The Blind Man – And the Blind "Shall See" The story "The Blind Man" by DH Lawrence can be read on many levels. On the surface, the story is about Maurice Pervin's struggles as he learns to cope with the loss of his sight. On a much deeper level, one can see that Maurice is locked in his blindness and it is through the weakness of another man that he begins to "see" again. To understand the meaning of "The Blind Man", one must first try to understand Maurice Pervin. He has spent most of his life seeing and is completely blind in Flanders. When he returns home, he and his wife Isabel adjust to his new disability. This, however, does not affect their marriage. The Pervins have a happy marriage and, at times, feels strengthened by Maurice's loss of sight. For Maurice, “life was still very full and strangely serene for the blind man, peaceful with almost incomprehensible peace and immediate contact in the darkness” (Lawrence 139). He can still work on the farm and does not regret being blind. There are times, however, when his disability gets the better of him. He goes into depression. These times put a strain on his marriage and test his confidence. To help Isabel cope with his "burden", Maurice tells her to invite her cousin Bertie to visit him. This is a big step for Maurice because he and Bertie have a history of resentment. Maurizio comes from a country family. He is passionate and sensitive but has a slow mentality. Bertie is a lawyer with intellect and a quick mind. Isabel enjoys Bertie's company and this puts a strain on Maurice's security in his marriage. Maurice "hate[s] Bertie Reid, and at the same time [knows] that hatred [is] nonsense, [knows] that [it] is the result of his own weakness... middle of paper... . ...weakness. He knew he could not respond. An unreasonable fear that the other man would suddenly destroy him, while Maurice was in reality full of warm and touching love, of the passion of friendship" (151). They return home and Isabel can sense the change in both of them. Maurice is a man of integrity and Bertie has lost his confidence. Both men pretend to be something they are not. By the end of the story, both are a little closer to becoming the men they truly are. Maurice returns to live and "to be alive, to be a living man: that is the point" ("Bright" 134). Through Bertie, the reader sees "a man become a corpse, because of his so-called goodness" (134). Lawrence shows how people influence each other and sometimes we just need to overcome our barriers and reach out to someone. Maurice learns to "see" again through the touch of another man.