Significance of Ben’s Blindness: Crimes and Misdemeanors
Ben’s blindness is significant to the two main characters, Judah and Cliff in different ways. Ben as a rabbi symbolizes truth, morals, and the eyes of God. In the case of Judah, Ben acts as a guiding light and a reminder of the way in which he was raised. Ben tries to get Judah to see the moral action is to tell his wife about the affair with Dolores. Judah refuses to do this and instead, ignores the voice of morals and hires a hit-man to kill his mistress. When Ben finally goes blind, it is a sign that Judah has completely closed his eyes to his upbringing, morals, and most of all God. It also symbolizes that Judah will be stuck in the darkness for the rest of his life; he can no longer see the light of the truth. In the case of Cliff, Ben’s eyes symbolize hope, as Ben’s vision fades so does Cliff’s hope in saving his marriage. With little hope left Cliff falls in love with a co-worker, Halley. He goes so far to ask her to marry him, even though he is still married to Wendy, an action in the eyes of God that is immoral. When Ben goes blind it symbolizes that Cliff has lost all hope in his marriage with Wendy, he sees no way to save it. Overall, when Ben the rabbi goes blind, both characters refuse to adhere to the world’s morals anymore. Neither man can see the light they turn to darkness. Another message in the movie is found in the Ben’s blindness, the message is: Be a liar, a thief or a murderer, the world is yours for the taking. If you believe that some higher power is going to reward you for your good acts, you are a blind fool. This is evident in the fact that the liar Lester, and the thief and murderer Judah, are not punished they continue to have great lives despite their bad