Summary of 'The Country of the Blind'

Author: Herbert George Wells

Plot: In this tale a mountain climber falls off into a strange and
isolated world which is inhabited by blind people who claim to
have been in existence for about 15 generations and cut off
from the rest of the world by an earthquake in the early years of
founding. The intruder remembers an old rhyme and quickly
decides that "In the Country of the Blind, the One-eyed Man is
King."
However, his attitude seems wrong in a society which no longer
knows the meaning of the word "see" and still operates
perfectly, effectively and happily with their other senses tuned
sensitively. Virtually imprisoned and relegated to serve them,
the interloper begins to learn living with his disability - his sight.
Eventually he falls in love with a woman. He gains the
permission to marry her only if he is willing to abandon his
eyes, which are deemed the course of the irrational outbursts
which occurred in the beginning of his 'imprisonment', and have
them removed. When he finally has to choose between his love
and one of his most important senses, his sight, he chooses
the latter one and decides to break out.
Interpretation: The whole story is a reversal of the idea of
disability which shows us that the circumstances alone define
the word disability. The experience of being an alien seems to
be the major point of this story.
The visitor first thinks that he has got an advantage over the
blind people, remembering an old phrase: "In the Country of the
Blind, the One-eyed Man is King," but his advantage turns out
to be in fact a disadvantage. The climax of the story is the end
where he has to decide whether his sight is more important to
him or love.