"The Ugly Duckling": the main characters of Hans Andersen's fairy tale. The main characters of the ugly duckling

Literary and methodological analysis of the work

H.H. Andersen "The Ugly Duckling".

1. Genre of this workliterary fairy tale. A socially oriented image of the bourgeois world is given in the images of representatives of the animal kingdom. It is unlikely that anyone will think that this is a fairy tale about animals. It is absolutely clear: it is about people. Does the storyteller portray people under the guise of animals and himself under the guise of an ugly duckling?

In Andersen's fairy tales, tears and laughter, grief and joy live side by side - as in real life. He understood that even the most fairy tale should reflect life.

2. Topic: happy salvation.

Problem: the struggle of opposites: happiness and misfortune, good and evil, self-sacrifice and selfishness, loyalty and betrayal.The conflict with society develops into a personal one: “And the mother added: “My eyes would not look at you!” Therefore, the hero of the fairy tale goes into the unknown, because “It is better to die from them ( beautiful swans) blows, than to endure the pinching of ducks and chickens, the kicks of a poultry woman, and endure the cold and hunger in winter!” Not resigning himself to the pitiful fate of a renegade in the poultry yard, the Ugly Duckling jumped over the fence and was gone. He wandered alone; he was haunted by danger, hunger and cold. He miraculously survived the harsh winter.

Place among similar ones.Modern theme: “Criticism of the philistinism and aristocracy” in the first half of the 40s - the period of the creation of such fairy tales as “The Ugly Duckling”, “The Snow Queen”, “The Shadow”, in which a kind of innovative artistic style the writer acquires more vividly pronounced character. The writer brings the fairy tale closer to life, with real world. Greatly humanistic, ideological and aesthetic value these fairy tales, revealing the world of great and pure human feelings, deep and noble thoughts.

Name. Main character - ugly duck, as shown by the author in the title. The title is an oxymoron: the ugly and the beautiful refers to one hero and sets him apart from all the other inhabitants of the poultry yard.

3. Compositional and linguistic features.New to fairy tale genre there was a lively and emotional language of the work, close to colloquial, and a unique plot structure. An important role in a fairy tale is played by the author-narrator with his likes and dislikes, with his characteristic evaluative intonation and definiteness of judgment. A huge lyrical wave of the author's sympathy seems to lift the modest hero, filling his image with light and nobility. Human portraits here gain poignancy due to simplification. And what gives them a special charm is the amusing contrast between their inhuman environment and all-too-human thoughts. The fairy tale is understandable to people different ages for excellent literary language. The tale consists of three complete parts and nine micro parts. At the end of the fairy tale, almost the same phrase is said as at the beginning: “Oh, how good it was here!” What is good is what is seen or can be seen from above - with a wide view. At the beginning of the fairy tale, this is how the world is shown. From whose point of view? Bird's eye view, from the point of view of a flying swan. This is how the former ugly duckling will look at the world from now on. Techniques that help convey the fairy-tale moral of a story to the reader?

  1. Allegory
  2. Irony
  3. Subtext

4. Characteristics of heroes.The main character of the fairy tale. The ugly duckling is judged by his appearance and mannerisms. “Too big”, “failed”, “unbearable freak” - they judge him. And one more thing: “he’s completely crazy,” he does everything wrong. Before seeing the world through the eyes of a beautiful swan, the Ugly Duckling had to committhree little fabulous feats- and thus gain faith in yourself. First he committed when he jumped over the fence and, at his own peril and risk, set off across the world. So he became related to the heroes folk tale: after all, fabulous happiness is found only at the end of the journey. Along the way, not only his character is tested, but also his ability to observe and compare. In the poultry yard, in the swamp, in the hut, they instill in him what the meaning of life is. They say in the poultry yard: the key to swimming well is to watch out for the eel's head and keep your paws apart (notice ironic a hint at mothers teaching their children to keep their legs together?). In the swamp they say: the point is to fly to the young geese. In the hut they say: to lay eggs, purr, arch your back and emit sparks. At the same time, everyone is sure that their poultry yard, swamp, hut is the center of the world: “This is how things go in this world!”; “We and the whole world.” And the duckling realizes: everyone speaks differently because they see only their own. Then he begins to object: “You don’t understand me!” To give up food and shelter for the winter, but still express your point of view - this is what it is The Ugly Duckling's second feat. And the third - this is a feat of self-sacrifice for the sake of beauty: after all, a duckling is ready to die for the happiness of being with beautiful birds. And for this he is rewarded with insight. Andersen points out: the external is inseparable from the internal. If you look at the world through the prism of limited ideas, then everything new seems ugly. Those who think the duckling is ugly simply have poor eyesight. It’s not the duckling that’s ugly, it’s his views on the world that are ridiculous.

This is what is important: the duckling will be transformed as soon as it is seen by those who are truly beautiful. Only among the swans will the duckling see his reflection for the first time. And he will look at himself differently: not through the eyes of homely ducks, but through the eyes of beautiful swans. At the end of the fairy tale, the hero awaits victory in the form of recognition: “The new swan is the best! He is handsome and young!” And the hero himself exclaims: “I never dreamed of such happiness when I was still an ugly duckling!”

5. Possible types of work with the work.

Vocabulary work

  1. Rye is a cereal grain, the ground grains of which are usually used for baking rye bread.
  2. A haystack is a pile of tightly packed hay in the open air.
  3. Burdock is a plant (burdock), it has a wide, oval-shaped leaf.
  4. We got out - after a lot of effort to get out of the shell.
  5. Look around - look back.
  6. Ugly - ugly, disgusting.
  7. A ditch is a long, narrow ditch.
  8. To splash around is to fall into the water.
  9. A ditch is a long depression dug in the ground.

Primary perception of the fairy tale text– reading by a teacher (or children who read well) to awaken feelings, compassion for the pain of others.

Secondary meaningful reading- reading a fairy tale in parts to show how the author relates to his characters.

Expressive reading(home reading), to convey tone (mysterious), pace (leisurely).

Questions about the text.

What have we read about?

Where was the duck sitting?

Read how the ducklings were born.

What was the first word they said?

What did the duck answer them?

What did the ducklings do when they got out of the shell?

Why didn’t the mother duck stop them from looking at the burdock leaves?

Were all the ducklings born at once?

Why did the duck sit down again in the burdock thicket?

What did the duck think the last duckling turned out to be?

What did the duck say when she saw the last duckling? Who did he look like?

What did the duck say when she saw the last duckling born?

Should she have said that?

Who did the duck think he looked like?

If you were artists, what would you draw for the first part?

Think about where pauses (stops) are needed when reading, what words need to be emphasized with your voice when reading.

Where did the duck go with his family?

How did ducklings learn to swim?

How did the gray duckling swim?

What dangers did the duck warn her babies about? (So ​​that they watch out for cats and make sure no one steps on them)

What awaited the poor, ugly duckling in the poultry yard? (He was pecked and pushed, no one gave him passage)

What did they say about him in the poultry yard?

How did the Indian rooster behave? (He flew up, began to babble, his comb was filled with blood)

How did the duckling suffer because of his appearance? (He regretted that he was born this way and that no one wanted to be friends with him because of this)

When we read, what will we convey to the listeners? What is the purpose of our reading? (We are very sorry for the poor duckling, who is not to blame for being born this way. Through our reading, we will condemn all those who offended him, despite his kind and golden heart.)

Why did the duckling have to escape from the poultry yard? (Everyone persecuted him, insulted him, even his mother, brothers and sisters called him a freak; the chickens pecked, the ducks plucked, and the girl who fed the chickens pushed him away with her foot).

Did everyone have the right to do this? (No, it’s not his fault that he was born this way, he’s kind – and this is the main quality).

Drawing up a plan for a fairy tale and retelling it according to plan.

1. The duck is hatching ducklings.

2. The ducklings were born and began to explore the world.

3.The very last one to hatch was a huge, ugly chick.

4.Ducklings get acquainted with society in the poultry yard.

5. The poor duckling became the laughing stock of the courtyard.

6. The poor thing runs away, not knowing where.

7.Meeting beautiful birds on an autumn evening.

8.The ugly duckling is experiencing a harsh winter.

9.Happy meeting with beautiful swans in the spring..

Selection of proverbs for a fairy tale.

  1. The tongue is sharper than a sword.
  2. Ugly in appearance, but beautiful in soul.
  3. Judge not by appearance, but judge by deeds.
  4. Everything has its time.
  5. The word is not a sparrow - it will fly out and you won’t catch it.
  6. Don't leave your friend in misfortune.
  7. A friend in need is a friend indeed.

7. Andersen understands in his own waylaw of fairy tale justice. He teaches: Fate laughs cruelly at selfish people. Let the egoists believe that the light has come down on them like a wedge, but death does not know about it. They still admire and are proud of themselves, but death is close, and they cannot escape from it. There is an obvious and hidden moral in The Ugly Duckling. Explicit only slyly deceives the reader. The meaning of the fairy tale is not at all what is said directly: “It’s not a problem to be born in a duck’s nest if you hatched from a swan’s egg!” The hidden moral is the real meaning of the fairy tale: when you love something more than yourself, more own life, then death no longer has complete power over you. Andersen wanted to show with his fairy tale that the talents inherent in a person and the high moral qualities, sometimes hidden under poor clothes and an unsightly appearance, will ultimately win!


Andersen G-H. fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling"

The main characters of the fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling" and their characteristics

  1. The ugly duckling, who was unlucky to be born in a duck's nest, but who overcame all difficulties and became a beautiful swan, but with a kind heart
  2. Mother duck tried to take care of the ugly duckling at first, but then began to drive him away from her
  3. Birds - inhabitants of the poultry yard, Spanish chicken, Indian rooster, ducks.
  4. Wild ducks, ganders, victims of hunters
  5. The hunter's dog that didn't touch the Ugly Duckling
  6. An old woman with a cat and a chicken sheltered a duckling, but did not understand his desire to swim
  7. A peasant, a peasant woman, and children saved the duckling when he was freezing, but drove him away when he knocked over the jar.
  8. Swans, beautiful birds who accepted the Ugly Duckling into their flock.
Plan for retelling the fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling"
  1. Big egg
  2. Swimming lessons
  3. Poultry yard
  4. Duckling Run
  5. Pond, ducks, ganders and hunters
  6. Dog in the reeds
  7. Old lady's house
  8. Cat and chicken
  9. Fall has come
  10. Peasant and his children
  11. Spring channel
  12. The duckling becomes a swan.
The shortest summary of the fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling" for reader's diary in 6 sentences
  1. The birth of the Ugly Duckling, poultry yard.
  2. The ugly duckling escapes and almost dies while hunting.
  3. The ugly duckling finds shelter with an old lady and sports with a chicken and a cat
  4. The ugly duckling freezes and ends up in a peasant's house
  5. The ugly duckling runs away in fear and survives the winter alone.
  6. The ugly duckling swims to the swans and sees that he himself has become a swan.
The main idea of ​​the fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling"
In order to achieve something in life you always have to overcome difficulties.

What does the tale "The Ugly Duckling" teach?
The fairy tale teaches us to pay less attention to a person’s appearance, and more to his actions. Teaches you not to give up in the face of difficulties. teaches you to believe in yourself and your abilities. It teaches you not to become arrogant after achieving something, but to always keep goodness in your heart.

Review of the fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling"
The tale "The Ugly Duckling" is very beautiful and touching. I felt so sorry for the poor duckling, who was humiliated and beaten just because he was not like the others. I felt very sorry for the lonely duckling during his wanderings. But this fairy tale has such a beautiful ending and the once ugly duckling becomes a beautiful swan. He deserves happiness and achieves it.

Proverbs for the fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling"
There would be no happiness, but misfortune would help.
Without tasting grief, you will not know happiness.
All's well that ends well.

Summary, brief retelling fairy tales "The Ugly Duckling"
The duck was hatching eggs in the burdocks. All the chicks had already hatched, but the largest egg was still lying there.
The old duck assumes that it is a turkey and advises him to throw the egg. The young duck refuses.
Finally, the big egg hatched and the ugly duckling was born. He was big and scary, but he still knew how to swim and the duck decided to leave him.
The next day the duck took the ducklings to the poultry yard to show them off. All the inhabitants of the yard immediately disliked the Ugly Duckling and began to peck and pinch him. The duckling endured it for a long time, but then ran away.
The ugly duckling joined the wild ducks on the pond. There he met young ganders who agreed to be friends with him because the duckling was very ugly. But then hunters appeared and killed the ganders. Dogs ran through the reeds and one of them found the Ugly Duckling, but did not touch him. The duckling decided that it was because he was scary.
The duckling ran away and found shelter in a hut where a cat, a chicken and an old woman lived. The old woman thought that the duckling was a duck and would lay eggs. But the duckling could not lay eggs. He argued with the cat and the chicken about how to swim well. And he left the old woman.
The duckling sees beautiful swans and envies them.
Autumn came and it became cold. One day the duckling was severely frostbitten, but a peasant picked him up. He brought the duckling home and the children wanted to play with the duckling, but the duckling got scared and knocked over the jug of milk. The housewife ran after him around the house, the children laughed, and the frightened duckling ran away.
He barely survived the winter, and in the spring he again saw beautiful swans on the canal. The duckling decided to swim up to them because the beautiful birds had killed him, but suddenly he saw his reflection. He himself turned into a swan.
The swans took him in, the children threw crumbs to them and said that the young swan was the best. But the Ugly Duckling was not proud, because he had kind heart and he went through so many trials.

Illustrations and drawings for the fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling"

Who among us has not admired the proud and graceful birds - swans. These majestic and snow-white beauties with excellent posture immediately resemble the fairy tale of the Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen “The Ugly Duckling”. This work is simply a miracle! The story of the ugly duckling who turned into a beautiful swan has touched the souls of many children and adults. Great storyteller was able to very deeply and sensually describe all the adventures of the poor, unfortunate chick, until he turned into a majestic bird.

The world of fairy tales of the great Danish master

Already from childhood, most people recognize the author of “The Ugly Duckling” - Hans Christian Andersen. The world of his fairy tales is very diverse. “The Snow Queen”, “The Little Mermaid”, “The Princess and the Pea”, “The Nightingale”, “Wild Swans” - these are real masterpieces that are known in all corners of the world. Many characters from Andersen's fairy tales became household names during the writer's lifetime. Hans Christian did not consider himself a children's writer; many of his works raise very deep problems for adults. What are they, the fairy tales of the author of "The Ugly Duckling"?

Among the huge number of Andersen's works, there are many creations with a happy ending, which children love very much. The collection also contains serious stories that only adults can understand. The minds of children and their parents are captivated by a wonderful story called “Thumbelina” about a tiny girl who grew up in a flower bud. The motif of the miraculous transformation of heroes is a favorite in the fairy tales of Hans Christian. So, in the fairy tale “The Princess and the Pea,” readers see an inconspicuous girl who became a princess.

The writer depicts true love and self-sacrifice in the fairy tale “Wild Swans”. The girl Eliza risks her life to save her brothers from the spell of her evil stepmother. This work is already more dramatic. But the story of the young Mermaid, who sacrificed her life for the sake of her beloved prince, is filled with special tragedy. Andersen showed the great power of true art in the fairy tale “The Nightingale.” ostentatious grandeur and spiritual emptiness reflected the writer in the work “The King’s New Dress”. It is impossible to imagine the fairy tales of the great Dane without the mysterious little man who gives wonderful dreams to obedient children - Ole Lukoje.

Literary fairy tale concept

The creative heritage of H. H. Andersen mainly consists of literary fairy tales. They brought it to the author of "The Ugly Duckling" world fame. At first, the Writer retold some folk tales, and then began to create his own works in this genre. A literary fairy tale is a narrative genre that has magical and fantastic content, fictional or real heroes, fairy tale or real reality. Writers raised moral, aesthetic, social problems society.

The early fairy tales of H. H. Andersen are similar to the works of the Brothers Grimm: they have a simple and natural intonation of folk storytelling. His first collection was called “Fairy Tales Told to Children,” which contains a lot of similarities with folklore. He based the collection on 10 tales that he was told as a child. From these works, readers discover the beauty and spiritual essence of the world.

What is the main author's credo of the author of "The Ugly Duckling"? The writer appreciates sincere souls and immediate feelings. In depictions of the tragic sides of life, good still prevails. Andersen believes that the divine principle always wins in man himself. The storyteller himself believed very much in good God. He believed that every event in a person's life indicates that he belongs to the Lord. According to the writer, only those who will experience many trials and hardships in life will see the light and become better.

The most voluminous literary fairy tale by Hans Christian is “The Snow Queen”. In it, the author touches on very deep problems. The main thing that the storyteller showed is the all-conquering power of love, capable of overcoming any obstacles. The brave girl Gerda not only saved her brother Kai from the palace Snow Queen, but also returned his good heart.

The difficult fate of the writer and autobiographical moments in the fairy tale

In Denmark there is an ancient town of Odense. It was there that the author of The Ugly Duckling, Hans Christian Andersen, was born in 1805. His father was a simple shoemaker. He lived in a poor apartment, was surrounded by ordinary people, and ate the merest foodstuffs. But he saw miracles in the simplest things, and loved to listen to the stories of older people. He often looked at theater posters. He made homemade dolls and performed entire performances.

Such fantasies led Hans to theatrical activities. He arranged puppet show right at home. He wrote the scripts himself, made the sets and paper costumes. After his father’s funeral in 1819, the young man moved to the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen. Dreaming of becoming happy, he tries to fulfill his dream of becoming an actor. Good people helped him get into the gymnasium. The fourteen-year-old boy had to sit at a desk with students much younger than him. Andersen received a lot of ridicule and humiliation from his classmates. Hans passed the test and graduated from high school. Then he entered the university. It was this period of his life that the writer depicted in the book “The Ugly Duckling.”

Being a famous master of words, Andersen himself understood that he was benefiting the world. That's why he felt happy. Each new fairy tale brought a lot of joyful emotions to his readers. Hans Christian began to read fairy tales himself ordinary people. He was not at all ashamed of his low origins, but, on the contrary, wanted his books to be read by children from poor families like himself. Most of all, the writer hated empty, ignorant, boastful and lazy representatives of high society.

The noble people whom Andersen ridiculed in his books were unhappy with his caustic ridicule. They could not understand how the son of a shoemaker could make fun of them. After all, he even has a surname of low origin. Only on his 50th birthday was the author recognized for his hometown Odense. On the day he was awarded the title of honorary citizen, the townspeople lit the illumination.

Hans Christian published his tale in 1843. Many children wonder who wrote The Ugly Duckling, and this is not surprising. After all, the problems raised by Andersen in this tale are still relevant today. Translated into Russian by Anna Ganzen. In accordance with the plot and semantic sections of the fairy tale, the work “The Ugly Duckling” can be divided into five parts:

  1. The hard life of a duckling in a poultry yard. It was during the sunny summer season . In one old manor, among the fluffy burdock leaves, a mother duck hatched her ducklings. It is already becoming clear that the heroes of “The Ugly Duckling” are animals. Little children looked at it with delight large leaves around you. The duck reassured the children that the world is much bigger than these plants, and she herself has not yet seen it all. An experienced duck approached the young mother and inquired about the situation? The mother was pleased with her cubs, only one chick from the largest egg still could not hatch. The ducks decided that a turkey egg had accidentally fallen into the nest. Finally, this moment has come. From the last egg a chick appeared, which was very different from the others, even the mother did not like it. She decided to check if he could swim like all the other ducklings.

  2. The beginning of wanderings. Duckling meets real friends. One sunny day the whole family went to the lake. All the kids were yellow. There was only one last one gray, but swam no worse than the rest. After bathing, the duck decided to show off her brood and took everyone to the poultry yard to show it to the “society.” Before this, she taught the children how to behave in front of the inhabitants of the courtyard and bow to them. What were the residents of the courtyard like? The ducklings watched as they fought over the head of a fish thrown to them by their owners. There was a terrible scream in the yard. Then one Spanish duck gave a positive opinion new family. Only one, the most “awkward” cub, irritated her and everyone else. The mother duck initially defended the gray duckling, saying that he would grow up to become a prominent drake. Then all the kids went to play. Everyone wanted to offend the gray duckling. They pecked at him every now and then. Over time, even his brothers, sisters and mother hated him. The duckling was exhausted from humiliation and ridicule. He didn't know how to get out of this situation. His only salvation was to run away from home.

  3. Meeting with geese. The duckling somehow managed to get over the fence. There he immediately met wild ducks, they also began to make fun of his unsightly appearance and worry that he would not ask to be their relative. A few days later, two important ganders flew to the lake. Appearance They thought the new guy was funny, and they even decided to show him to their wives. Only this was not destined to come true: the hunters began to shoot at the geese, and two new friends turned out to be dead. Then a hunting dog came running to the lake to collect the prey. The gray duckling was very scared. But even the dog didn’t like him: she didn’t touch the chick. In fear, he sat in the reeds until evening, and then decided to run away.
  4. The suffering of a duckling in the harsh winter. The poor chick wandered all day. Finally he saw the hut. An old woman, a chicken and a cat lived in it. The owner decided to keep the chick with her, hoping that it would lay eggs. The cat and the chicken laughed at the duckling in every possible way, but he never laid eggs. One day the chick felt that he was very drawn to swim, so he went to live by the lake. One day there he saw very beautiful birds. These were swans. They screamed and the chick screamed back. He did not dare to approach the important birds, fearing that they would reject him like everyone else. And then I came Cold winter. To avoid freezing, the duckling had to constantly swim. But this did not save the poor fellow. He was completely exhausted and froze to the ice. One peasant saw a duckling and took it home. IN new environment the chick was unusual. He was afraid of the little children who wanted to play with him. While running away from them, the duckling spilled milk and got dirty in flour. He had to spend the winter in the bushes near the lake. It was cold and hungry.
  5. Spring awakening and the unexpected transformation of the duckling. One spring, a chick climbed out of the reeds and flew away. Near the blossoming apple trees he suddenly noticed proud and beautiful white swans. The duckling became sad. But then, remembering all his wanderings, he decided to approach these birds, even if they pecked him. The duckling went down to the water and began to quietly swim towards the flock of swan, and they swam towards him. The duckling sullenly lowered his head in front of the swans, expecting to be killed. And suddenly he saw his reflection in the water. Who was the ugly duckling? It was a beautiful majestic swan! Other birds swam past the handsome young man and stroked him with their long beaks. They gladly accepted him into their flock. Children came running, began throwing pieces of bread to the birds and calling the new one the most beautiful swan. Previously, the duckling had never even dreamed of such happiness.

That's it summary"The Ugly Duckling" Sad tale turned out to have a happy ending.

Analysis of "The Ugly Duckling": genre, theme, writer's style

It is believed that in this tale Andersen veiled his biography. The name of the creation itself is very unusual and is an oxymoron. The same hero appears both ugly and beautiful. Who wrote “The Ugly Duckling” and in connection with what is already clear. In what genre is the work written? Of course, this is a literary fairy tale. But she has others too distinctive features. There are motifs of myth in it, since the theme of the exile was very close to ancient myths. Very often the hero of such works cannot control his destiny - other forces dominate over him.

The fairy duckling acts as a representative wildlife, which instinctively survives even in the harshest conditions. Wild natures are desperately fighting for existence. The reason for the duckling's expulsion was not because he was ugly, but because he was different from the others. No one knows how the swan egg ended up in the nest. The author shows what trials the hero had to go through before everyone began to admire his beauty. The main topic"The Ugly Duckling" is a fight between good and evil. The transformation of a nondescript chick into a snow-white beauty is only a shell, but not the main meaning of the fairy tale. Andersen showed that the soul of a little duckling is open to love and kindness.

The author's style reveals a special dynamism. All events develop with special tension. For a skillful and lively narrative, the writer uses many different phrases: “they fell dead,” “the reeds moved,” “the hunters surrounded,” “the fog enveloped,” “the reeds swayed.”

Psychological coloring of the fairy tale

The work "The Ugly Duckling" is very unusual. Andersen not only shows the fate of the hero, but describes him state of mind in different situations. He did this through monologues. The duckling constantly wonders why he is so ugly. The author shows him either tired or sad. Shown especially clearly psychological condition duckling at the moment of transformation into a beautiful swan. His joy knew no bounds. Andersen's fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling" is very sensual; it overwhelms readers with feelings for the little hero.

The idea and problems of the work

The hero of Andersen's book "The Ugly Duckling" had to suffer a lot and humiliate himself, but, having gone through such a lonely and difficult life, he was able to truly appreciate his happiness. Ideological meaning fairy tales are expressed by the following concepts:

  • Not everything in life is simple and easy; sometimes there is suffering and joy, roughness and beauty.
  • For an acute perception of happiness, a person needs wandering and suffering.
  • Sensitivity of the soul and inner talent are sure to be rewarded by fate.
  • Nobility and generosity appear after suffering and unexpected happiness. After all, this taught the duckling to forgive his offenders.

It should be noted that in allegorical form the tale shows the struggle that Andersen had to wage on his path to fame.

Conclusions about the personality of the author himself

The title of the fairy tale has long grown into a metaphor. Such a common noun as “ugly duckling” refers to unprepossessing teenagers whose appearance is still in its infancy. From this autobiographical tale the following conclusions emerge about Andersen:

  • The writer, like his hero, suffered a lot of suffering, misunderstandings and ridicule of rude people.
  • Andersen had a very vulnerable and sensitive soul.
  • Like the hero of the fairy tale, the author was a generous person who forgave his offenders and enemies.
  • Andersen had great faith in the victory of goodness, beauty and justice.

The main character of H.H. Andersen's fairy tale “The Ugly Duckling” is a chick from one large duck family. He differed from his brothers and sisters in his unsightly appearance and large size. The inhabitants of the poultry yard immediately disliked him and tried to peck him harder. Even the girl bringing food to the birds pushed him away from the rest of the chicks.

Unable to bear such an attitude, the chick ran away from the poultry yard. He got to the swamp and hid there from everyone. But he had no peace in the swamp either - hunters came and started shooting geese. The poor traveler hid all day from hunting dogs, and towards nightfall he ran away from the swamp.

He came across a dilapidated hut in which an old woman lived. The old lady had a cat and a chicken. The old woman couldn't see well, and she mistook the big ugly chick for a fat duck. Hoping that the duck would lay eggs, she left the chick to live in her house.

But over time, the chick became bored in the hut. He wanted to swim and dive, but the cat and chicken disapproved of his desire. And the duckling left them.

Until the autumn he swam and dived, that's just forest dwellers they didn’t want to communicate with him, he was so ugly.

But one day large white birds flew to the lake, at the sight of which the chick was overcome with strange excitement. He passionately wanted to be like these handsome men, whose name was swans. But the swans shouted, made noise and flew away warmer climes, and the chick remained to spend the winter on the lake.

The winter was cold, and the poor duckling had a hard time. But time passed. One day he again saw beautiful white birds and decided to swim out to them. And then he saw his reflection in the water. He was like two peas in a pod like the snow-white swans. He was a swan too!

Who knows why the swan egg ended up in the duck's nest? But because of this little swan I had to endure a lot of difficulties and drink a lot of grief. But everything ended well, and now everyone loved him and admired his beauty.

This is the summary of the tale.

The main meaning of the fairy tale “The Ugly Duckling” is that you cannot guess what a child will be like when he grows up. Perhaps now the child is unsightly and ugly, inept and awkward, but as he grows up, he will be completely different. Everything comes on time to those who know how to wait. The fairy tale teaches us not to rush things, to draw conclusions on time. As for children, there is no need to choose the beautiful one among them. If a child sees love and kindness towards him from childhood, he will be able to grow up and become beautiful in both soul and body.

In the fairy tale, I liked the character of the duckling, because difficulties did not break him, he turned out to be strong in spirit.

What proverbs are suitable for the fairy tale “The Ugly Duckling”?

No matter how much a duck tries to cheer up, it won’t be a swan.
Everyone thinks their geese are swans.
You won’t know in advance where you will find it and where you will lose it.

Even for an adult, the story of the transformation of an ugly duckling into a majestic and proud bird, as told, brings tears to tears. The writer managed to describe the adventures of the unfortunate chick, pecked to death by the whole world, sensually and poignantly. The main character was lucky. Unlike many characters of the Danish storyteller, his tale has a happy ending.

History of creation

In works fairy-tale character The Danish author described the unsightly prose of life. “The Ugly Duckling” was no exception; moreover, the fairy tale is considered autobiographical. Hans Christian Andersen was no different external beauty, contemporaries assessed his appearance as ridiculous and funny:

“His figure always had something strange in it, something awkward, unstable, involuntarily causing a smile. His arms and legs were disproportionately long and thin, his hands were wide and flat, and his feet were of such enormous size that he probably never had to fear that anyone would replace his galoshes. His nose was also disproportionately large and somehow protruded forward.”

But it was not only appearance that became the subject of ridicule. The future author of "The Little Mermaid", "Thumbelina" and "The Snow Queen" had to experience a lot of humiliation in life, just like his feathered character. Andersen studied at a school for the poor, where he was called a fool and predicted an inglorious fate. And at the university he was subjected to sophisticated bullying from the rector.

The writer has one more thing in common with the ugly duckling. The chick, not accepting the attacks, set off on a lonely journey around the world, during which he was hungry and cold, but did not betray his dream of a wonderful future. The soul of the unsightly bird was drawn to the majestic, proud swans.

So Andersen, at the age of 14, found himself without relatives and acquaintances in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, in order to achieve his goal and join the glorious cohort of artists, poets and painters. However, both the writer and his fairy-tale hero managed to get what they had been pursuing for so long.

The prototype of the old woman who lived in company with a cat and a chicken was the family who gladly received Andersen as guests. Only one drawback embarrassed the young writer - he was constantly taught how to live in that house, set on the right path, and dictated his own rules of behavior. This feature is carried over into the book.


The tale was published in 1843. Rector Simon Meisling, who had once mocked the future storyteller, took the post of royal censor, and again the paths of the enemies crossed. The teacher was still merciless towards the former student and called the work an outrageous thing.

In his words, “The Ugly Duckling” was a libel to the Motherland, where the poultry yard is Denmark, and its evil inhabitants are all Danes. Meisling threatened to prevent the fairy tale from being published in the magazine, but his promises were not destined to come true. The work fell in love with Danish readers, and then bookworms around the world. It also reached Russia - Anna Ganzen translated the fairy tale into Russian.

Image and plot

On a sunny summer day, under a spreading burdock tree in the courtyard of an old estate, a mother duck hatched her offspring. Only from one, the largest egg, a baby could not be born. And finally, the egg hatched, and an unusual gray chick was born. Even his mother didn't like him. Later it turned out that the “freak” also did not know how to swim. The animal society that lived in the yard strictly condemned the duckling for being different from his family, and during games his siblings constantly tried to peck, humiliate, and ridicule him.


The young outcast decided to flee from his native yard. Somehow he climbed over the fence and set off in an unknown direction. On the way he met wild ducks, who were also amused by the unsightly appearance of the duckling. The hero was not touched by the hunting dog - he was so ugly. One day the duckling saw beautiful swans swimming majestically across the lake, and even answered their cry, but he did not dare to swim closer, fearing that these birds would reject him too.

The traveler had to while away the coming winter in hunger and cold in the lake bushes, and with the arrival of spring he again saw the swans and, overcoming his fear, swam up to them. To our surprise, the birds did not peck the guest; on the contrary, they stroked him with their beaks and necks. In the mirror of the water, the ugly duckling suddenly saw his reflection - an equally handsome swan was looking at him.


The unusual nature of the work lies in the fact that the author endowed it with elements of psychology. The fate of the character is shown through his state of mind: a scattering of monologues are put into the duckling’s mouth, in which he tries to find the reason for such dislike for himself. The chick is sometimes sad, sometimes tired, sometimes filled with joy upon discovering his transformation. A sensual fairy tale makes you worry along with the hero.

Through the characteristics of the heroes who inhabit the fairy tale, Andersen exposes the main vice of society - the inability to accept another with all his shortcomings. The moral also contains the path traveled by the duckling: only after experiencing suffering from humiliation and without losing spiritual kindness and love can one truly rejoice in happiness. The writer endowed the fairy tale with a wise thought:

“It doesn’t matter if you were born in a duck’s nest if you were hatched from a swan’s egg!”

Film adaptations

The Danish fairy tale entered cinema with light hand. In 1931, a black and white cartoon of the same name was shot at the studio of the famous American. The next Disney film based on the work about the unfortunate duckling was released eight years later, but in color.


Soviet filmmakers also did not ignore The Ugly Duckling. Director Vladimir Degtyarev in 1956 gave the viewer an incredibly beautiful, bright film, included in the golden collection of Russian animation. The feathered outcast spoke in the voice of actress Yulia Yulskaya. The characters were also voiced, and Nikolai Litvinov acted as the narrator. Brilliant composition and brilliant work - it is not surprising that the cartoon was awarded a diploma at the British Film Festival a year after its premiere.


Another cartoon is a gift from the director to adult viewers. The master of cinema presented his own interpretation of “The Ugly Duckling” in 2010, borrowing only the episode of the transformation of a duckling into a swan and calling the work “a parable about xenophobia.” At the end of the tape main character takes revenge on his offenders. Svetlana Stepchenko and other actors worked on the voice acting. The voices of the court are heard in the performance of the Turetsky Choir. The film is enhanced by music.


Garry Bardin's cartoon fell into disgrace on television - Channel One and Rossiya refused to show it. But the main failure awaited the author in cinemas: the film was shown in half-empty theaters. Meanwhile, the Trud newspaper called the cartoon “the event of the year.”


An interesting interpretation of Andersen's work is the film " Amazing story, similar to a fairy tale,” created by Boris Dolin in 1966. Events unfold during the filming of the film: a boy found a swan egg and threw it into the chicken coop. The authors took as a sample Danish fairy tale, however, it was thoroughly redrawn. Oleg Zhakov, Valentin Maklashin, and Tatyana Antipina were invited to play the main roles.


The ugly duckling has long been common noun. In this sense, directors love to use it. So, in 2015, a drama of the same name, consisting of several cycles, was released on Japanese screens. And in Russia, fans of the series enjoyed the four-part film by Fuad Shabanov “The Ugly Duckling” with, and starring.

Quotes

“The poor duckling simply didn’t know what to do, where to go. And he had to be so ugly that the whole poultry yard laughs at him.”
“I wish you well, that’s why I scold you - this is how true friends are always recognized!”
“Now he was glad that he had endured so much grief and trouble - he could better appreciate his happiness and the splendor that surrounded him.”
“You don’t understand me,” said the duckling.
- If we don’t understand, then who will understand you? Well, do you want to be smarter than the cat and the mistress, not to mention me?”
“And the old swans bowed their heads before him.”
“He was overly happy, but not at all proud - a good heart knows no pride.”
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