So, Hans Christian Andersen has joined the ranks of people posthumously claimed as having Asperger’s Syndrome. The evidence is a mixture of hearsay and interpretations of his stories. However, The Ugly Duckling could very well be the story of an “Aspergic” child, and a brutally honest one at that.
Just in case you don’t know the story, or would like a refresher, here is the text of The Ugly Duckling.
This tale is often interpreted simplistically as the story of the everyday gawky, clumsy teenager who grows into a self-assured, attractive adult. Sometimes it is said to be about the experiences of being an outsider. But it is much more than that. For a start, there are other characters and the parts they play.
The tale begins with the expectations of others about the hatchling and how it should look and behave. It portrays the careless cruelty dealt out to those who fail to fit the norms of the group in what could be an accurate depiction of many modern schoolyards and even school classrooms, and the indifference, and sometimes participation, of the adults which sets the tone. It even describes the Mother Duck’s mixed feelings, anguish and disappointment.
Presented with this continual negative feedback, the little duck accepts this negative view of himself. It is easy to imagine his lack of confidence, lack of eye contact, and failure to practice and learn the social skills the other ducklings pick up so naturally. It is also interesting that these domesticated animals were the most cruel of all.
The wild ducks were more accepting, or perhaps just less threatened provided he didn’t want to marry one of them.
The tom cat and hen were tolerant, offering their well-meaning advice that the ugly duckling learn to purr or lay eggs so that he could become a useful member of the team, while dismissing his ideas and opinions as nonsense.
We then get a description of a scene in the peasant’s cottage which fits the panic, meltdowns and snowballing of events that happens so often with distressed children. Read it carefully, noting the reactions of the other participants and consider how their actions exacerbate the situation.
Finally, the truth is revealed and the little creature discovers that he is not a duckling after all, but a swan. This is not a story about transformation; he is the same creature, it is the social context that has changed. His ugliness was created by the context of what a duck should be. Nowhere is it said that swans are better than ducks – the other little ducklings were quite beautiful.
So, is there a moral to this tale? It certainly isn’t that teenagers just have to wait a few years and they will automatically blossom into swans. Nor is it that the ugly duckling should have received therapy for his sadness and training in duck social skills so that he could get on well in duck society.
For the ugly duckling, it could be that he should seek out others like himself and find a place where he belongs and is valued for what he is. For the ducks and other farmyard animals, it could be that they shouldn’t make a little swan’s life so miserable.
In The Ugly Duckling, Hans Christian Andersen was telling us some important things about life and society – it is somewhat ironic that, long after his death, we have the Aspergers Syndrome Industry claiming him as one of their own while at the same time invalidating his views with their posthumous diagnosis.
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