Oedipus Rex

I have spent a lot of time considering the connection between growing up and the myth of Oedipus Rex. Originally, I focused mainly on the main theme of this tragic play--blindness-- and I came to the question; can one mature out of ignorance? Or does Oedipus's final fate (actual blindness) render him forever blind? Now, as we all know, in this play, blindness is just symbolism for ignorance. However, because of the actually action of becoming blind, I got the feeling Oedipus's ignorance was much more concrete. I found that by physically blinding himself, he is securing his state of ignorance forever. Contradictingly, I found that by the end of the play (thanks to Foster), Oedipus gain's a different kind of sight from his discoveries--self knowledge. I found his actions illustrated a matured and wiser Oedipus than the character we were introduced to in the beginning. At this point of my wandering in circles, I decided to give in and research exactly what some define, "growing up." This is what I found:

"It is thinking less of yourself and more of others...You take the blame for your screw ups and learn from your mistakes so that you don't keep doing it again and again." (yahoo)

"Mentally growing up means to become fully aware of your possibilities, your limits, your resources, your situation in comparison to others, your goals and your responsibilities" (quora)

"I think it means actually taking control over your life. When you're a kid, your parents are guiding your life. You're just sitting in the backseat. When you grow up, you start driving it yourself" (soulpancake)
(I personally inserted fate where she stated parents, for the sake of the play)

So in summary, taking responsibility for you life is a definite sign of growing up. This made things much clearer for me. Oedipus fights the possibility of his proclaimed fate for the entire play, though we all know, deep down, he knows. He just can't accept it, he refuses to see the truth and take responsibility for his actions. It isn't until the very end, after discussing the possibility with countless sources that he fully realizes his fate interjected itself and steered his life. This is when he gouges his eyes and admits the horrible actions he has committed. He then states without hesitation, he is to be exiled.

This certainly was a turn of events for me, after feeling like I knew Oedipus's character, I figured he would try to scheme his way out of it and make up excuses. Why? Because that is the kind of person he was portrayed in my eyes in the beginning of the novel, arrogant, naive, and childish. However, his character changed, he did not do anything I expected him to do, he handled the situation much more calmly than I envisioned, and took full responsibility for his actions. He took control of his life and banished himself, so to not continue to cause Thebes any more distress than he had already caused. Do I believe Oedipus grew up from these horrific experiences? Certainly. He progressed from an arrogant, self-righteous man, trying to escape his fate, to an accepting, responsible, physically blind yet insightful, grown up.