The Theme of the Last Judgment

Follows the novel's reimagining of the Last Judgment as a daily, human event, and Clamence's role as its administrator.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Traditional Judgment

A distant event The old idea Clamence was not religious. He saw the Last Judgment as a distant, theological concept. He didn't take it seriously. He was more concerned with the judgment of men. The secular world In his world, judgment was human. He was a lawyer, dealing with earthly justice. The Last Judgment was a joke.

The Discovery of Daily Judgment

The judgment of men The inescapable tribunal Clamence realized that the judgment of men is worse than any divine judgment. There are no extenuating circumstances. The Last Judgment takes place every day. The spitting cell He described the spitting cell as a human invention, proof that we don't need God for judgment. The theme of the Last Judgment becomes immediate and terrible.

Clamence as the Judge

The throne of judgment Administering the Last Judgment Clamence now sits enthroned, watching the multitude of the Last Judgment rise from the fog. He pities but does not absolve. He understands but does not forgive. He is adored. The new God He has become the end and the beginning. He is a false prophet, but he has taken the place of the judge. The theme of the Last Judgment culminates in Clamence's own apotheosis.

Clamence's early view

After his fall, during his self-examination

In Amsterdam, as a judge-penitent