Chapter 22: “He’s Blind for a Reason, You Know” (201-206)
9. Within literary works, physical blindness typically signifies that the author means to draw a parallel between literal and figurative blindness and, in doing so, emphasize that sight is something beyond physicality. In the case of difference between literal and figurative blindness, the physically blind are unable to see the world but are able to see beyond it, while those who maintain the ability to see are blind to the truth, the divine, and the future.
10. According to Foster, Sophocles’ tragedy Oedipus Rex “more than any other work”, taught him how to comprehend blindness within works of literature. Through the tragedy, Foster grew …show more content…
When Foster says “the Indiana Jones principle”, he is referencing the fact that if an author wants the reader to be aware of something, they will bring it up fairly early. Whether it be something important about the character or the work as a whole, the author will stealthily introduce it in the beginning before revealing it later on. Foster refers to this as “the Indiana Jones principle” as one of the prime examples of this principle can be found in Indy’s fear of snakes within Raiders of the Lost Ark; the fear of snakes is first introduced as Indiana Jones encounters the snake on a plane before the first sequence of the film, then, when Indy encounters thousands of them later on in the film, his fear is justified by the