Rebirth or Moments of Enlightenment?

In class, we discussed how the hospital scene represented the rebirth of the narrator. People talked about how the “strange white” overalls the narrator was wearing represented a blank slate (231). Moreover, the narrator goes on to say “I was no longer afraid. Not of important men, not of trustees and such; for knowing that there was nothing which I could expect from them, there was no reason to be afraid” (249). It seems that the narrator has gone through a rebirth due to his clothing and state of mind. Yet, I must disagree with this idea about the rebirth because I do not believe that the narrator was ever reborn throughout the book. I rather believe that he continuously experiences moments of realization and enlightenment nor rebirth. The first reason why I must object to the idea about rebirth is that even before the hospital scene he had this important moment that changed his life drastically. When the narrator reads Dr. Bledsoe’s letter, he is forced into reality. He realizes the extreme betrayal and even quotes “Twenty-five years seemed to have lapsed between his handing me the letter and my grasping its message” (191). By emphasizing the phrase “twenty-five years”, the narrator is pointing out that this event was a moment of great realization (191). He realized Dr. Bledsoe’s duplicitous character and later on stated “Everyone seemed to have some plan for me, and beneath that some more secret plan” (194). He becomes aware of the deceit that lies in society representing a great transition in his life. Therefore, I cannot see how the narrator was reborn in the hospital scene when he was already changed significantly. My second reason why I must object to the idea about the narrator’s rebirth is that he later on experiences more life-altering changes. For instance, he leaves Mary’s house to join the Brotherhood. He quotes “This was a new phase, I realized, a new beginning, and I would have to take part of myself that looked on with remote eyes and keep it always at the distance of the campus, the hospital machine, the battle royal- all now far behind” (335). In other words, he is basically hopeful about this new beginning in his life which contradicts with the idea of rebirth during the hospital scene. How can the narrator face two rebirths during a short period of time? The only logical explanation I can see is that the narrator is going through a transition in his life throughout the book. Lastly, the narrator faces the greatest realization and enlightenment when he is stuck in the hole. Holes can connect back to the allegory of Plato’s cave which emphasized that a hole can be a place of enlightenment. Hence, the narrator discovers himself and society in this hole. He exclaims “ I’m invisible, not blind”  representing his enlightenment on his identity (576). Furthermore, he states “Life is to be lived, not controlled” symbolizing his realization that he was controlled all his life (577). So he decides to live his life by being himself.