Blindness

[keelylipp]

On page 390, Doerr writes, "to shut your eyes, is to guess nothing of blindness." Over the course of the story, the reader follows Marie-Laure through her life during the war and how she lives her life when she is blind. How did your view change about blindness over the course of the story? What did you learn about blindness while reading about Marie-Laure?

[eliasrust]

I learned that blindness isn't as much of a burden as I once thought. Maurie-Laure is still able to see clearly and understand her surroundings. I previously thought blindness was a huge disadvantage that cannot be made up for, but after reading this novel I realized that blindness isn't as much of a disadvantage as I once thought. Sure, it takes longer and more work to understand your surroundings, but it is possible. This is what Maurie-Laure and her father worked for when he created the models of the cities that they live in.

[sophieborah]

Throughout the novel, I discovered that blindness is a crippling disability but is something that can be managed to the point were one can become independent. One learns to rely on their other senses, such as hearing and smell to easily comprehend their surroundings. This and using tools such as counting paces and the city models make living semi-independently possible for Marie-Laure. Previously, I did not imagine people being able to be as independent as Marie-Laure possible.