The ending to “The Judgement” can be interpreted to mean a lot more than just the simple fact that Georg decided to end his life. Going back to the question of who is responsible for Georg’s decision to end his life at the end of the story, I would have to say it was the father that led him to kill himself. Throughout the story, one is able to conclude that Georg has always been under the control of his father, despite the fact that he is older and can fend for himself. “Maybe it was because, during the time in which his mother was still alive, his father had hindered Georg from developing his own activities by imposing his, the father’s, own opinions.” Despite Georg being an adult, he still was not able to have his own opinion to things. The controlling aspect can also be seen how Georg first has to go to his father to ask if what he’s writing in the letter to his friend is reasonable. Therefore, by the father controlling Georg’s life and not allowing him to be his own person, the moment the father tells Georg “I condemn you to death by drowning,” Georg found this as a way of his father getting rid of him for good. His dad is the one responsible for killing his son.
- Jorge Moreno
Jorge, I think it’s interesting that you think that his father is the one that’s responsible for Georg’s death. I do think that it has a certain sense of truth, because like you said, he allowed his father to dictate his life. However, I think it’s more than simply him being straightforwardly responsible. It’s true that his father had a part, but in the end isn’t it Georg’s decision to end his life, as well as, perhaps he’s already dissatisfied and just looking for a way out or an excuse? I think he definitely feels in some way that life is meaningless by the last sentence, “At this moment an almost endless traffic rolled across the bridge.” This is an extremely sad moment and has a great significance. After everything, Georg’s suicide is highlighted by the fact that many people are there to witness his final moment. Or at least they’re in the presence of. And yet, despite the fact that Georg spent several moments contemplating this decision before he let go and jumped in, no one bothered to say anything or to stop him.
- Aly Yoon
Jorge makes a good point about how the father is responsible for Georg’s decision but I believe that his friend in Russia also plays a role in it as well. Georg also felt the betrayal of his friend not telling him anything that was going on with his father so I believe that also played a part. I agree with Aly’s point that his suicide is highlighted by the fact that many people were present which makes the moment much sadder. I believe the ending is somehow unrealistic. Although what his father did was very hurtful and harsh, he was just extremely happy about getting married and telling his friend about it. I think his decision was made too quickly without the presence of a deliberation about how his fiancé would feel. The only thought he had was about his parents, “But dear parents, I have always loved you, and let himself fall down”. But it being unrealistic helps me understand that he truly did not want to live anymore not just because of what his father did. He said he loved them and doesn’t really hate them as he should.
- Preston Cheung
1 response so far ↓
f.zaman1 // Mar 31st 2017 at 12:03 pm
Aly makes a great point in the sense that justification behind Georg’s was more than just his father being straightforward. Ultimately he felt unwanted and that he had no purpose. He was somewhat of an outcast, which is the reasoning behind the fact that no one tried to help him when you mentioned this in the last sentence. “Georg spent several moments contemplating this decision before he let go and jumped in, no one bothered to say anything or to stop him.” This fundamentally gave him the initiative to end his life that was full of hardships in many different aspects.
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