Original artwork, not a still
The Country of the Blind · 1904
In the Country of the Blind the One-eyed Man is King.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The proverb promises a comfortable kingdom, and the story shows it failing: being the only one who can see makes Nunez a freak, not a king. Wells took a saying older than himself and turned it on its head. People still use the original as shorthand for a modest talent ruling among people with none, usually without the story's bitter twist.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for The Country of the BlindShow the scene
Nunez, a mountain-climber from near Bogota, falls into a hidden valley in the Andes where everyone has been born blind for generations. As he walks down toward the villagers he remembers the old proverb and repeats it to himself like a refrain: in the country of the blind the one-eyed man is king. He expects to teach and rule them, but the villagers have no idea what sight is and treat his talk of it as a sickness. When Nunez asks to marry Medina-sarote, the elders refuse, and the doctor suggests removing his eyes. The story first appeared in The Strand Magazine in April 1904, and Wells revised it in 1939.
Sources (2)
- The Country of the Blind (Project Gutenberg)Passage as Nunez approaches the villagersReference checked
- The Country of the Blind (Wikipedia)Lead; Plot summaryReference checked
Context reviewed
