The Wild Duck

blindness: Hedvig vs. Oedipus vs. Werle

In The Wild Duck blindness was used in opposition to the way it was used in Oedipus. Oedipus punished himself by becoming blind, but it was through Hedvig and Werle's blindness that Hjalmar felt pain. Blindness is by definition: "The condition of being blind; unable to see; Want of intellectual or moral discernment; mental darkness; ignorance, heedlessness; concealment." But is also defined as: not based on reason or evidence; "blind hatred"; "blind faith"; "unreasoning panic". Both of these defintions fit the literal and metaphoric definition of blindness in both plays. Oedipus wants to become blind because he feels he should not be allowed to see the things that made him happy anymore because he has done so many bad things. Both Hedvig and Werle are becoming blind because of genetics. Both could be considered the interception of fate. If Oedipus had never learned that he killed his father and slept with his mother, he never would have wound up blind. And, Hedvig and Werle's similar blindess caused Hjalmar to leave, and believe that his child didn't love him, eventually ending in Hedvig's death. I think that blindness adds to the story because it shows a weakness in the people who do have power, both Oedipus and Werle are very highly thought of and seem to be strong men, but they're blindness makes people think less of them. I also think there is a connection between male blindness, the fact that Hedvig is becoming blind is of concern to her family, only because it hurts her and she will not be able to enjoy life as she normally would. For both Oedipus and Werle, their blindness becomes tragic. Could this be that woman are already seen as blind, "ignorance" and "heedlessness". In both societies woman were not looked highly upon, and this could be expressed through the image of blindness.