The Country of the Blind

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For the Skeleton Crew album of a similar name, see The Country of Blinds.

"The Country of the Blind" is a short story written by H. G. Wells in 1911.

[edit] The story

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

"The Country of the Blind" is a story about a mountain climber who discovered a civilization where all the people were blind and developed unique ways of using their other senses. They notice that their new arrival is very different from them and demand to remove his eyes if he wants to stay in their community. He is in love with one of the women there, but eventually decides to escape.

Besides being an important occurrence of blindness in literature, this is Wells' commentary on humanity's ability to overcome any inconvenience after a few generations and think that it is normal.

This is also a story about how Society, in a blind sense of cultural self-rightousness, will persecute, and maim if necessary, anyone else who they find is different from themselves and, by their judgement does not conform to their norms. The root of bigotry, and all the destructive ...isms behind a world of strife.