The Blind Man by D. H. Lawrence
"The Blind Man" by D. H. Lawrence is a poignant exploration of the complexities of human relationships and the emotional landscape shaped by disability and intimacy. The story follows Maurice Pervin, a World War veteran who has lost his sight during combat, and his wife Isabel, who is grappling with her own feelings of isolation as they live on a farm in the English Midlands. Their life together has fostered a deep connection, but the absence of external social interactions leaves Isabel feeling drained and empty.
The arrival of Bertie Reid, an old acquaintance of Isabel's, introduces a contrast to Maurice's character. Reid's lively and witty demeanor clashes with Maurice's more reserved nature, creating tension as the two men navigate their friendship for Isabel's sake. As the narrative unfolds, themes of intimacy, vulnerability, and the search for understanding emerge, particularly during a significant moment when Maurice and Reid engage in an unusual exchange that challenges their perceptions of each other.
The story delves into the intricacies of connection and the fears associated with loss and identity, revealing how these dynamics affect each character's sense of self and their relationships. Ultimately, "The Blind Man" serves as a reflective examination of how people strive to comprehend one another amidst their own emotional struggles.
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The Blind Man by D. H. Lawrence
First published: 1922
Type of plot: Psychological
Time of work: Shortly after World War I
Locale: The English Midlands
Principal Characters:
Maurice Pervin , a farmer blinded at FlandersIsabel Pervin , his wifeBertram ("Bertie") Reid , Isabel's friend from childhood
The Story
Maurice Pervin, a world war veteran, has settled on a farm in the English Midlands after being blinded in combat during his second tour of army duty in Flanders. He and his wife, Isabel, have employed a tenant couple to manage the farm. Maurice discusses details of production with his manager and assists him with such tasks as attending to the domestic animals, while Isabel continues to review books for a Scottish newspaper. She is pregnant and the Pervins are both anxious about the child because their firstborn died in infancy during Maurice's initial posting in France. During the year that the Pervins have been living on the farm, a wonderful intimacy has developed between them as Isabel has devoted herself to her husband's needs, and their "connubial absorption" has effectively shut out the world beyond the farm. Isabel has joined Maurice in a private realm of solitude approximating the darkness of his existence, and she shares to some extent his "dark, palpable joy," but the absence of any contact with society has also produced a void within her, inducing a feeling of exhaustion and emptiness. When Maurice is struck with devastating depressions that cause him to question his value as a man following his loss of vision, Isabel finds it impossible to be with him in spite of her professed commitment.
At this crucial juncture in the Pervins' lives, one of Isabel's old acquaintances, Bertie Reid, a Scottish barrister, arrives for a visit. He and Isabel have shared a cerebral friendship—an instinctive understanding—since childhood, and Isabel is eager to renew their sprightly conversation and become involved with someone who is actively participating in a social flow. Reid is almost a polar opposite of Maurice, witty, quick, and ironical in contrast to Maurice's more direct, methodical manner. He is also small, thin, and wispy, whereas Maurice exudes strength and has a prepossessing physical presence. Although the two men have never gotten along, they are willing to try to establish some kind of friendship for Isabel's sake. She has a feeling that they should get on together, but many impediments prevent this.
When Reid arrives, he and Isabel immediately resume an easy familiarity that tends to exclude Maurice. Reid is both fascinated and repulsed by Maurice and his wound, and Isabel is torn between her pleasure in Reid's company and a realization that her fortress of solitude with Maurice has been invaded. Her attitude toward Reid has always been a mixture of delight at his polished, cosmopolitan style and contempt for his lack of sexuality. She knows that Reid thought of himself as neuter at the center of his being. She appreciates Reid's attempt to understand Maurice's loss but knows that he cannot understand Maurice's compensatory sensual deepening, a quality that Isabel finds inexplicably thrilling. During most of the evening, Maurice remains quiet, eventually excusing himself to attend to farm matters, but he actually seeks the relief of his own special place, the barn where he knows every turn and corner and where the animal life is exhilarating, the weather refreshing.
As the night winds on and Isabel begins to find Reid's chatter tiresome, she asks Reid to bring Maurice back from the stable. The moment that Reid steps outside, it is clear that he has left the protective sanctuary of his indoor world and entered an alien environment, the natural world of elemental forces in which Maurice thrives. Repelled by the farm animals, Reid tries to overcome his uneasiness in Maurice's presence and real conversation begins. Both men are tentative, but Maurice clearly has not had an opportunity to air his fears about being a dead weight, and correctly deduces that Reid understands Isabel well enough to assess his concerns. Encouraged by Reid's reassurance, Maurice makes a request that is essentially an attempt to extend the aura of intimacy that he shares with Isabel to include Reid. First, he asks Reid if his scar is shocking. Reid's candid reply is taken as a willingness to continue, and Maurice then asks if he may touch the barrister, the farmer's way of seeing and knowing. For Maurice, this is a gesture of love; to Reid, it is a threat of psychic annihilation. Nevertheless, "out of very philanthropy" indicating some generosity of spirit, Reid permits Maurice to grasp his head and then complies with a request to place his own hand on Maurice's disfigured eye-sockets. This is a moment of dramatic intensity that penetrates to the inner core of both men's primal selves.
When they return to the house, Maurice tells Isabel that they have become friends because he has made the kind of physical contact that is his means of expressing hot, poignant love. Isabel is pleased but befuddled because she can see that Reid has undergone a devastating experience that has destroyed his composure and left him with "one desire—to escape from this intimacy."