Gerald's Enlightenment?

The most noteworthy portion of tomorrow’s reading for me was the chapter entitled “Death and Love”; more specifically, I drew a number of parallels between Gerald’s midnight journey through the countryside and Rupert’s strangely erotic moment in the woods after Hermione has biffed him on the head. Like Rupert, Gerald is in a state of mild confusion while he is traipsing through the night. Admittedly, some of his confusion has to do with the situation. (It is completely dark, after all). Despite this fact, Gerald is facing “the ultimate experience of his own nothingness” – it is clear that he is at least partially out of sorts. However, the most striking parallel between the two events lies in their respective outcomes. Rupert reaches some sort of enlightenment in regard to the state of humanity as a result of his experience in the woods; Gerald has a similar moment when he decides to seek out Gudrun and consummate their relationship. There is of course an additional layer of complexity here when we factor in “the unseen, raw grave” which certainly emphasizes Gerald’s recent tragedy, but at its most basic level, it seems that Gerald’s midnight walk could be just another instance of a character’s “enlightenment” within the story.