Man in his innate human nature is good, but subjects himself to evils. It is the battle of the conscience between good and bad which drives the continuous cycle of sin and redemption. "With the passing of time, as well as the social evolution and genetic exchange, we ended up putting our conscience in the color of blood and in the salt of tears, and, as if that were not enough, we made our eyes into a kind of mirror turned inwards. " (p 17) As man lives on, trafficking in the depths of sin, he not only is turning his soul black, he is distorting the self to an unrecognizable state.
The sudden onset of blindness is designed to display to each person his inability to see the corruption of his soul. "Eyes that had stopped seeing, eyes that were totally blind, yet meanwhile were in perfect condition, without any lesions, recent or old acquired or innate."
Soul Music (novel)
Conscience and law
Soul Man (album)The soul in its clouded state of indecision, sin and sorrow, is not damaged, but merely preparing for a new vision.
The inability to see represents and man's indifference toward the degradation of society. The white color exemplifies the rectitude of man deep down in the spirit and soul. Thus, the white blindness serves as a tool to attract attention and to transform a sentiment of apathy to one of alarm. For, the awakening of the eyes and the restoration of sight signify the awakening of the wizened soul.
The eyes, being a metaphor for the soul, seek to teach man personal contribution to a moral responsibility. The unrepented soul, as it becomes weighted with sin and evil becomes distorted, unrecognizable to the mind which it embodies. "He simply stretched out his hands to touch the glass, he knew that...