What story is this?

The Ugly Duckling (1843) is a short fairy tale about a hatchling who looks different from the barnyard ducks around him. Mocked and pushed away, he wanders through four seasons of hardship until, in spring, he discovers he is not a duck at all but a swan. The tale is brief, musical, and built on everyday images—ponds, reeds, farmyards—that children recognize immediately.

When and how Andersen wrote it

Andersen drafted the story in 1842 and published it in 1843 in the first volume of New Fairy Tales in Danish. He often worked by telling himself the tale out loud, then shaping it on paper. He placed it last in the volume, like a small finale.

What inspired it

• Autobiography: Andersen grew up poor and felt awkward and “wrong” among others. He later admitted the duckling was a picture of his own life—mocked in youth, recognized later as an artist.
• Country scenes: He loved simple details from Danish farms—hens, geese, ponds—turning them into living characters.
• Transformation: Many Andersen tales move from pain to wonder. Here the change is not magic but recognition: the duckling was a swan all along.

Themes to notice

• Belonging: Who decides where we fit?
• Kindness vs. cruelty: Casual teasing can wound as much as open violence.
• Patience and growth: Time—and a safe place—allow true nature to appear.
• Identity: The story suggests worth is discovered, not given by the crowd.

Interesting facts

• The English phrase “an ugly duckling” entered everyday speech because of this tale.
• It has been adapted into picture books, ballets, films (including early Disney shorts), and school plays around the world.
• Unlike many fairy tales, it has no villain to defeat—only a community that must learn to see differently.