Get a Seeing-eyed Dog

In "Get a Seeing-eyed Dog", Ernest Hemingway addressed the issue of becoming handicapped and the different emotions and perceptions it entails. The man, Philip, was recently blinded by an unknown cause, and his wife or girlfriend is taking care of him. This story really focuses on the points of view from both the invalid to the world and the world to the invalid.

From the text, we can see that the woman is entirely devoted to Philip and does not want to leave him. She wants to be there for him, partly because of her love for him but also because of sympathy. However, I think the major reason that she stays is because she feels sorry for him, pitying his current condition. She feels it is her duty to stay and take care of him. This is represented by the woman trying to be more like a nurse, getting him drinks and prompting him to remember things, and acting less like a lover. They were once equals, but now the fact of the matter is that they are not. Whether she wants to or not, she looks down on him, not in a condescending way, yet still as an inferior, someone needing to be taken care of. In her eyes, he is an invalid now, and no matter how hard they try to act normal, nothing will ever be the same. In the woman's defense, who can blame her for the way she acts? I think it is a universal aspect of behavior in which we do not treat people with disabilities with the equality that they want to be treated. It is wrong and unfair to do, but it is in our nature. It is these barriers that this couple in the story are struggling against.

Philip realizes this and resents the fact that she stays because she feels sorry for him. Even though he wants her there to love him and to be his eyes on the world, Philip knows he cannot keep her there with a clean conscience. The idea that he would be holding her back caring for him day after day during the prime of her life is unbearable to him, and he knows he can't do it. In the words of Philip, "I've got this now for the rest of my life and I must figure out ways not to destroy her life and ruin her with it." All he wants is to be treated like an equal, yet her sympathy constantly reminds him that his handicap is indeed a barrier between them, and there is nothing they can do about it. He feels his only option is to send her away, not just for her own sake, but for his as well. Philip wants to be a person again, and there is no way he can do that with her around, helping him, making him feel helpless. I believe that though neither Philip or the girl will say it aloud, they both want to be separate, but they will not act on it, partially because of how they think they should act and behave, and thus will continue living together unhappily.