In the novel Blindness by José Saramongo, he states: "I think we are blind, Blind but seeing, Blind who can see, but do not see". Explain that people think they can see, but they are actually blind because they do not see certain essential ideas or issues. In Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, Ian McEwan's Atonement, and Albert Camus's The Stranger, characters' blindness causes them to act irrationally, which often has fatal repercussions. In the Oedipus Rex, Oedipus is blind to the possible consequences of discovering the truth, which leads to his irrational actions. When Oedipus was born, he was cursed with a prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. He fulfills this prophecy, albeit unknowingly. During the investigation to find the murderer of Oedipus' father, King Laius, Teiresias, a blind prophet, accuses Oedipus of being "the murderer whom [he] hunts" (Sophocles 413). The prophet can see the truth about Oedipus' life. This is ironic because the prophet is blind, while Oedipus can see, but is blind to the truth. Oedipus reacts to this accusation with anger and shouts that Tiresias "cannot hurt [him] or anyone else who sees the light" (Sophocles 426). Oedipus declares that he can see the light because he is not physically blind; however, light represents truth, which is something he cannot see. This further demonstrates his blindness because he doesn't realize how blind he truly is. His blindness causes him to act irrationally and become obsessed with finding the story of his birth, even though his wife Jacosta begs him not to. Once she discovers the truth that she is his wife and also his mother, she asks him “in the name of God” to “stop [his] search” (Sophocles 1163). Oedipus, like... middle of paper...those that result from the revelation of the truth, Briony is blind to the consequences of her actions, and Meursault is blinded by the sun, which completely overwhelms him. All three characters experience an unhappy ending due to their blindness. Oedipus is banished from his kingdom, Briony ruins his relationships and has to spend his whole life trying to atone, and Meursault is sentenced to the death penalty. Their tragic end shows the fatal repercussions of blindness and the impact it can have on people's lives. Works Cited Camus, Albert. The stranger. 1942. Trans. Matthew Ward. New York: VintageInternational, 1989. Print.McEwan, Ian. Atonement. New York: Anchor Books, 2003. Print.Sophocles. The three Theban comedies: Antigone, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus. Trans. Robert Fagles. Harmondsworth: Penguin Classics, 1984.Print.