These biblical images play an essential role in the understanding of Blindness because they help establish the religious themes that persist throughout the novel. The doctor’s wife’s survival remains essential to the preservation of her life and the preservation of humanity.
The devil puts an immense amount of pressure on the doctor’s wife, who could easily take control of the ward with the powers she has, but like the apple in the Garden, this comes at a cost. The answer is never specifically mentioned in the novel, but most would say the devil is whatever caused the epidemic of blindness that befell the nation. This raises a question as to who plays the role of devil in the story. The reason she must remain in secrecy is also described by Schakel, who explains once you fall to the temptations of the devil, you “belong to as lawful prey” (7). The doctor’s wife, a lonely seeing island in a sea of blindness, remarks that “no one should find out that I can see” (Saramago 144), establishing the temptations that define her as Eve. Schakel describes the Eve of a story as someone who, despite purity and wholesomeness, is constantly tempted to fail, and must resist the temptations provided by the world around her (4). Only one woman, the doctor’s wife, retains her sight allocating her the role of Eve in the biblical allusion. As the characters of the novel become blind, they are transported to a new world, a world with vastly different sensory realities. According to Peter Schakel, “arriv on a world utterly unlike” (3) any you’ve ever known can be a symbol for the Garden of Eden. In order to suggest a loss in God leads to a loss in morals, Saramago must set up biblical imagery in order to establish the religious ties of the novel. By illustrating the animalistic nature of humanity in the absence of faith, Saramago indicates the fundamental importance of both science and religion in society, conveying the need for both rivaling philosophies to coexist. Through these discussions, Saramago highlights the fragility of our society, revealing how lucky humans are to not only have faith, but utilize it for good. Saramago describes the difference between religious faith and scientific faith, or lack thereof, through metaphors and symbolisms weaved effortlessly into his novel. In addition, Saramago illustrates the similarities between science and religion. Saramago reveals the extraordinary nature of human civilization via negation, by exposing the sinister and often heinous true natures of humans.
“The Impacts of Religion and Science in Jose Saramago’s Blindness”
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