Literary works express both the common and the individual

Explore this statement critically using one or more of the literary works discussed in the lectures on literature so far.

Literary works express both the common and the individual. In the context of H. G. Wells’s short story, The Country of the Blind, Nunez, a mountaineer who accidentally fell to the enclosed, secluded and self-sufficient valley in the Ecuadorian Andes, was the only person capable of sight there. He struggled to reign over the Country of the Blind through persuasion and violence, both to little avail.

Nunez is defined as ‘the individual’ in this particular context, whereas the people of the Country of the Blind are ‘the common’ in that they are not individuated and are very often described as a whole in the story. This essay argues that conformity overpowers individuality and ultimately leads to a loss of intellectuality with regard to Nunez’s internal struggle and external conflict with the villagers.

To begin with, let’s look at how closely related conformity and individuality are.

Get quality help now

RhizMan

Verified writer

Proficient in: Conformity

4.9 (247)

“ Rhizman is absolutely amazing at what he does . I highly recommend him if you need an assignment done ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

Conformity is perfectly natural. Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs shows acceptance as one of human's most important goals in life. It is a psychological shelter. If we do not know what to do and are scared, we naturally follow the steps of others so that we may eventually find a group to take shelter in (Truman). Conformity is, in a sense, the remedy for isolation. Individuality, like conformity, is essential to life. At one point everyone wants to be different from all the rest in one way or another, so we might dress a bit differently and follow our hearts (Truman).

However, sooner or later we are forced to curb our spontaneous desires so that society does not label us as eccentric or weird, simply because we fear being alone (Truman).

With these concepts in mind, we can now take a closer look at how the story addresses both ideas and find out why it is a critique of the masses.

Earlier on in the story, Nunez is set apart from the rest of the characters in the story. When Nunez met the villagers for the first time, he dismissed them as fools, ignorant creatures and displayed his condescension towards them by constantly repeating the proverb “In the Country of the Blind, the one-eyed man is King’. H. G. Wells also portrayed the blind villagers as flat, naïve characters where they misconstrued birds as angels, sight as an aberration or deformity, day as night, smooth roof as the sky, etc. Nunez is, in many ways, characterized as an educated, superior, intellectual individual capable of appreciating true beauty in life.

As the story unfolds, Nunez’s individuality is further highlighted. Nunez tried to proclaim himself as the King of the Country by orchestrating a ‘coup d’état’. He tried at first on several occasions to tell them of sight and ‘enlighten’ the blind. One morning Nunez saw Pedro on path Seventeen and prophesied the appearance of Pedro. However, Pedro turned and went transversely into path Ten, so Nunez was mocked by those villagers. He then initiated to describe all that happened among the houses. Nunez noted certain goings and comings, but the things that really seemed to signify to the villagers happened inside of or behind the ‘windowless houses’ – the only things they took note of to test by him. Nunez felt ostracized and humiliated and it wasn’t until then he resorted to force. He snatched up a spade and intended to hit the villagers. But it turned out he wasn’t prepared to do it after all. He kept a making a mental note to himself – ‘should he charge them’. The ‘canker of civilization’ got to him and made him feel it a horror to strike the blind men. He then made a dash and escaped from the valley. This is where Nunez’s rebellion and individuality came to an end.

Conformity then sets in and takes over Nunez’s individual aspirations. Fear and hunger came on him the second day he left the valley and he finally crawled down to the wall of the Country of the Blind and tried to make terms. Nunez gave in and revoked what he knew to be truth in order to be accepted. He said, “I was mad. But I was only newly made. [Sight] was folly. The word means nothing - less than nothing.” Nunez became a “member below the permissible level of a man” of the Country of the Blind and did submissively what he was told. In other words, Nunez at this point had been assimilated as ‘the common’ in the valley and was deprived of his individuality with reference to “… and these people (villagers) ceased to be a generalized people and became individuals and familiar to him (Nunez)”.

It was only then Nunez met his blind love, Medina-saroté, the youngest daughter of his master Yacob with distinct features. She had a clear-cut face and lacked that satisfying, glossy smoothness that is the blind men’s ideal of feminine beauty. In order to be raised from his servitude and inferiority to the level of a blind citizen to marry Medina-saroté, it was suggested that Nunez’s gift of sight be removed. On the one hand, Nunez felt an overwhelming urge to gain acceptance from the common and love from Medina-saroté. On the other hand, he was internally conflicted about his sacrifice of his most treasured eyesight. Ultimately, Nunez backed out and escaped from the valley, and felt satisfied with his choice, however, with an unresolved ending. In the revised version of the story, when Nunez tried to warn the villagers of the imminent rock slide, his sight was once again regarded as a ‘delusion’. He took Medina-saroté and fled the valley.

This story very much resonates with and mirrors the reality. In real life, H. G. Wells was an atheist and socialist. He believed in elitism and a world where the government plays a big role. Intelligent, competent individuals should be given the power to decide for the less civilized and ill-educated group. The common take many things for granted and are unappreciated to the individuals’ contributions and intellectuality, and that results in the tragic ending of the story. Nunez, in a way, personifies Wells and other intellects at that time in which he tried to enlighten the conservative and superstitious masses. Wells challenges and defamiliarizes different socially constructed norms throughout the entire story, for instance, the general perception of beauty, the ability of sight. The Country of the Blind is thereupon a critique of the masses and a metaphor for a Utopian world where individuality is respected and rewarded. Perhaps humanity’s greatest desire is to belong and connect. When this need to fit in, to gain acceptance and recognition dominates one’s individual aspirations, beliefs and values, conformity takes place. Nunez’s acquiescence and submission to the common at the risk of losing his sight illustrates just how pathetic the situation can get. After all, anyone can fit in anywhere. It’s simply a matter of what one is willing to sacrifice.