Wild Duck #5

The symbolism of the wild duck applies to the characters as well as the whole novel. On page 181, Ekdal says something like "there's some of the wild duck in you" to Hjalmar. Hjalmar is the wild duck because he was injured and down when Gina found him. She was the dog to his duck and pulled him out of his misery and brought him to be nursed back to health. At the same time, the symbol of the wild duck represents the whole book. Hjalmar is still the wild duck, but Hedvig, Gina and Gregers all try to be the dog. They obviously don't succeed because it is a tragedy. Basically, the entire motif and symbolism and metaphor is used to convey Ibsen's idea that something cannot always be fixed.

Another interesting thing I noticed in the text is how much more significant Gina's power as a woman really is than it appears to be on the surface. She not only runs the house, but she manages all the household accounts and basically runs the photography business. Her power is actually larger in the relationship than Hjalma'rs even though it seems like Hjalmar can control her more. It's up to Gina, though, really, to reveal her secret about Werle. Had it not been for Gregers, she could've potentially never told Hjalmar. She is his dog. Without Gina, Hjalmar's life would be in ruins and he relies on her so much that he doesn't even realize it.