"The Wild Duck"

Paper Summary:

This paper provides a brief analysis of Ibsen's play and focuses on the symbolism of the wild duck and its relation to the characters of the play. It explains that the protagonist, Hjalmar Ekdal's life and behavior are similar to the symbolic wild duck. The wild duck possessed one sort of life spirit when alive, and in that form it symbolized the life Hjalmar might have had or should have had; in its wounded form, as a trophy, though, it symbolizes the life Hjalmar has now and the plight of his family.

From the Paper:

"The wild duck would once have been free, alive, strong, and able to make choices as to where to go and what to do. This is no longer the case, any more than Hjalmar would be able to express himself, be free, or show any real strength. Another element of the wild duck's existence is that it is kept away from the real world in which it formerly lived. It is Gregers who says that if the duck ever glimpses the sky, its former home and place of greatest freedom, it will die of a broken heart. It can only live by the illusion that the sky no longer exists, much as Hjalmar has to have illusions in order to live. Hjalmar is therefore contrasted with the hard-headed realist seen in the elder Werle, and it is the clash between the two that represents the war between illusion and reality most clearly, with the wild duck as a symbol of Hjalmar's hiding his head from the real world because he has been wounded."

More papers on "The Wild Duck":

• Analytical Essay # 31793 : "The Wild Duck" and "Ghosts"
• Comparison Essay # 35120 : "The Wild Duck" and "Our Town"
• Analytical Essay # 18773 : "Ibsen's "Ghosts" and "The Wild Duck"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: