The Ugly Duckling (Andersen)

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The Ugly Duckling
Den grimme ælling · 1843
Summary of the Fairy Tale
Microsummary: An unusual gray bird born among ducklings suffered rejection and fled its home. After surviving a harsh winter alone, it discovered it was actually a beautiful swan and finally found acceptance.

Short Summary

In a beautiful countryside during summer, a mother duck waited for her eggs to hatch in a nest by a river. When the ducklings emerged, one was noticeably larger and grayer than the others.

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The Ugly Duckling — young bird hatched from a swan's egg in a duck's nest, initially large and gray, later transforms into a beautiful white swan, gentle and humble despite mistreatment.

The farmyard animals rejected and mistreated the unusual duckling because of his appearance. Suffering from constant ridicule and abuse, he fled the farm and spent a lonely winter struggling to survive. When spring arrived, he encountered three beautiful swans in a garden. Expecting to be killed by these magnificent creatures, he bowed his head toward the water.

But what did he see in the clear stream below? His own image; no longer a dark, gray bird, ugly and disagreeable to look at, but a graceful and beautiful swan... 'I never dreamed of such happiness as this, while I was an ugly duckling.'

The swans welcomed him as one of their own, and children at the garden declared him the most beautiful of all the swans. Though he felt bashful about the praise, he was finally happy, understanding that his previous hardships had made his current joy even sweeter.

Detailed Summary

Division of the summary into chapters is conditional.

Birth of an Unusual Duckling

In a beautiful summer setting, a mother duck sat on her nest near a river, waiting for her eggs to hatch. When they finally began to crack, one by one the ducklings emerged, except for one unusually large egg that took longer than the others. When it finally hatched, out came a large, ugly gray duckling, completely different from its siblings.

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Mother Duck — adult female duck, protective of her ducklings but somewhat embarrassed by the ugly one, tries to defend him but eventually gives up.

The mother duck took her brood to the farmyard, where the ugly duckling demonstrated excellent swimming abilities. Despite this skill, the other animals in the farmyard began to mock and mistreat the ugly duckling because of its appearance.

The poor duckling was driven about by every one; even his brothers and sisters were unkind to him, and would say, 'Ah, you ugly creature, I wish the cat would get you,' and his mother said she wished he had never been born.

Life as an Outcast

Unable to bear the constant rejection and cruelty, the duckling ran away from the farmyard. He found himself on a moor where wild ducks lived, but even they remarked on his ugliness. Two young wild geese befriended him briefly, but they were shot by hunters, leaving the duckling alone and terrified.

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The Wild Geese — pair of young male wild geese, saucy and friendly to the duckling, killed by hunters.

The duckling found shelter in a poor cottage where an old woman lived with her hen and tom cat. However, they made him feel worthless because he couldn't lay eggs or purr.

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The Hen — female chicken with short legs called 'Chickie short legs', self-important, narrow-minded, critical of the duckling's desire to swim.
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The Tom Cat — male cat, favorite of the old woman, arrogant and condescending, can purr and make sparks from his fur.
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The Old Woman — elderly female who owns the cottage, poor eyesight, lives with her hen and cat.

Surviving the Harsh Winter

The duckling left the cottage and faced a harsh winter alone. He struggled to survive as the pond where he swam gradually froze over. Eventually, he became trapped in the ice until a peasant rescued him. Though the peasant's family tried to help, the frightened duckling caused chaos in their home and fled once again.

Could he ever forget those beautiful, happy birds... He was not envious of these beautiful creatures, but wished to be as lovely as they. Poor ugly creature, how gladly he would have lived even with the ducks had they only given him encouragement.

The Magnificent Transformation

When spring arrived, the duckling found himself in a beautiful garden where he saw three magnificent white swans. Despite believing they would kill him for his ugliness, he approached them, ready to accept his fate.

'I will fly to those royal birds,' he exclaimed, 'and they will kill me, because I am so ugly, and dare to approach them; but it does not matter: better be killed by them than pecked by the ducks, beaten by the hens.'

To his amazement, when he looked at his reflection in the water, he discovered that he too was a beautiful swan. All his suffering had transformed him from an ugly duckling into a majestic creature.

To be born in a duck's nest, in a farmyard, is of no consequence to a bird, if it is hatched from a swan's egg. He now felt glad at having suffered sorrow and trouble, because it enabled him to enjoy so much better all the pleasure.

Children came to the garden, throwing bread and cake into the water. They were delighted by the new swan, declaring him the most beautiful of all. The other swans bowed before him, and though he felt shy and happy, he remained humble. The elder tree bent its branches toward him, the sun shone warmly, and his heart swelled with joy, having never dreamed of such happiness when he was an ugly duckling.

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The Children — group of young humans who appear at the end of the story, joyfully welcome the transformed duckling as a beautiful swan.

The once-rejected ugly duckling had found his true identity and place in the world, proving that inner beauty and perseverance through hardship could lead to unexpected joy and acceptance.