TWD Journal 4

Gina:
I believe Gina is the source of the problem. Arguments between Gina and Hjalmar began to arise because of all the information she did not tell him during their marrage. She had a child without knowing exactly who the father was, and she had a relationship with a man who is now funding the house Gina and Hjalmar live in. Gina believed she was protecting Hjalmar by keeping all this information a secret. Hjalmar's life revolved around a facade that he created to make himself look wealthier than who he really is. The only thing that Hjalmar didn't turn into a facade was his family. His family meant more to him than any materialistic ideal. Gina wanted to preserve Hjalmar's belief in the family, she did not want him to deplete his already decreasing self asteem. Hjalmar used to be suicidal, and by Gina keeping the truth about Hedvig, she was keeping Hjalmar in a happier state.

Gregers:
Gregers was not the source of the problem, but he amplified the problem. Hjalmar and Gina's household may have been a facade created by Gina, but they seemed happy together. But Greger's had this vision of an "ideal marriage" and knew the truth that Gina was hiding. Gregers wanted Hjalmar and Gina to have a pure marriage, and in order to reach the pure state, Gregers made it his "life's purpose" to reveal the truth and make things right. In order to do so, Gregers began unraveling what Gina hid her whole marriage. The truth came out, accompanied by many arguments accusing eachother of one after the other. Gregers may not have been the source for the problem, but he revealed it, causing the family facade to diminish.