The Magic Sword (Mads, Rikke and Anne V.)

Throughout this Chinese legend the Chekiang man named Ning, who is presented as an honourable fellow, gradually succumb to temptations, which is a result of the seductive demons that appears both physical and psychological. To fight this duality a magic sword proves it’s worth but it may have it’s sacrifices.

The narrator in this legend is a third person narrator. The narrator is linked to the main character Ning, who is described in the beginning of the legend: “NING TS’AI-CH’EN was a Chekiang man, and a good-natured, honourable fellow, fond of telling people that he had only loved once.”[1] In this quote we get introduced to main character Ning. We hear that Ning is a man, who had only loved a woman once and that he is considered an honest and reliable man. Furthermore it is important for the reader to notice that Ning had only loved once, because nobody can avoid to be exposed to temptation and Ning is no excuse. Ning took shelter in a temple in the north of the city of Chinhua. A way to interpret why Ning goes to the temple is that he is fighting insecurities in his mind and seeks what will replace this insecurity. Which is emphasized because Ning is unable to sleep during the nights. At Chinhua he meets these demons, which only comes out at night. “She then produced a lump of gold which he threw away, and told her to go after it or he would call his friend. So she had no alternative but to go, muttering something about his heart being like iron or stone.”[2]  In the story the demons appear in a physical form, which can be seen in the quote above because the demon appears as a woman named Hsiao-ch’ien, who tempts Ning but as an honourable man he resists it. But it is also possible to interpret that they are Nings inner demons. The inner demons can
be interpreted as Nings insecurity problems.

After Hsiao-ch’ien tries to tempt Ning with the lump of gold she realises that he is a man with a steel-cold heart. This leads them to making a deal, where Ning is to dig up her bones and bury them a quiet place. After speaking with the demon, Ning is told to sleep with a Taoist priest, named Yen for the night. Yen and Ning spends the night in the same room, and thereafter Yen offers Ning a magic sword, that can protect him against the evil. Ning carries out his promise and brings with him Hsiao-ch’ien bones, who follows him and appears near his home: “Looking closely at her, he observed that she had a beautiful complexion, and feet as small as bamboo shoots, being altogether much prettier now that he came to see her by daylight.”[3] At this point, Ning realises just how beautiful the demon Hsiao-ch’ien is. As it emerges from the quote her beauty dazzles and seduces him and the temptation is too strong for him to handle. He succumbs to the pressure, and brings her to his home so she can meet his mother and wife. At first Nings mother is afraid of Hsiao-ch’ien, but as the time passes they slowly get on well together.”Hsiao-ch’ien then went into the kitchen and got ready the dinner, running about the place as if she had lived there all her life.”[4] Hsiao-ch’ien greases for Nings mother almost like she is winning her over on her side with a force from deep within. Hsiao-ch’ien has not only affected the mother but also Nings wife, who by the time is in bed, diagnosed with a serious illness. “By-and-by, Ning’s wife died, and his mother secretly wished him to espouse Hsiao-ch’ien.”[5] The quote shows that Ning’s wife little by little dies since Hsiao-ch’ien moved in at Nings house. A way to interpret this is that his love to his wife slowly fades, which is underlined by the fact that his mother changed her prejudices against Hsiao-ch’ien to be such overwhelmed that she asks her son to marry her. Now the demon has the opportunity to replace the wife, and she can start her relationship with Ning. Ning is now blinded by the physical demon and it raises a question about, whether Ning is still an honourable fellow.

Time passes and Hsiao-ch’ien has been under the influence of surrounding life in this upper world that she is no more afraid of the sword-case, but she has though been much agitated because she fears a devil in the temple will carry her off due to her escape: “Nothing more was heard, and the sword-case resumed its original size. Ning was greatly alarmed, but Hsiao-ch’ien came out rejoicing, and said, »There’s an end of my troubles.«”[6] The sword has now killed the evil, but only in its psychological form. It destroyed the insecurities in Ning’s mind and made it possible for him to fulfill his dreams and guaranteed him a family in the future. The sword didn’t kill Ning’s wife Hsiao-ch’ien, but only the essence of the evil demon inside of her. Ning now has a family, but he is no longer considered for a man who had only loved once and therefore the usage of the sword had it’s sacrifices.

Ning now got what he sought, a stable home with a wife and a newborn son. But in the fight against the duality of the demons he neglected his values. His usage of the magic sword, which fought the evil, had its sacrifices since he no longer has only loved once, but has succumbed to temptations. That is to say that Ning changed his set of values and have now become a man with a materialistic point of view.

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[1] The Magic Sword, page 67, line 1-2

[2] The Magic Sword, page 68, line 39-41

[3] The Magic Sword, page 70, line 26-28

[4] The Magic Sword, page 70, line 45-46

[5] The Magic Sword, page 71, line 26-27

[6] The Magic Sword, page 72, line 15-17

The Magic Sword (Johan, Frederik and Alexander H.)

“The Magic Sword” is a story about seduction and temptation. Temptation in the form of a beautiful woman, who alters the moral foundation of a good-hearted man. A man, who is in a constant inner struggle. This is depicted in a story with a myriad of details and symbols, that gives the story a certain sense of mystery.

“The Magic Sword” revolves around a man named Ning Ts’ai-Ch’en, or just Ning. In the beginning of the text he is described as follows:

“NING TS’AI-CH’EN was a Chekiang man, and a good-natured, honourable fellow,

fond of telling people that he had only loved once.”[1]

In the quote, it becomes apparent that Ning is proud of the fact that he has only loved once. This can be interpreted as if, he has only loved his wife. His love of his wife also comes to show, when he encounters a temptress in the form of the ghost of a young woman:

“He found it was the young lady he had just seen; and detecting at once that she was going to attempt to bewitch him, sternly bade her begone. She then produced a lump of gold which he

threw away, and told her to go after it or he would call his friend.”[2]

By reading the quote, it comes to show that Ning resists the temptress and her offer of gold. This clearly shows that Ning still loves his wife and is unreceptive to temptation.

Another important element in the story is the role of Hsiao-ch’ien and the imps. Even though, they’re described as a physical terror, the imps in the story symbolize the inner demons that Ning is battling with. An example of this can be seen in the following quote, where the nightly attack of the imps is described:

“He, however, was killed that very night, and his servant the night after; the corpses of both showing a small hole in the sole of the foot as if bored by an awl, and from which a little blood came.”[3]

In the quote, it comes to show that the imps have killed a young man and his servant during the night. This attack can be interpreted as Ning’s battle with his inner demons. At this particular moment, Ning’s inner demons are still rather powerful, which can be seen by the fact that they’ve killed two people. Another symbol of his inner struggle is a magic sword, that Ning is given to defend himself against the imps. This sword can be seen as a symbol of victory over the evil spirits.
Whereas the imps of the story are mere reflexions of Ning’s mental struggle, the demon Hsiao-ch’ien has a more complex role. Hsiao-ch’ien has somewhat of a double function. She has both demonic and seductive features to her character. Her demonic features can for instance be seen in the following quote:

““The presence of that sword frightens me, and that is why I could not accompany you on your way home.” Ning at once understood her, and hung up the sword-case in another place”[4]

From the quote, one can clearly see that Hsiao-ch’ien is filled with dread when near the magic sword. If the sword is seen as both a weapon and a defence against the demonic side of Ning’s life, It’s apparent that Hsiao-ch’ien is somewhat demonic since she can’t stand the sword. Furthermore, her seductive powers also comes show in quote. An example of this is that she manages to persuade Ning into moving his sword, his only guard against the evil of his life thus leaving him defenceless. This also shows the effect she has on Ning’s moral compass. At their first encounter, Ning sternly held his ground and didn’t waver, when he bade her begone. Now, he does as she commands, even though, it means that he’s completely unprotected.

Hsiao-ch’ien doesn’t try to seduce Ning alone. She also tries to ingratiate herself with Ning’s mother. This attempt to ingratiate herself ends up having a big impact on the story, which can be seen here:

“By-and-by, Ning’s wife died, and his mother secretly wished him to espouse Hsiaoch’ien”[5]

By reading the quote, it becomes apparent, that while Hsiaoch’ien ingratiates herself with the mother, Ning’s wife dies. The quote clearly depicts the outcome of Hsiaoch’ien’s efforts. The mother holds her in such high regard that Hsiaoch’ien is to marry Ning. More importantly, you can see the demonic side of Hsiaoch’ien by the fact that Ning’s wife withers away, while she does everything she can to appear as the ideal replacement. This seems too convenient to be coincidental.

The story culminates in the ending, where Ning confronts his inner demons:

“the sword-case became as big as a wardrobe, and from it a devil protruded part of his body and dragged the imp in. [...] In the sword-case they found only a few quarts of clear water; nothing else.”[6]

It becomes apparent in the quote that Ning defeats the demons and gains control over his psyche. The quarts of clear of water can be interpreted as a symbol of purity in the sense that Ning is now cleansed from the demons who’ve haunted him. This interpretation is supported further down the text, where we’re told that Ning completes his doctor’s degree and starts a family. This can be seen as a sign of him reaching a more balanced, stable state of mind.

After reading “The Magic Sword” we’re left with a feeling of amazement. Amazement of the fact that a person can be changed to such a degree that what he before held in the high regard now is as good, as forgotten. Where Ning before boasted about only having loved his wife, he ends up marrying another woman seemingly without mourning the loss of his wife -his only love. All of this due to a single person with extraordinary powers of persuasion. In our opinion, this adds to the mystery of the text and underlines the demonic powers of seduction embodied by Hsiaoch’ien.

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[1] ”The Magic Sword” page 67; From: ”Strange Stories from a chinese studio” By: Pu Sung-ling

[2] Ibit: page 68

[3] Ibit: page 68

[4] Ibit: page 71

[5] Ibit: page 71

[6] Ibit: page 72

Jasmin (Frederikke S., Anne D., Wen Hao and Andrea)

To feel betrayed and alone are two feelings most people recognize. We experience betrayal several times throughout our life from friends, family and maybe even the society. Betrayal and loneliness often go hand in hand but when we feel lonely, we seek attention and love elsewhere. In the short story “Jasmine”, the main character Nie Chuanqing seeks love elsewhere because of the betrayal and hatred from his father but this search turns out to be filled with restrained feelings and a temperament that isn’t controllable.

The main character in the short story “Jasmine” is called Nie Chuanqing. He is a student at a university and already from the beginning we get the impression of who Nie Chuanqing is: “He hated bumping into people he knew on the bus”[1]. This indicates that Nie Chuanqing is a person who prefers to distance himself from other people. Furthermore, the meeting with Danzhu underlines this feature at Chuanqing. When he bumps into Danzhu, she tries to start a conversation with Chuanqing but it is obvious to the reader that Chuanqing is not interested in this dialogue. Chuanqing’s short answers and his mental absence show us that he is not interested in this dialogue. Besides his silence, Chuanqing seems very fascinated by Danzhu. He describes her as very beautiful and we sense that there is a certain undertone of restrained feelings.

When Chuanqing gets home, he tries to sneak in unnoticed because he doesn’t want to confront his father with his choice of classes this semester. Chuanqing’s mother’s personal maid discovers Chuanqing and she forces him to confront his father. The confrontation gives us the impression of the relation between father and son. Chuanqing’s father says: “You? What’s there to see in you?”[2]. Furthermore, his father says: “Hit him, and he doesn’t cry, he just stares at you with those big wide eyes. I can’t stand to see him staring like that. It makes me furious!”[3]. These two statements imply that Chuanqing’s father is almost disgusted by his own son. Chuanqing’s father commits psychological violence against his son and he is very condescending towards Chuanqing. In the short story we are told that the marriage between Chuanqing’s mother and father was an arranged marriage. We are also told that there was no love between the two of them and after Chuanqing’s mother’s death, Chuanqing’s father has projected his anger towards Chuanqing. Chuanqing is aware of the relation between his mother and his father and he describes his mother’s life: “She was a bird embroidered onto a screen”[4]. Chuanqing says that his mother isn’t a bird in a cage but a bird on a screen because a bird in a cage can fly away when the cage is open but Chuanqing’s mother could never escape.  

The turning point in the short story is when Chuanqing finds out that Danzhu’s father Yan Ziye had a relationship with Chuanqing’s mother. This gives Chuanqing the opportunity to seek love somewhere else. It seems that Chuanqing’s discovery creates a certain jealousy against Danzhu. Danzhu has a loving family and she is wasting her luck according to Chuanqing. “So he would have all of Danzhu’s strengths, and all the ones she lacked, too.”[5].

Chuanqing feels a certain connection between himself and Yan Ziye and the presence of Yan Ziye makes Chuanqing nervous. When Yan Ziye asks Chuanqing a question in class and Chuanqing doesn’t know the answer, Yan Ziye starts yelling at Chuanqing. This causes that Chuanqing starts crying and he isn’t able to stop. The fact that Chuanqing feels very hurt by Yan Ziye’s yelling and the fact that he doesn’t cry when his father hurts him indicates that Chuanqing feels a stronger connection to Yan Ziye then he does to his father.

In the last part of the text, Chuanqing is on his way to a party on a mountainside. On his way, Chuanqing bumps into Danzhu and she assures her friends that Chuanqing will see her home - they don’t have to worry. Chuanqing and Danzhu reach the top of the mountain. Chuanqing starts wondering whether Danzhu is in love with him or if he is in love with Danzhu. Chuanqing remembers how often Danzhu has approached despite the fact that he isn’t the most popular guy at school. Furthermore, we are told: “He didn’t want revenge, he just wanted love especially from someone in the Yan family.”[6]. This statement indicates that Chuanqing needs to feel loved by someone he cares about as well. Throughout his entire childhood he has felt betrayed and let down by his parents and he has never gotten any support from his father. Even though Chuanqing says that he hates Danzhu, he probably has some restrained feelings for her. Danzhu is the only one who gives him the attention he needs. Chuanqing also says that “I want a father and a mother”[7] which implies that Chuanqing needs to have a loving family too. When Danzhu rejects Chuanqing, he gets furious and all the hatred that has grown in him throughout his life is let out. Chuanqing starts beating Danzhu and when he believes that she is dead he runs away. The short story ends with the statement: “He couldn’t escape.”[8]. This indicates that Chuanqing can never escape his father and the wounds on his soul his father has caused.

The beginning of the short story is worth noticing. We are told that the jasmine tea might be a little bitter and that we have to be careful because it might be hot. Furthermore, the jasmine tea is often known as a very good tea. We can compare the description of the jasmine tea with Nie Chuanqing. Chuanqing is first described as a quit boy and the descent boy but because of his rough childhood and his lack of care from his parents his temper can suddenly explode. With the tea you have to be careful that the pot of tea doesn’t boil over and with Chuanqing you have to be careful that his temper doesn’t boil over.

When you have felt the betrayal that Chuanqing has felt, you can easily imagine how your anger can suddenly explode. The problem arises when you can’t control your anger and you become a danger to your surroundings. In Chuanqing’s case his temper gets out of control because the wounds on his soul are so deep and the question is whether the wounds will heal or only get deeper?

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[1] Page 1

[2] Page 4

[3] Page 5

[4] Page 7

[5] Page 9

[6] Page 13

[7] Page 13

[8] Page 15

Jasmin (Christian, Oliver, Alexander L. and Asbjørn)

 Everyone has dreamt of a better life, some more than others. Grown up in a broken family, maybe even twisted, has made Chuanqing dream of another life. This has led to loneliness, family conflicts, social difficulties along with thoughts of jealousy and revenge. These are some of the central themes presented in the Chinese novel Jasmine, written by Zhang Ailing[1] in 1943 and translated from Mandarin to English by Karen S. Kingsbury.

   In the exordium of the text we are introduced to the story as a cup of jasmine tea. Jasmine tea seems innocent at first, but be careful, for it can be hot. An interpretation of the tea could be that it represents Chuanqing. He is equivalent to naught for almost everyone that he knows. He is innocuous and unoffending, although if you scratch too much off of the facade, a quite different personality emerges.
Chuanqing is a young man of about twenty years old. His mother was stabbed with a knife when he was four. He still yearns for his mother: “A knife will rust after twenty years, but it’s still a knife. The knife in his mother’s heart now twisted in his.”[2] Because of his mother’s death, his whole life has changed and he has lost a bit of himself. He now lives with his father, Nie Jiechen, and stepmother in a big mansion. His father and stepmother resent him. They think of him as lazy and immature, and they dread for the time when Chuanqing will inherit all their wealth. Through his move from Shanghai to Hong Kong he lost everything he held dear: “He lived in a big mansion. Within a few years of their moving here from Shanghai, all the flowers and trees that had once filled the yard had wilted, died, or been cut down, and now the sun beat down on a desolate scene.”[3] The flowers and the trees represent all the things in his life that made him happy, but all of which are now gone.
He is very withdrawn and he has no friends. A very popular girl, named Danzhu, tries to befriend Chuanqing. He does not understand why. Years back, Danzhu’s father, Yan Ziye, who is also the professor in the History of Chinese Literature class that Chuanqing is attending, was about to become engaged to Chuanqing’s mother, Feng Bilou. However, due to conflicts between the families the engagement never became reality. Chuanqing develops ideas about the life he could have had if their engagement had happened. He slowly becomes obsessed with these thoughts of another and better life and they start to consume him. He does not care about school anymore and becomes more and more detached from his actual life. He is particularly mentally absent in his History of Chinese Literature classes. He sees Yan Ziye as the perfect father he could have had, and when Yan Ziye one day becomes mad at him he starts to cry.
He has an old photograph of his mother and he compares himself to her: “She was waiting for someone, waiting for news. She knew that the news wouldn't come. In her heart the sky was slowly darkening—Chuanqing flinched in pain. He couldn't tell whether it really was his mother, or himself.” His mother was in love with Yan Ziye, but she wasted her chance of becoming happy when she refused to come with Yan Ziye to the States. Chuanqing is dreaming about a better life, but it will never happen, because he cannot settle with the mediocre life. He wants the perfect life or nothing at all.
The friendship between Danzhu and Chuanqing is not reciprocated. Danzhu is very juvenile and cannot hold anything back. She has a need for friendships with everyone. However, all of them end up being nothing more than artificial. The reason why she really wants to make friends with Chuanqing is because friendship is happiness for her. Chuanqing does not have any friends and she does not understand him. Chuanqing has no understanding for her need for friendship. After the death of his mother he has not been loved by anyone, not even by his own dad. Twenty years of longing for love has made him fanatical. Simple friendship just is not enough, he wants more than that. If he had been in her stead, loved by his parents, loved by everyone, he would have made the fullest of his life. He is truly frustrated about this. At the end of the semester after a dance when Chuanqing and Danzhu are walking alone in the night, Chuanqing’s rage takes over when she denies him the chance of getting a link to the Yan family, where he could be loved and live a happy life. “He didn't want revenge, he just wanted love especially from someone in the Yan family. Since he and the Yan family weren't, in fact, blood relations, a relation by marriage would be good enough. He simply had to have a link to the Yan family.”[4] Chuanqing brutally murders her as a last resort; for he cannot bear the thought that he could have lived her perfect life. Danzhu still lives on, however. She has been immortalized through love from her friends and family. Therefore Chuanqing will never be able to escape, he will never be happy.

   “Hong Kong is a splendid city, but a sad one too.”[5] In general the text is about one person’s difficulties in life. The dream of something better; a better family, a better social life - a dream of being loved, is all something that is presented in the text. Chuanqing shows the sad part of the city, whereas Danzhu possesses all the opposite. However, this could have been all different - it is a matter of luck. People’s social heritages are a big part of their lives. You can choose to make the best out of your given situation, but as Chuanqing did, you can also become enchanted by the life that you cannot get and be driven mad.

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[1] Zhang Ailing (1920-1995), Chinese writer.

[2] Ailing, Zhang, Jasmine Tea, 1943, top of page six.

[3] Ibid., middle of page three.

[4] Ibid., middle of page thirteen.

[5] Ibid., top of page one.

The Ugly Duckling (Antonie, Jakob and Thomas B.)

In 1843 published Hans Christian Andersen a fairy tale called “The Ugly Duckling”. Inspired by his own miserable but yet amazing life he describes the growing up of this little ugly duckling.

Through all of the ugly ducklings life he faces adversity in every possible way. His family and the society of his, despise him, even when he escapes and gets some friends, they get shot. And once more he is alone. The tale of the ugly duckling takes a look at the topic of classism within society, classism that affected H.C. Andersen himself early on in his life due to his low income family. The story follows the struggling that the ugly duckling goes through, that H.C. andersen also went through in his life.

The year of the publication, 1843, was a time of danish literature called “Biedermeier”. We see this literary tendency  in “The Ugly Duckling” when H.C. andersen describes the beautiful facades of the farm in “The Ugly Duckling”. The sophisticated society on the farm turns out to be an oppressive society filled with hate towards outsiders that stems from the “wise” elder ducks “Look, here comes another brood, as if there weren’t enough of us already! And what a queer looking object one of them is; we don’t want him here,” and then one of them flew out and bit him on the neck”

In Biedermeier it is all about constructing facades that the reader can see are cracking up.

When H. C. Andersen came as a 14-year-old he went to Copenhagen to study theatre at the Royal Danish Theatre. He was accepted and began to sing, but because of his voice were in transition, he was suggested to write theater pieces instead of singing.^[1] When he had written his first two theater pieces “Røverne i Vissenberg” and “Alfsol”, the latter for which had brought the attention of Jonas Collin who sent the young and aspiring H.C. Andersen to school in order to hone his talents.^[2]

The Ugly Duckling tale is a reflection on the society described from H. C. Andersen’s point of view. The Ugly Duckling itself symbolizes H. C. Andersen and the ducklings journey from his comfortable little egg to adulthood, is supposed to symbolize H.C. Andersen’s perception of his early childhood and experience with moving to Copenhagen.

Like the ugly duckling, H.C. Andersen was made fun of because of his rather large nose and somewhat ugly appearance. A reference to this can be found when the duckling is pecked at when he is introduced to the farm society. “Look, here comes another brood, as if there weren’t enough of us already! And what a queer looking object one of them is; we don’t want him here,” and then one of them flew out and bit him on the neck”.

The story of the ugly duckling takes up the subject of inheritage vs. environment, in favor of the main protagonist inheritage. Inheritage vs. environment is whether or not a person’s character is build from what he has from his inherritage, or if it is build from his experiences in a society or environment. The way that H.C. Andersen presents this in the ugly duckling is by setting him up outside of his natural society. A society in which he does not fit in, his inheritage does not fit in. He is a swan, a “free and majestic” creature that does not belong in on a farm with ducks. 

The ugly duckling  also takes up the issue of classism within society.  This is shown early on with the hierarchy at the farm, but it is even more apparent at the house of the old lady. The skills that the ugly duckling posses like swimming are worthless to the tomcat and the old lady. ”We and the world” for they believed themselves to be half the world and the better half too”. Class matters in this society and what counts for your class is your inherited abilities. The tomcat forces what the society wants upon the duckling “I advise you, therefore, to lay eggs , and learn to purr as quickly as you can”. Classism that clashes against the ugly ducklings inheritage.

His journey is not in vain however, at the end he is reunited with his his own people and his inheritage is revealed to be a blessing instead of a curse. “ “See” cried the youngest, “there is a new one;” and the rest were delighted and ran to their father and mother, dancing their hands, and shouting joyously, “there is another swan come; a new one has arrived .”

 He is a majestic swan that is above all others, it is his inheritage.
“ ”The new one is the most beautiful of all; he is so young and pretty,” and the swans bowed before him.” ”

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^[1]

^[2] http://www.denstoredanske.dk/Kunst_og_kultur/Litteratur/Dansk_litteratur/1800-70/H.C._Andersen
Lower part of “Selvbiografi”

The Ugly Duckling (Sebastian L., Hans and Thomas A.)

In Denmark’s 19^th century your social heritage was almost impossible to rid yourself of. The strict social structure of Denmark’s 19^th century made it difficult to move up in society, if you were a son of a carpenter, you were destined to become a carpenter. Those were the social norms of the time. The Ugly Duckling by H.C. Andersen is a reflection of the society of the 19^th century; he portrays the problems of breaking your social heritage. But was it in fact so difficult to break the social heritage?

Mr Andersen used the example of a swan being hatched with ducklings as a way of portraying society. The story has a subjective 3^rd person narrator, since it follows only the ugly duckling and you see things from his point of view. H.C. Andersen uses his own experience as inspiration for the fairy tale. The ugly duckling is the main character of the fairy tale. The ugly duckling goes through a journey from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan. Throughout his journey he attempts to fit in several communities to find a place where he belongs. It’s in these “communities” we see Mr Andersen’s critique of the social structure in Denmark at the time:

“When they reached the farmyard, there was a great disturbance, two families were fighting for an eel’s head, which, after all, was carried off by the cat. “See, children, that is the way of the world, …”[1]

 This quote illustrates Mr Andersen’s view on the world: very brutal and with no mercy for the weak in society. This is also how H.C. Andersen experienced life, he had to fight for himself and nothing was given to him. He wasn’t born as a high-class citizen but a low-class citizen. In the story, the ugly duckling hides in a cottage, where he lives for a few weeks. Here he meets a hen and a cat: ““Can you lay eggs?” she asked. “No.” “Then have the goodness to hold your tongue.” “Can you raise your back, or purr, or throw out sparks?” said the tom cat. “No.” “Then you have no right to express an opinion when sensible people are speaking.””1

This quote shows how society works; it is oversimplified, if you cannot meet the criteria that society sets, you are quickly deemed useless and a failure. Even though you may have skills that would enable you to perform another task with ease. The story is chronological and takes place in the course of a year. The seasons foreshadows the ugly ducklings life, they represent his life situation: the summer is where he is born: a happy moment. From there on it goes downhill, he leaves his family and when winter comes he is all alone and depressed. Then when summer returns he discovers his true identity: he is a swan.

Towards the end, the ugly duckling has given up all hope:

““Kill me,” said the poor bird; and he bent his head down to the surface of the water, and awaited death.”[2]

This quote illustrates the depressed state, which the ugly duckling is in. He feels unworthy to be amongst the swans due to his ugliness. The gracefulness of the swans brings forth a longing inside of the ugly duckling to be as them, but he knows he cannot, therefore he does not wish to stay alive. He would rather be killed by these great and beautiful swans, than by the mean and graceless ducks. As he cries for his death, he looks down and sees his reflection in the surface of the water. At this point in the fairy tale, the ugly duckling “dies” and the true identity of the character is revealed: a graceful and beautiful swan.

Even though the ugly duckling is seen as a weakling by society, he manages to get through the winter alone, he prevails even though society has shunned him. This shows: where there is a will there is a way. He doesn’t need to follow the social structure and norms to succeed in life; he made it on his own and found his purpose. This can be interpreted as Mr Andersen life experience; he met a lot of adversity, which he overcame and became a successful author.

 “To be born in a duck’s nest, in a farmyard, is of no consequence to a bird, if it is hatched from a swan’s egg.”2

This quote is the basically the message of The Ugly Duckling, it means that the place and the social status you are born into is irrelevant, all that matters is what you can achieve in life. Another message that can be found in The Ugly Duckling is that even though people tells you, that you are incompetent or useless, you can always find your place in life as long as you are willing to fight for it.

In The Ugly Duckling the social structure and inheritance are expressed by the ugly ducklings journey through different societies and cultures. Your identity is not controlled by your legacy. You can create the identity you want for yourself. The fairy tale shows the difficulty in breaking with social inheritance; however, if you are destined to be something different than culture dictates it is achievable.

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[1] The Ugly Duckling by H.C. Andersen

[2] The Ugly Duckling by H.C. Andersen