain.
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2. Is there evidence in this reading assignment that the marriage between the narrator and his wife is not all that it should be?
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3. In paragraphs 45 and 46, the narrator says that they did some "serious eating," and they do some serious drinking of alcohol, too. Note also the detail that they leave their dirty plates on the table and "[don't] look back." Comment.
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4. At this point in the reading, what adjectives might you use to describe the narrator? The blind man? Why?
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5. Notice something no one else has so far about this reading assignment.
OR
2. Is there evidence in this reading assignment that the marriage between the narrator and his wife is not all that it should be?
OR
3. In paragraphs 45 and 46, the narrator says that they did some "serious eating," and they do some serious drinking of alcohol, too. Note also the detail that they leave their dirty plates on the table and "[don't] look back." Comment.
OR
4. At this point in the reading, what adjectives might you use to describe the narrator? The blind man? Why?
OR
5. Notice something no one else has so far about this reading assignment.
16 comments:
Hello
Addressing question #2, I think the marriage between the wife and the man is very strange and unusual. I think the husband is showing utter jealousy and discrimination toward this poor blind man. He begins to describe a lot of stereotypical things that blind people apparently portray. He thought that all blind people just can't see and therefore can't tell the difference between a colored and non-colored tv, that they should have black glasses and dogs, etc. How this relates to their relationship, I think it shows that the wife didn't marry this very critical and discriminatory man, but she is beginning to see these emotions and adjectives coming out of him. She is not too fond of them. And, his love for her and her love for him are unsure to me at this point. I do think, however, that the husband does love his wife because he's jealous enough of a blind man to criticize him and his ways to gain self-confidence. I'm anxious how this blind man, the husbands critical attitude and the wife's nice and loving attitude toward the blind man will end. Specifically, how this will affect the relationship between the husband and wife.
In paragraphs 45 and 46, the narrator says that they did some "serious eating," and they do some serious drinking of alcohol, too. Before the meal, the husband requested that they pray and it was almost as if the wife shut him down and made a joke out of it. I think that brought a lot of tension into the room. I don't think they ate so fast because they were hungry, I think that each one of them was uncomfortable and did not know how to act/react towards each other. I think the way that the blind man ate his food, was almost as if he was completing an obstacle course and that stunned the husband. I think that they were trying to release something in themselves, which caused them to have sweat on their faces. This was a pivotal part in the visit because within a few hours of their meeting, no one was speaking and everyone was uncomfortable. I think that the husband says, "we didn't look back" because they wanted to move on from the uncomfortable atmosphere at the dinner table. It is funny how once they moved to the living room and the blind man was getting closer to the wife, the conversations started to build. However, the husband did not speak much.
At this part of the reading, I see a change of heart of the narrator. In the beginning, he was judgmental and condescending towards to Robert because he was blind; however, in this part of the story, the narrator starts to gradually let go of the cold remarks and he starts to admire him. "The blind man had right away located his foods, he knew just where everything was on his plate. I watched with admiration as he used his knife and fork on the meat." Still, he is very observant of the blind man but I am sure he will be less superficial in the future.
Checking in :)
Hey Everyone,
Similar to what Mason said in his blog I do agree that the husband is very much so jealous of the blind man. He is trying to be welcoming to him, but I feel like the husband feels left out and unimportant. He mentions on page 26 paragraph 46, "I waited in vain to hear my name on my wife's sweet lips: and then my dear husband came into life." This was thought by the husband at the time of the conversation when the blind man and the wife were sitting and discussing everything that had happened to them in the past 10 years. When I read this I felt like the husband was feeling left out and unimportant to his wife's life. She never spoke about him in her conversation with the blind man and if it were me, I would feel horrible if my wife forgot to mention me as something that happened to her in the last 10 years. While reading this I found that he was very much jealous of this blind man. Like Mason has already mentioned he was beginning to become bitter because of his jealousy by saying things like he needed to have black glasses and such. This blind man was making his wife smile and laugh and you could tell that the two of them had a special relationship that maybe the husband wished he had. While the husband was feeling jealous and left out or unimportant I also felt that he was interested in the blind man. Here was this man who was blind and could tell that the TV was colored. This blind man could also eat his food perfectly and smoke a cigarette, which blind people aren't supposed to because "they couldn't see the smoke they exhaled." And finally most importantly this man could make his wife extremely happy. I really felt that he was interested in this blind man. On page 26 paragraph 45 he explains how this blind man eats and paragraph 50 he explains the conversation that he has with the blind man about the tv. In conclusion, on the topic of the husbands relationship with the wife, I feel that this blind man makes him feel unimportant, jealous, and intrigued and interested on the effect the blind man has on his wife. I look forward to reading on and trying to understand more about the relationship between the narrator and his wife.
Have a great weekend!
What I find to be interesting is that as the wife and the blind man talk of their lives over the years, the blind man speaks of a life full of adventure. The narrator wishes his wife would speak of him, but he doesn't really join the conversation and speak of his life. The blind man has not let his lack of sight stand in his way of anything it seems. He even traveled all the way from the West Coast on his own. The narrator seems a little jealous of all his achievements, but also as someone pointed out, he admires him. I think the narrator wishes he and his wife had the love between the blind man and his wife. The narrator seems stuck in his life, if he can connect with the blind man, maybe the blind man can teach him how to enjoy his life...but I don't know.
Hey Everyone,
Myanswer i pertaining to question number 2. I do believe that there is somthing not quite right about the marriage between the narrator and the wife. The wife seems to be a stepford wife thus far, she is very loving and compassionate. The narrator on the other hand seems to be increasingly jealous as the book wears on. He seems to be hurtful and jealous towards every man in the book, like the blind man. The thing that's even weirder in the story is that the wife doesn't even notice her husband is this jealous, it seems. This relationship definitel confuses me, and I am intrigued to read more to find more details about their relation.
I agree with Mason, addressing to question number 2. I too find the narrator's relationship with his wife a bit strange. To me it seems as though that the wife is tired of him or something. I notice that when ever the narrator is talking to the blind man, his wife looks at him and make a response. "My wife looked at me with irritation. She was heading toward a boil." (pg 26) The wife seems protective over the blind man, like she does not want him to hear anything that her husband says.
In response to question #1
I think the author used interesting language when he made the change of starting descriptive sentences about the blind man from "the blind man" this, "the blind man" that- to "this blind man". It seemed like with that change in the narrator's thoughts, he has set Robert apart from the stereotypical blind man he once pictured him as. He was so surprized with the fact that Robert didn't carry a cane or wear sunglasses. In fact, paragraph 31 describes the blind man's eyes and how the husband felt they looked pretty normal until he examined closer, finding a large white area in the retina which creeped him out. He tends to have a typical way of seeing things and is shocked to know that a man like Robert exists. He watches his every move, eating, drinking, smoking, playing with his beard. He finds it all so intriguing and we know this by how the author puts emphasis on the narrator's thoughts when he repeats them twice or begins multiple sentences with "this blind man". The repetition gets the reader into a pattern and an understand of the way in which the narrator thinks and reacts to the blind man's habits. This makes me think there could be a change in the pattern soon because of the comfortable writing so far and that the reader will be offset by this change. Perhaps Robert will bring a significant new meaning to the husband's life. Even in the way he sees his wife and how she is effected by the blind man could effect him too.
There is definite evidence that the marriage between the narrator and his wife is not a normal marriage. The first thing I noticed was that he always refers to her as "my wife" and never but her name or by a fond name. It makes him seem rather possessive and insensitive towards her. He also is not very open to the blind man who is clearly very important to her. He is so judgmental of the man and it is made clear that he really dislikes the blind man. This is fueled by jealousy of that fact that his wife has spent a lot of time with this man. He doesn't like the fact that his wife was so close with this man. This shows that they are not comfortable in their relationship and the narrator is paranoid and may not even trust his wife. The wife is clearly more into this blind man than her husband. She really cares about making him happy and wants everything to go perfectly. There are a few examples where she gives her husband and evil look or gets annoyed with him when the possibility of him messing things up with the guest take place. Also, Why does this wife choose to sit with the blind man on the couch and the husband sit in a separate chair? You'd think the husband and wife would sit together and the guest would take the chair. It becomes clear that the relationship between the blind man and the wife isn't simply friends. There is more to it emotionally. This is evident when they talk for what seems like hours about things in the past. "My wife looked at me with irritation". The wife also says "I want you to feel comfortable in this house". She is emphasizing her need to please this man for some unknown reason.
Hi :) I noticed something while I was reading that is different from what anyone else has discussed, so I will talk about that.
As previously pointed out, the narrator is very observant. He doesn't do a whole lot of talking or actually doing things. For the most part, he observes. What I find interesting about that though, is that observing with his eyes is the exact thing that Robert is unable to do. The narrator makes a point to describe exactly what Robert is wearing, his mannerisms, and the facial expressions of his wife. I'm sure this is partially for our benefit (the readers') because we cannot see what is going on either, similarly to the blind man. I was just struck by the fact that he relies so much on his sight. He can't even think of small talk to make that doesn't involve sight.
I think that the fact that sight is such an important sense to him, as it is for most seeing people, explains his ignorance and lack of understanding. How can you understand something when you have never even come close to experiencing it? Blindness is like another planet to him. I personally cannot imagine being blind, and clearly, through his detailed visual descriptions of his surroundings, the narrator is unable to imagine it as well.
It saddens me that he is so judgmental, especially at first, but I feel like we should consider that the ability to see is what makes the narrator who he is. I'm confident that he would be a completely different person if he did not have his sight. I hope that he discovers a way of connecting with Robert and gains a broader understanding of the handicap of blindness. I think there is much to be learned from someone like Robert, such as how to appreciate your other senses, how to keep a positive attitude through hardships, and most importantly, how to trust. Just imagine how much you must have to trust the people around you when you live in a world of darkness. This is evident on page 24 when his wife is leading Robert around the living room. I hope the narrator can see these qualities in Robert and gain the power of knowledge, if nothing else.
Hakuna matata!
In response to question 1, and adding on from what Catie mentioned, I find it interesting that the narrator starts his own thoughts and sentences with "the blind man" and later "this blind man" despite the fact that he is clearly aware that the "blind man's" name is Robert.
This is very interesting because it shows the separation between the two characters. Also it shows how despite the narrator, who coincedentally's name we never learn, gradually learning that the blind man is more than just blind, stills primarily sees a "blind man."
I read what everyone has written, and I'm not sure what to even say. It's been a rough weekend and I can't think. I do agree what people have said though about the narrator and his wife's odd relationship. Like people have written, I think the narrator definetly feels a little jealous and left out on the conversation between the blind man and his wife. He doesn't ever seem to be light-hearted and able to make his wife smile and laugh and carry such a relationship and with her as the blind man can.
Hello,
I find the author's language interesting, like Catie, when he describes the habits and doings of the blind man. I like that the author presents two different perspectives toward the blind man (him and his wife). I particularly am interested in the author's straightforward language. On page 25, the author writes, "At first glace, his eyes looked like anyone else's eyes. But if you looked close, there was something different about them...As I stared at his face, I saw the left pupil turn in toward his nose while the other made an effort to keep in one place. But it was only an effort, for that eye was on the roam without his knowing it or wanting it to be." I like the author's use of language because in his protagonist, he tends to write of the normal or "cliche" reactions and events happening to the main character. I feel that the reactions the main character has would be similar to the reactions I might have in this situation. This use of common language is effective because it gives the reader a new understanding because the reader is able to put themselves in the place of the protagonist. Thanks!
"You look distinguished, Robert," she said. "Robert," she said. "Robert, it's just so good to see you."
Why would his wife repeat his name three times? Perhaps this repetative call means something more than just a longing. I think there is more than just she missed him but there is something she wants from him. It was very weird when I read it because she was repeating his name three times in a roll.
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