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Ensaio sobre a cegueira by José Saramago

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bookishsumaiyah's review against another edition

4.0

It is no surprise that Saramago's 'Blindness' led to his Nobel Prize win in 1998. Perhaps its newfound reverence can be attributed to the medical dystopia genre due to our society's recent turbulence with COVID-19. Blindness is the story about an unexplained epidemic of blindness which erratically develops at the start to several unnamed characters including an ophthalmologist, his wife, several of his patients and their acquaintances. However, as the surge begins to multiply, repressive measures are taken by the government to quarantine the contaminated population, with little regulation on their day-to-day life, and taking authority of their food supply. The book is largely narrated through the ophthalmologist's wife, who is seemingly not hit by this misfortune. She is also quarantined with her husband, unbeknownst to anyone of her ‘privilege’. While it is a crucial piece of medical dystopia, ‘Blindness’ by Saramago is first and foremost, a moral allegory about the social breakdown and moral bankruptcy of the disability of one of our senses, which we all take for granted. He is unsparing in his detail of the gruesome, disgusting conditions the inhabitants surround themselves with, as social constructs and positions of authority, such as seniority in professional careers to police force, slowly collapse in value, and debase inhabitants of the wards to the most primitive state - we are nothing without our constructs. It is no secret that Saramago explores human evil within this book, for example, in the form of blind thugs. In a place without guiding constructs, cliques become necessary to form alliances, solidarity and ultimately for validation. ‘Blind thugs’ are vigilantes that gain control over food deliveries, subjugating their fellow internees and exposing them to violent assault, rape, and deprivation. The ophthalmologist's wife is guilty of murder after gang rape proliferation by these ‘blind thugs.’ Even with the loss of one's senses, it is curious that abstract concepts such as greed, competition and gluttony flourish even more. Theft is rampant, and despite being blind, we learn that in the outside world, people have deposited all of their savings. This has depleted bank reserves despite no productive money value within this medical dystopia. As Saramago weaves the themes of blindness and sight - blind people are capable of harming others and perpetrating kindness, greasing grievances and ideologies despite their own deficiencies.

We must acknowledge that there is some goodness despite the inhumanity. This is largely represented by the ophthalmologist's wife and her resistance to cowardice. Her unfaltering faith in others creates wholesome communities. For example, we repeatedly see the endearing friendship between the blind girl with dark glasses and the ophthalmologist's wife, despite the blind girl with dark glasses having slept with her husband, and while inside, she also takes care of the boy with the squint, whose mother is nowhere to be found. In addition, an impromptu “family” is formed as they survive outside. Even after their blindness is cured, the girl with dark glasses and the old man with the black eye patch eventually become lovers. It is a story of human despair, but also of human potential. This is not a fast read, and you will do a disservice to this book if you skim-read it. The long, almost breathless, rambling passages may offend some, but do not let this deter you from reading this wonderful novel. You must actually read this book and over a course of a few days is perfect. While it is a challenging read and its writing style doesn't help to allievate this - the end result is worthwhile.