The Great Gatsby Blindness Analysis

In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, figurative blindness possesses beauty, in that it allows the “blind” individual to construct their own unique world, all of which is created through the distinct perception of various experiences, not necessarily the actual sequence and nature of events. Blindness is essentially a, “social construction” (Batman, ThisAmericanLife), in that society has created this disability, whether it be physical or mental, demonstrating the notion that beliefs and opinions towards other individuals are the only hindrances for the blind in their efforts to achieve their potential. With the exclusion of belittling pre-conceived notions towards the blind community, the allure of blindness becomes apparent. This occurs through
Yet, this notion would not be manifested in these relationships without the blindness of the narrator, Nick. Many character’s blindness boils down to Nick’s blindness, in that his style of narrating the novel, characterized as storytelling, reveals his own amaurosis; Nick’s figurative sightlessness represents other character’s blindness, in that he demonstrates other character’s blindness through his own blindness. Through the novel, blindness is portrayed as a condition that allows for the plasticity of the mind, in that the mind is more capable of changing with experiences than with those who have sight. With this plasticity emerges a deep understanding of not only the events and people surrounding the individual, but the actual individual him or herself. While this may result in internal conflict when the individual’s thoughts and their understanding of events clash, ultimately being blind allows for the living of the individual’s own reality, in that they can choose to “be blind” to certain aspects, in an attempt to live the way they wish to