Wild Duck Journal 2

In the play The Wild Duck, the character Greggers seems to perceive himself as a wise, and older man. Although he is not terribly young, he is not very old either. We know this because his father is still alive and because his friend Hjalmer is a father of a 14 year old. However, Greggers makes himself seem older by saying, "Nothing like the growth of a child to show us how old we're getting" (148). Although he is older than the child, he is not in his later years so he should not be making statements like this. It seems to me that these statements should be made when a person is Ekdal or Werle's age. Greggers also perceives himself as wise. He talks to Ekdal as if he is an equal, not an elder as he actually is. He talks to Ekdal like he knows Ekdal well and like he knows what would be best for him. He asks Ekdal, "How can a man like you-such an outdoorsman-live in the middle of a stuffy city, cooped up in these four walls" (150). It seems as if Greggers is telling Ekdal what is best for him. Ekdal is the one that should be giving advice to Greggers, not the other way around.