The Wild Duck Essay Research Paper The

The Wild Duck Essay, Research Paper

The Wild Duck

In the Wild Duck, Henrik Ibsen begins his play by emphasizing the

value of color and light. He uses the theme of light to contrast Old

Werle, a stingy rich man, with Old Ekdal, a poor helpless man. Ibsen

connects the color green with the loss of eyesight of Old Werle. A

possible affair between Old Werle and Gina, Hedvig’s mother, may

suggest the cause of Hedvig’s loss of sight. By using sun and moon,

Ibsen establishes the atmosphere of the scene. The story line

deteriorates from peaceful to tragic. Similarly, does the setting in

the last four acts. In the Wild Duck, Henrik Ibsen employs the image

of light to portray certain characteristics in order to construct the

plot and to adjust the mood of the scene.

F.L. Lucas analyzes the opening arrangement and writes “In the

outer room the lamps are dimmed, with green shades, in contrast to the

brilliance of the room behind”(190). We understand that this meant

that the outer room, lit with soft and shaded light, implies poverty,

where as the inner room, illuminated with bright candles, expresses

wealth. The darkened room, insinuating poverty, is the office in which

the poor Old Ekdal ‘does some extra copying,’ and in return receives a

small income. The inside room, representing wealth, is Old Werle’s

dining room where he was hosting a party. The distinctions of these

two lit rooms contrast Old Ekdal and Old Werle.

“In contrast to Werle’s party, the lighting is of comparative

poverty ‘on the table a lighted lamp’”(190), explains critic, F.L.

Lucas. Unlike Old Werle’s expensive and exquisite illumination, a

small inexpensive lamp lights the Ekdals home, displaying poverty.

This dissimilarity shows another significant distinction between Old

Werle and Old Ekdal.

The distinctions of the light between Old Ekdal’s and Old Werle’s

homes is illustrated in the following incident.It is brought to the

reader’s attention that in the following quotation Old Werle and Old

Ekdal were partners in crime. “[Old Werle] escaped by the skin of his

teeth,” while they sentenced Old Ekdal to prison. This incident

resulted in extreme hatred toward Old Werle for his poor aid to Old

Ekdal. Being that Werle had a vast amount of money, Old Ekdal,

Hjalmar, and Werle’s son, Gregers felt tremendous feelings of

animosity. Gregers recognized the miserable support his father has

given to the Ekdals. As a result Gregers moves in with the Ekdals and

attempts to enrich the marriage of Gina and Hjalmir, due to the fact

that his parents didn’t get along. Gregers takes the approach of truth

to improve the marriage, which is another major theme of the Wild

duck. “A time to keep silence, and a time to speak,” was wisely stated

by Ecclesiastes. Unfortunately, here it was ‘a time to keep silence’

and Gregers did not.

F.L. Lucas examines the color green. “Why green shades? Because

Old Werle is beginning to lose his sight. And that eye trouble links

him significantly, by hereditary with little Hedvig, likewise

threatened by blindness”(190). He also explains that green is known to

be the most helpful colored shade to prevent blindness. This lighting

early in the Wild Duck hints that ‘[Old Werle] is going blind’ which

relates him to Hedvig, where ‘there is every probability that she will

lose her eyesight.’ “Further, green is the color of romantic

unreality-the world of the Wild Duck caught in the seaweed below the

waters of the fjord”(190), adds Lucas. The color green, a symbol of

fantasy, is comparable to the world of the wild duck, which the

characters use to “diverge themselves” from reality. The shade green

is a link of two plots of the Wild Duck. One understanding of the

color green hints to the loss of sight which suggests an affair

between Old Werle and Hedvig’s mother, Gina. Another explanation of

the green display is to correlate fantasy with the wild duck. The

latter understanding involves Old Ekdal who is an angry man living in

the past on the hunting grounds of the duck. The first explanation of

green results in Hedvig commiting suicide because of her anger.

Hjalmir finding out that Hedvig is not his daughter, disregards

Hedvig; this provokes her suicide. Green, symbolizing anger, hints two

separate plots which end in fury.

In the last four acts Ibsen uses natural light to set the mood of

the play. In each scene the light conditions decrease, as does the

plot. In the first of these four acts, the gorgeous moon illuminates

the stage and in the following scene the sun rises and reality of

the affair nears. However, in the fourth act of the Wild Duck the sun

declines as does the story line. The last scene of the play describes

a cold snowy day, in which the suicide of Hedvig occurs.

Lucas depicts act two as follows

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