Identity and Self-worth in The Ugly Duckling
The Ugly Duckling, which was written by Hans Christian Andersen, is a popular and inspiring fairytale. It is a story about a little, ugly duckling that undergoes a transformation into a beautiful white swan. In this story, the little bird known as the Ugly Duckling was born in a barnyard where he was teased about being ugly and plain. As a result, the Ugly Duckling went to live with a flock of geese and ducks until the flock was shot down by hunters. The plain, little bird then went to live with an old woman but does not stay there for long as he was mocked again by the old womans cat and hen. He eventually found a flock of swans that accepts, embraces, and treats him like one of them. The little bird realizes that he has transformed into a beautiful swan when looking at his reflection in the lake. This popular story basically entails animal symbolism used to disguise a human story. Since it is essentially a human story, the story highlights the theme of identity and self-worth.
Analysis of The Ugly Duckling
As previously indicated, The Ugly Duckling is a story in which the author utilizes animal symbolism to tell a human story. It is a heart-transformation story in which the animals true identity and self-worth are revealed. Using animal symbolism, Andersen demonstrates how a character that is different from its family or environment usually feels alone and struggles to develop a sense of belonging. Generally, stories in which a character struggles to feel a sense of belonging in their own home setting or environment are usually rare. The Ugly Duckling is an example of such a story whose plot involves loneliness, community, and acceptance. These three aspects of the plot are used to demonstrate their impact on a characters sense of belonging, identity, and self-worth.
The Ugly Duckling demonstrates that loneliness makes it difficult for a character to have a sense of belonging even in a familiar environment. As shown in this story, loneliness is sometimes brought by features of the external environment such as acceptance by others. The...
…of belonging were affected by the fact that he accepted what people said about him. His sense of dignity and identity was initially shaped by the treatment he received from those around him and what they said about him. His true identity and self-worth become clear when he takes a good look at himself. He never had an understanding of his real identity and self-worth until he realized how beautiful and wonderful he was.In conclusion, The Ugly Duckling is a story in which the author utilizes animal symbolism to depict a human story. It is a story about identity and self-worth and how these two are shaped or affected by family and societal relations. As evident in the story, what people say and think about us has a significant effect on our sense of self-worth and view of our identity. However, an individual does not get to know his real identity and self-worth until he/she looks at him/herself. While peoples perceptions about us affect us, a true sense of identity and self-worth is derived from looking at ourselves for who…
Works Cited
Li, Xiangning. “Analysing Children’s Diversity and Identity in Elmer and the Ugly Duckling.” Proceedings of the 2020 3rd International Conference on Humanities Education and Social Sciences (ICHESS 2020), vol. 496, 2020, pp. 352–357., https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.201214.523.
Ramírez, Manuela López. “'Racialized Beauty': The Ugly Duckling in Toni Morrison's ‘God Help the Child.’” Complutense Journal of English Studies, vol. 25, 2017, pp. 173–189., https://doi.org/10.5209/cjes.55255.
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