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In the Movie "The Book of Eli" we discover at the end

that the Bible Eli has been carrying the entire movie is written in braille.

Does this imply that

he is blind, and has been living completely "by faith" his entire life?

Or is the punchline of the movie that

he is the last living man on earth who can read braille?

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5  
He is blind. It's not totally obvious for most of the film. – user11982 Jan 21 at 14:44
At the end, the woman who has become blind can apparently read braille, so he is not the last – SSumner Jan 21 at 15:16
1  
@SSumner Not the last human, but perhaps the last man. – Xantec Jan 21 at 15:59
6  
The spoiler tags in the question are a little pointless, given the title. – Burhan Ali Jan 21 at 18:59
I'm glad you asked this. I just watched this movie the other night and, truthfully, if I hadn't gone to look up the synopsis of the movie online I don't know that I would have figured out that Eli was blind. I think I would have just assumed that since he was literate he was also able to read Braille (for some reason...). – Meg Coates Jan 21 at 20:51
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1 Answer

up vote 26 down vote accepted

He is blind, although it is not always obvious. This was particularly the case for me since I saw this movie on a plane, which had been edited (the movie, not the plane).

Some of the subtle clues to demonstrate he is blind:

  • When he flicks the lighter open and flicks it, he moves his hand over the flame to prove to him it works because he's blind.
  • He kept clicking the iPod even though it said battery low. If he could see, he'd realize the battery was low. Only after clicking like crazy did he realize it was low.
  • He kicked the bottom stair before walking up the steps to the old folks house.
  • He didn't see the no trespassing sign because he was blind.
  • At the beginning of the movie, he shoots a hairless cat only when he hears it move.
  • It is only after Eli is fired upon from the guy on the roof that Eli takes over and fires back. And each time someone fires on him, Eli turns in that direction and returns fire. Eli accidentally shoots Carnegie in trying to shot the guy running in Carnegie’s direction.
  • When Solara first comes to seduce Eli she is obviously dressed for solicitation and she says "don't worry you don't have to pay." Eli replies "pay for what," since he can't see all the visual clues that Solara is giving him.
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7  
What does an edited plane look like? – Xantec Jan 21 at 15:45
7  
@Xantec The wings are shorter. – Jack B Nimble Jan 21 at 15:57
Plus, more leg room. – Zoot Jan 21 at 18:00
@kojiro: Really? Read the question title. "Is Eli blind, or can he just read braille?". That's a big fat spoiler right there. – Zano Jan 21 at 19:10
4  
When you watch the movie for the second time, knowing that he is blind, a lot of these things you mentioned, plus a lot of other small things, become glaringly obvious (IMO). – NominSim Jan 22 at 2:47
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