★★★★★★★★☆☆
H.G. Wells - The Country of the Blind
★★★★★★★★★☆
There is a great struggle between the individual and the society presented in The Invisible Man and The Country of the Blind. Both feature a lone man with a remarkable distinction from the others which, at first seeming advantageous, soon turns out to be the source of his doom.
As it happens, in both stories this outcast can see others but cannot be seen by them, the titles of the stories explaining why it is so. The connection between the stories is further increased by the words of the Invisible Man: "I felt as a seeing man might do, with padded feet and noiseless clothes, in a city of the blind." Of course, Nunez didn't have those advantages, but neither did Griffin, as he was about to learn. Although the causes for their invisibility to others were different, they led to same effects. Griffin furiously worked on a way to get himself visible again and Nunez agreed to get blinded, all in order to fit into their surroundings. The pressure of the society, however indirect may be, leaves its mark on human mind. But these were not ordinary individuals, and in the end they nevertheless made their stand against the community.
It is interesting to note that Wells doesn't choose sides, in both stories he shows understanding for individual as well as society. Nevertheless his message is clear: one cannot overcome many. Those unwilling or unable to adapt to majority are bound to live as outcasts or meet an even worse fate. In that way both Griffin and Nunez were "blind" for they couldn't see it. Wells shows us that any characteristic of the individual is not important per se, we are determined by those who surrounds us and valued only in comparison to others.
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