Somehow, I never got a chance to read this classic tale in its original format written by Hans Christian Andersen. I have read condensed stories based on your book and never really liked the story other than the fact that it provided an interesting concept that could be debated.
The plot of the story goes something like this: our hero is born very ugly in the middle of three other beautiful ducklings. And from there it takes off and degenerates into a story of violence so explicit that it took me completely by surprise. All because the duckling is big and ugly and not soft and cuddly! If it had been more along the lines of the duckling being teased because he looked different and bigger then it might have been an interesting read, but being singled out saying you look ugly smells of prejudice and bigotry. These were always my thoughts whenever I came across the phrase ‘ugly duckling’.
Last night I had the (bad) luck to find a free version of this book on my Kindle. I thought this would be a great bedtime story for my 7 and 5 year olds. I was wrong! The story was so violent that halfway through the book I had to stop reading it aloud to the children. I continued to be hypnotized that a children’s fairy tale could have so much harassment, suffering and extreme torture built into it. Similar to the fate of the poor ugly ducklings, the book is plagued with extreme intolerance towards people who are labeled ugly because they do not have the requirements of being conventionally beautiful.
Wherever the duckling goes, misfortune follows. They bite it, cut it, curse it, mistreat it, physically abuse it, kick it and I could go on, but I wouldn’t want to scare my little readers, so I’ll end by saying that this duckling survives and gets depressed and falls into self-pity and self-pity. self hate. Yes, I am also surprised that it is supposed to be a children’s book by a famous author.
Wikipedia has to say the following about this literary work: The Ugly Duckling “(Danish: Den grimme ælling) is a literary fairy tale by the Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875). A farmyard being abused by those around him, until, to his delight (and to the surprise of others), he matures into a beautiful swan, the most beautiful bird of all – personal transformation for the better.[1] “The Ugly Duckling” was first published on November 11, 1843 with three other stories by Andersen in Copenhagen, Denmark, to great critical acclaim. The tale has been adapted into various mediums, including opera, musicals, and animated films. The tale is entirely Andersen’s invention and owes no debt to fairies or folk lore. “
I am amazed to read that this is the case. Perhaps Andersen could have incorporated something into the duckling character that enabled him to embark on the journey of transformation. Instead, he just cries and gets depressed until he emerges like a swan. How would it have survived if it hadn’t been a swan and it was what it was? A very daunting concept!
How this ugly story of a little boy who finds himself in the wrong place through no fault of his own and just goes with the flow of things wishing he died every day could have garnered so many positive reviews is beyond my comprehension.
(Spolier alert!) The question I would have asked Andersen would be, what if he hadn’t turned into a swan in the end? Would that mean that he had been doomed forever and simply committed suicide or did he agree to the abuse the world was throwing at him? I would have liked to see more sperm from the duckling. I know he had spirit in him when he goes against the authority of the chicken and the cat and argues with them about how delicious it is to go out instead of being locked in the house. I have to give it to Andersen, he manages to provoke a few laughs with his macho writing. An example of this is when the hen responds to the duckling about his fanciful ideas of swimming in open water:
“What an absurd idea! You have nothing else to do, therefore you have nonsense. If you could purr or lay eggs, they would die!”
I’m tempted to drop my case here, but there are a few other gems like these that need to be cited.
Andersen’s prejudice towards the fair sex is evident when another mother duckling says of his supposed bad appearance: “It is a dragon and therefore it does not matter that much. I think it will grow strong and be able to take care of itself! ! ” Wow! It’s good to hear that it would have been the end of the whole poor man if he had been a lady. I guess you should consider yourself lucky.
Another good one is when the duckling lands in the middle of wild ducks, hoping that they will accept him as one of their own and this is what one of them has to say to him: “You are tremendously ugly, but that will not matter if you do not. I want to get married with one of our family! “One sentence carries so much prejudice against so many things and that pretty much sums up the whole tone of this book.
I cannot finish without quoting the end of the book. (Spoiler alert again)
After discovering that he has gone from being an ugly duckling to the most beautiful swan you have ever seen, our hero “was glad to have suffered pain and anguish, because it allowed him to enjoy much better all the pleasure and happiness that surrounded him.” How noble of him!
What a tedious and embarrassing book. Read it, but not with the children. It is definitely not for them.
