Wild Duck Journal #4

Comparison: Compare how writers in your study have explored the theme of judgment and punishment and with what effect.

In Oedipus, it seems that the end of the novel acts as a sort of "judgment day." It is at this point that we see who Oedipus really is, and he punishes himself with blindness and exile. However, in ancient Greece, this could have been seen as the honorable thing to do. While he is punished with this fate, he is also judged by it. Because he chooses to "take the high road" by living in blindness and exile, he could be seen as heroic and noble.

In Wild Duck, Gregers is very concerned with his ideal image of a man, in this case Hjalmar. He believes that through informing Hjalmar about his wife's past relationship, Hjalmar will be a better man for it. However, once Hjalmar learns of this secret, he abandons his family and becomes miserable. It becomes evident that Hjalmar is not the "ideal man" because of his reaction. He is punished for his behavior when it results in his daughter's suicide and we see him regret his actions.