The Wild Duck Essays - Ibsen Family, The Wild Duck, Henrik Ibsen

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