The Blind Men and the Elephant

In keeping with the theological argument posed by Saxe, both Old and New Testaments have a long history of using blindness to suggest the limited perceptions of those not fully attuned to the salvation message of the Judeo-Christian God. The prophets caution that blindness leads to graver consequences.

Saxe uses a similar logic, as the blindness in the poem suggests only a limited perception. The blind men are not a problem because they are blind—they are a problem because they do not accept the limits of their very limited perceptions. They are too content in their “utter ignorance” (Line 26), meaning that they are simply lacking critical information. As they “prate on” (Line 27), disputing “loud and long” (Line 22) about something they cannot comprehend, the blindness is not the problem. The problem is that limited understanding should lead to the wisdom of tolerance and the logic of humility, rather than justifying arrogance and self-satisfaction.

The elephant that exists at the center of the parable symbolizes the hope humanity sustains that the material world is not the end-all of life.

It is difficult to position the elephant itself within the poem’s narrative; for the blind mean, “elephant” is a word, an abstract.