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The Blind Society Essay

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What does it mean when one is described as being blind? Many people would answer that it can be defined as a person who lacks the gift of sight either as a cause of an accident or nature. However, in the case of Native Son, the scenario is different because the characters are blind as a result of a history entailing the common practice of mistreatment. Bigger Thomas is blind in his perception of white society and its reality. In the same sense, the white society is blind of blacks and their lifestyle. What each perceives of the other is actually false. Richard Wright argues, through the character of Max, that Mary Dalton’s murder was the effect of a cause that has been occurring for decades. The cause is the maltreatment of blacks and …show more content…

This is the theme of blindness that Wright tries to express through his characters. Mr. Dalton is also the owner of the South Side Real Estate Company, which charges blacks outrageous prices for apartments that don’t deserve such a high rent. The same types of rooms are charged a significantly less amount in the other side of town only because they are situated in all white neighborhoods. Bigger’s family suffers financial problem because their income is low and rents are high. So indirectly, people like the Dalton’s are the root of the problems faced by blacks in Chicago. Mrs. Dalton also faces the same the problem of blindness but presents it in a more literal manner. When Bigger goes for his job interview and is introduced to Mrs. Dalton, he is told that “she has a very deep interest in colored people.” The ironic part is that she is blind and, as a result, cannot see blacks as people but she is still interested in them and tries to help them. In Book II, Mrs. Dalton is worried that her daughter is missing and asks questions. However, she hesitates to ask Bigger questions because she IS embarrassed. “After all, he was black and she was white. She would be ashamed to let him think that something was so wrong in her family that she has to ask him, a black servant, about it.” Hence, this proves that Mrs. Dalton didn’t even look upon Bigger as an equal person. Not because she was literally blind but because she was mentally blind. This can be related to

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