“we were already blind the moment we turned blind, fear struck us blind, fear will keep us blind.” (129). The blind are treated with fear. Those who have yet to go blind are afraid of those who are blind. How much power does this fear have? I am reminded of Machiavelli who thought that one could rule by fear. In fact, Machiavelli preferred fear over love. Fear has really come to have great power over the blind and the nonblind. Those people who still have their sight are afraid of even going near the blind. Look at the soldiers; they shoot when ever they see a blind person getting to close. After the thief was shot, the soldiers sprayed they area where his blood was with ammonia to disinfect it. A fear has taken hold of these soldiers. Ordinarily one would not consider shooting at innocent civilians, yet these soldiers have become so afraid of the blind that they will shoot at anything. Those internees on the none blind side of the hospital are equally afraid of the blind. The minute one of them becomes blind, they are quickly ordered to go to the other side of the hospital. Fear has taken such a hold of them. The blind are afraid of what will happen to them if they get to close to a nonblind person. Fear is quickly becoming the dominate power in the hospital. Will this lead to downfall? (because I have read this novel before I know the answer). Will the power of fear cause order and peace or will chaos erupt? Is Machiavelli right or wrong when he says it is better to be feared over being loved? I think the doctor’s wife is a perfect counter to Machiavelli. She is not feared by anyone, in fact, many of the blind have come to respect her. With this respect, she is able to control the group. It is mentioned how clean and organized the first ward is. Could this have happened if the person in charge was in charge through fear? I don’t think so. Fearfulness of a leader is only good for so long, but eventually people will get bolder and bolder and the power of fear will vanish.

As I read this novel, I wonder what it would be like to go through this experience. It would clearly not be a pleasant one. The constant uncertainty would be difficult. Not knowing were you are and having to continuously depend on others. It would become so difficult. Another thought that popped into my head is do the blind dream? If they cannot see while they are awake, do they not see while they are asleep? Are their dreams then only heard, but not seen? Also, would it not be tough to fall asleep if all you see when you close your eyes is whiteness? Just some random questions that happen to pop into my head while I was reading.