Comparison between "Oedipus Rex" and the film " Into the Wild".
by
makisha (student)
The Truth Hurts, but Reality Hurts Even More
One needs to understand to accept the truth. For if it is denied, there is nothing to do, but suffer, as denial of the truth can lead to devastating consequences: “How dreadful the knowledge of the truth can be”. This quotation by play writer Sophocles demonstrates that the truth can torment people. As painful as it appears, there is no avoidance. The Sophoclean tragedy is a model, which exhibits one major cause of human tragedy; hubris. People are only able to see the truth when they throw off their blindness of bias and prejudice. Such is the case in Oedipus Rex and “Into the Wild”, where the protagonists in both are unable to accept the truth and thus leads to their downfall.
Similar to a Sophoclean protagonist, Oedipus is oblivious to the truth; the shame that he murdered his father and married his mother. Oedipus is viewed as an intelligent king, who was expected to comprehend the clues Tiresias brought to him about the truth-but he remained ‘blind’ to penetrate it. He is a brilliant and confident man, which is why Tiresias believes that Oedipus would have known the truth. However, since Oedipus did not understand it, Tiresias dropped many clues, anticipating that Oedipus would solve it. Oedipus remained ‘blind’ to penetrate the truth, despite that Tiresias leads him to the truth. Once Tiresias proclaims the truth, Oedipus is not in the circumstance to accept it. As he was in denial , he ended up displaying anger towards Tiresias: “…You have no power or truth. You are blind, your ears and mind as well as eyes” (23). Oedipus is in a phase where he denies the truth, because he fears to accept it. Ironically, Tiresias, the physically blind prophet has the ability to recognize the truth, whereas Oedipus, who is not blind, is unable to not see it, but also face the consequences of his mistake. Preoccupied with solving the murder of Laius and maintaining his status, Oedipus remains ‘blind’ towards his prophecies. He only truly understands the horror of the truth and blinds himself with Jocasta’s broach. He leaves Thebes, becomes an outcast, abandons his kids and sets foot on to a new journey blind and alone. Oedipus’ downfall is a result of his denial of the truth, and his refusal to take responsibility for the welfare of his citizens.
