Essay Questions

Beyond the actual inability to see is there any other symbolism or allusion that blindness might represent?

Apart from actual physical blindness the blindness is also symbolic of humanity’s “blindness” or the unwillingness of people to adequately estimate the dangers that the triffids posed. Blindness also refers to the hubris of mankind, thinking that we, as a species would always be on the top of the food chain, despite our superiority really hinging on just one or two physical advantages. This figurative and literal blindness is what lulls humanity into a false sense of safety; once this safety was compromised the triffids were quick to exploit this situation to their advantage.

In your opinion, what really caused the collapse of human civilization? Are triffids truly to blame?

The triffids, all things considered, are actually not to blame for the fall of human civilization in the novel. The global plague of blindness that suddenly affected 90% of the earth’s population is the cause. All human technological innovations that have allowed humanity to span great distances, create medicines, produce food in surplus, and defend themselves from harm have all been reliant on the ability to see. Having had this condition (being able to see) removed, humanity suddenly finds itself unable to use many of the advantages that had allowed it to flourish and succeed as a species. The triffids merely took advantage of the situation to give themselves a bit of leverage to rise up on the food chain.

One of the major themes in the novel is the conflict between morality and necessity; please cite examples in the story that support this.

Bill Masen goes out of his way, even endangering himself so that he can help the blind. He assists them when he can because his actions are dictated by his belief that human beings, human life, and human dignity, regardless of the condition they’re in and regardless of the situation, are worth upholding and preserving. Beadley is on the opposite end of this moral spectrum. He sees survival, his personal survival in particular, as the highest objective and this must be achieved through any means and at any cost. Using these moral lenses he therefore sees the blind as an inconvenience and ultimately, waste of resources that would have otherwise been used for himself. This outlook he espouses dictates his responses towards other survivors he comes across.

What do the Triffids symbolize?

The Triffids may symbolize three things: a. Unbridled corporate greed where the want for profits clearly overshadow the desire to keep the public safe b. It is the embodiment of Cold War fears---widespread destruction, economic collapse, the end of civilization as we know it, etc... c. The triffids are embody the possible implications of the morality or possibly lack of morality in the burgeoning issue of bioethics