Many of you responded to last week’s excerpts from Clarissa Pinkola Estes’s version of The Ugly Duckling as told in her book, Women Who Run With the Wolves. I thought I would offer additional excerpts today, this time providing Estes’s analysis of the fairy tale:
“The problem of the exiled one is primeval. Many fairy tales and myths center around the theme of the outcast…
“The core meanings we are concerned with [in this story] are these: The duckling of the story is symbolic of the wild nature, which, when pressed into circumstances of little nurture, instinctively strives to continue no matter what. The wild nature instinctively holds on and holds out, sometimes without style, other times with little grace, but holds on nevertheless. And thank goodness for that. For the wildish woman, duration is one of her greatest strengths.
“The other important aspect of the story is that when an individual’s particular kind of soulfulness, which is both an instinctual and a spiritual identity, is surrounded by psychic acknowledgement and acceptance, that person feels life and power as never before. Ascertaining one’s own psychic family brings a person vitality and belongingness…
“Girl children who display a strong instinctive nature often experience significant suffering in early life. From the time they are babies, they are taken captive, domesticated, told they are wrongheaded and improper. Their wildish natures show up early. They are curious, artful, and have gentle eccentricities of various sorts, ones that, if developed, will constitute the basis for their creativity for the rest of their lives. Considering that the creative life is the soul’s food and water, this basic development is excruciatingly critical.
“Generally, early exile begins through no fault of their own and is exacerbated by the misunderstanding, the cruelty of ignorance or intentional meanness of others. Then, the basic self of the psyche is wounded early on. When this happens, a girl begins to believe that the negative images her family and culture reflect back to her about herself are not only totally true but also totally free of bias, opinion, and personal preference. The girl begins to believe that she is weak, ugly, unacceptable, and that this will continue to be true no matter how hard she tries to reverse it.
“… Though her soul requires seeing, the culture around her requires sightlessness. Though her soul wishes to speak its truth, she is pressured to be silent. Neither the child’s soul nor her psyche can accommodate this. Pressure to be “adequate,” in whatever manner authority defines it, can chase the child away, or underground, or set her to wander for a long time looking for a place of nourishment and peace.”
Know that you are perfect exactly as you are.
Love to you all,
Jeane
This article was useful when looking for:
- the ugly duckling analysis (27)
- the ugly duckling meaning (26)
- ugly duckling meaning (22)
Jeane,
I found this from John Lennon, “”You don’t need anybody to tell you who you are or what you
are. You are what you are!” Of course, one of my all time favourites is Fred Flintstone, “If you’re not yourself, you’re nobody!”
Thanks for this today. It explains alot! The answers to our problems are really out there aren’t they. You just need to know where to look. Thank you for being one of those places….Kim
Thank you, Kim. I think the answers to our problems are actually within us. But support for finding and understanding them can often be found “out there.” I’m glad the blog is one of those sources of support for you.
I love both the quotes. Thank you! I’m posting them on fb now!
Very inciteful and very true especially in my cercumstance. My life that is as a foster child. I can relate to the last pharagraph of your post. As a child I was seen and not heard. What I had to say, if anything was of no importance to my foster mother. My foster dad did the best he could with seeing things my way but was often silenced when it came to me. I loved him dearly for trying though. Still if gave way to an emptiness. “Though her soul wishes to speak its truth, she is pressured to be silent…can chase the child away or set her to wander for a long time looking for a place of nourishment and peace.” This was me for a very long time until recently when I finally found that better half that completed me, supported me and wanted to hear what I had to say even when it had little significance to it. (I of course had to do some work on myself alone as well). But I am finally there and feel significant to some extent in this world. To a great extent…especially when I get to express myself with doing my art! There is always work for improvement and that will come as time goes on. I have a life to live and explore constantly! Well that’s my story on that; great post for it touched me! Take Care, Blessings, Cin =)
I am so grateful, Cindy, that you have finally found what you belong to and have found your own. You will never be silenced again! You know who you are and that you have worth. CONGRATULATIONS! And keep on keepin’ on. Many blessings, Jeane
I am so grateful, Cindy, that you have finally found what you belong to and have found your own. You will never be silenced again! You know who you are and that you have worth. CONGRATULATIONS! And keep on keepin’ on. Many blessings, Jeane