My Writing Portfolio Analysis Paper | Page 3

simply does not care , as it is not an unknown fact that people usually do not appreciate what they possess . The narrator has been blessed with the gift of sight , yet he is unable to see anything beyond the normal and physical level .
The character of the blind man completely contradicts with that of the narrator , because the blind man ’ s lack of sight does not stop him from fully appreciating and living life . He has the ability to transcend because he sees things deeply and during the act of seeing deeply , he momentarily merges with the thing seen . “ When deeply seeing , the object of our contemplation enters our heart and mind directly . In the act of deeply seeing , we transcend the egoic boundaries between the self and the otherness of the world , momentarily merging with the thing seen ” ( Grey , 72 ). According to Grey , this is when the object of contemplation enters his mind and heart directly and he becomes one with the object of his contemplation . He is able to feel everything and see what others cannot see because of his utter perceptiveness and insightfulness . When the narrator asks the blind man whether he knows what a cathedral looks like , the blind man replies with a few vague statements he heard on the television , but then adds “ If you want to know , I really don ’ t have a good idea ” ( p . 11 ). Even though the blind man has never seen a cathedral and has absolutely no idea what a cathedral looks like and the narrator ’ s nebulous descriptions don ’ t seem to be helping , he can still picture a cathedral . He may not picture it with all the intricate details of the architecture , but deep down , he feels what one must look like . This is depicted when he helps the narrator draw one , by gripping the narrator ’ s hand and guiding him through the drawing process . The blind man is a mystical and phenomenal character . Despite his lack of sight , he is able to transcend the normal and the physical , he sees more than a person who can literally see , and he sees depth in everything in his life , including his relationships with others . This can be clearly noted in the blind man ’ s relationship with the narrator ’ s wife as he seems to
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