Hans Christian Andersen's "The Shadow" takes up this question -- decidedly one that haunts adults rather than children -- in a strange allegory that reads like a fairy tale but burns at the soul like some mad tale of Poe. And like Poe (and Shelley, Gogol, Dostoyevsky, and many others), Andersen hit upon the folk legend of a double, or doppelgänger, as a metaphor for this desire deferred. With roots deep in popular folklore, these tales of someone with an uncanny resemblance to one's self are chilling enough as far as they go -- for it seems that there's only room in the universe for one of them: either the double or the self must die.
In Andersen's tale, the "learned man" (perhaps "scholar" would be a more apt English translation) permits his shadow to do pursue a course of action he himself was too timid to attempt, and initially counts himself fortunate. The lack of a shadow, after all, was but a minor inconvenience -- what of it? The twist here is that this decision precipitates the birth of a separate entity, one that eventually comes to possess all of the boldness and sense of purpose that the student lacked. The student, gradually and inexorably, is fated to become the shadow's shadow, and eventually even less than that.
Many people assume that fairy tales ought to teach some moral lesson. They forget that, in their original forms, most folktales had no such lesson; it was moralizers such as Perrault (who published the most popular versions of "Cinderella" and "Little Red Riding Hood") who attached morals to them, in part to make them safe for family reading, to harness their wild imaginings in the name of civilizing influence.
But although "The Shadow," like many of Andersen's tales, has a sort of moral in it, there's also a strong contravening force: if we are to avoid the fate of the unfortunate scholar, we must in fact act on our desires, must sometimes step outside the moral and personal codes that bind us. And indeed, anyone who creates -- whether a writer of fictions, a visual artist, or a filmmaker -- is already engaged in the shadow business.
So read this story, and let it speak to you freely -- then post your comment below. If you'd like, you can respond to one of the discussion questions I've prepared to help get your thoughts flowing.
Nobody liked the learned man's books because only his shadow has been to the house of poetry. In H.C. Andersen's story, the shadow represents truth or knowledge, especially that which is gained from experience. The learned man has not earned this knowledge because he has refused the shadow's proposal to learn from experience. The shadow even mocks the reason why people don't like the learned man's writing; because he does not understand the world and will make himself ill trying to do so without travelling.
ReplyDeleteWhen the learned man grows ill and agrees to join, confronting his shadow, he realizes the price of his dreams. They turn to nightmares when his shadow reveals that beauty and poetry are only available to writers with experience or who have gone insane. The learned man gains direct experiential knowledge on the trip as the shadow's shadow. His search for beauty, truth, and goodness is personified as the princess.
Earlier, we learn that poetry is considered the most glorious creature in the world. By this fact, the princess, beauty, truth, goodness, and now poetry, are all synonymous in the story. Only through his shadow can the learned man understand or view the princess. This is seen initially when the shadow ventures into the house of poetry as well as on the trip to the watering-place. The implication of these allusions is far more insidious than I would’ve expected from a fairy tale.
The hopeless romantic protagonist is then presented another truth when he learns the shadow and princess are getting married. The learned man attempts at last to reveal the shadow's identity and regain his rightful position, knowing that the shadow is merely a façade of himself. The learned man now understands that his search to become a good, beautiful, and truthful writer is futile because the princess of poetry is only interested in appearance. What appears to the princess at the conclusion of the story is that the shadow is now the learned man and agrees that the pest should be dealt with.
An intent of this ambiguous tale is to frighten the reader into action and to ultimately accept their reality rather than eluding it. The learned man’s fate is sealed by the time he refuses the shadow’s final offer. If he were to have accepted, it wouldn’t have been too late despite the conditions. The Swiss psychiatrist C.G. Jung was one of the first pioneers to use the term 'shadow' in a clinical setting. Much of his work in the field of psychology involved the integration of a person and the repressed parts of their personalities, their shadow. I have argued that the shadow is represented as truth in Andersen's story. Jung's theory and Andersen's fairy tale both offer similar moral guidance in the face of blinding, unbearable truth. If the learned man accepted his reality or truth sooner, the integration would’ve offered an alternative to the shadows demand’s. No matter which state of reality the learned man found himself, there was no escaping it despite his most creative illusions.
--- Brent Cheetham
A great comment, Brent -- a very thoughtful analysis of the story, and Jung is certainly a touchstone here. Just a note to other students, though: a paragraph or so is all that's required, though I certainly encourage you to write at more length of you wish. I also encourage you to respond using the "Reply" option under each post; such replies will be automatically threaded.
DeleteAfter reading 'The Shadow" by Hans Christian Anderson I felt like I had to read it again to get a better understanding of the metaphors and analogies H.C. Andersen used. I agree with the last segment of Brent Cheetham's post and how he said the purpose of this fairytale is to make the readers take action rather than sitting around and accepting their realities. I feel like this ties into the first part of discussion question #3 about why the learned man refuses to travel at first. Possibly the reason the learning man refused to take action at first was because he had the same feelings he has always felt, that nothing works out for him and hey may fail, but his mind was quickly opened and he was bale to witness the beauties of the world. To me it seemed as if the shadow's plan all along was for him and the learning man to switch places. The shadow saw the man struggling and wasting his potential day after day, until it was enough for him to watch and go help the learning man. The learning man realized at the end, he could've lived the way as the shadow is living now, but by the time he tried to do as the shadow was it was too late for him.
Delete- Chris Caracciolo
Hans Christian Anderson’s, The Shadow, is a story that is told through the lens of deep metaphoric meaning. While reading this story, I found it difficult to understand until I decided to take things less literally. I believe that while using “a shadow” to develop the plot of the story, there is significant imagery and meaning behind it. The shadow is a dark cast that is behind you. It has no relative importance in your life, but the second it’s gone, you realize it’s not there. When his shadow left his side one day, it represented his lack of knowledge and an inversion of self. One day, when the shadow returns, The Shadow has become whole as a person: “I have gained so much that I have a body of flesh, and clothes to wear. You never expected to see me in such a condition. Do you not recognize your old shadow? Ah, you never expected that I should return to you again. All has been prosperous with me since I was with you last; I have become rich in every way, and, we’re I inclined to purchase my freedom from service, I could easily do so.” His shadow had come back more knowledgable and saw the truth to the world, which the Learned Man never saw because he was encased with only seeing the good instead of the true. If the Learned Man had been open to seeing the world the narrative would have looked a lot different, as he might have prospered like The Shadow. As the Learned Man exemplifies a lack of knowledge, The Shadow is a metaphor and symbolizes the lack of knowledge in the Learned man and shows that knowledge comes from learning about the world around you and taking time to see life for what it is.
ReplyDelete--Amanda Conti
Once the scholar realizes his illness, and several years have passed since his shadow has become a real man, I think he agreed to take the venture with the shadow because he is nearing the end of life. I believe the scholar at this point is becoming hopeless-- his notes that nobody likes his book. He did this to share a sense of failure. At this point, his old shadow was more successful than he was. He was falling ill and failing as a writer. There was not much else to do but go on the trip with the shadow. The shadow was presented as an intelligent, successful man. Though the scholar was curious enough to let his shadow go explore the house in the warmer states, the scholar himself did not experience as much as the shadow. The scholar allowed his shadow to live the life he thought he was going to live, in my opinion. The shadow is who he expected to be, but what he could not and did not achieve. He agrees to the shadow's requests, even though some he agreed to reluctantly. He allowed the shadow to walk all over him, and ends up executed. Here, I believe this is a great metaphor for life. The scholar was proud of his shadow, happy for him, and celebrating his accomplishments with him. The shadow was simply using him to get ahead. I believe there are many different ways to interpret this, but this meaning is the first one that truly came to mind for me, as it is a life lesson I'm sure many people had to learn.
ReplyDeleteYears after the shadow becomes a human being he returns to the learned man being far more successful, intelligent, and experienced than he is. He says to the learned man “Just tell me what I owe you, for I do not like to be in debt to any man.” The learned man declines any sort of payment and proceeds to talk about the shadow's successes as friends since they basically grew up together. The shadow asks the learned man to travel with him as his shadow and after some uncertainty, he agrees to join him. The old shadow let all of the fortune and power go to his head and demanded that the learned man would become his shadow. The learned man did not agree to become the shadow of the old shadow. The shadow then had him executed due to him disagreeing with his terms as well as potentially spilling his secret of being a shadow to the princess. At the beginning of the tale, the learned man has a severe lack of knowledge. This is due to him remaining in his house throughout the whole day with every window and door closed. If he was open to seeing the truth about the world like his shadow, the tale would have been much different. I believe before refusing the shadow's demands, the learned man should have considered agreeing to his terms for the time being. This would have allowed him time to think about how to tell the princess that he is the true man and that other guy is just a shadow dressed up in men's clothes.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the story the learned man wasn't quit much of a learned man at all and it continued throughout this story. As soon as the learned man asked his shadow to do something he was too timid to do that's when all hope was lost and he died at that moment. The shadow knew the learned man was too scared to go over to the opposite and that is why the shadow never returned. I think the shadow made himself into a man to purposefully take the learned mans place and even though the shadow might not have thought he would end up marrying a princess, he knew that he could easily make the learned man his shadow eventually if he became a better man. I think death physically might have been preventable, but the death of the learned mans self was long gone.
ReplyDeleteCrystal, yes, I agree that once the man allows his shadow to take his place and do something important that he was too afraid to do, all is lost.
DeleteUpon my first time reading "The Shadow" I was honestly a bit confused at some parts. However, after rereading I noticed that the story wasn't supposed to be taken literally. I noticed some of the metaphors that were not clear to me before. For example, the representation of knowledge through the shadow. I also realized that the house of poetry represents all that there is to know, I assume this is because poetry is sometimes left to the readers interpretation. The shadow actually becomes more knowledgable than the learned man himself, since he had been to the house of poetry.
ReplyDeleteThe significance of the contrast in climates seems to be showing us that this dark shadow that the Learned man had grown with throughout his life existed and thrived the best in the cold climate. When the Learned man traveled into a warmer climate his shadow begins to shrivel and shrink into a much smaller shadow than it had been before. I would say the significance of the shadow shrinking may be alluding that the place the man has traveled to is a place of positivity and a place of beautiful things as he sees beautiful bright flowers and a beautiful maiden. I think that the shadow, being the man's darker and deeper thoughts, couldn't handle all the positivity and the beautiful things the man was starting to experience causing it to shrink and become angered. Overall, the shadow obviously thrived back home in the cold and negative climate. I believe that the shadow is almost trying to show the learned man that you should just go for something when you have a dream or an idea. Obviously, the learned man wanted to speak to this beautiful maiden that he would see on the balcony across from his. The shadow being his deepest darkest thoughts took off showing him what would happen if he didn't get enough courage to go over himself. I feel like the shadow was what the learned man would have been if he would have done what his heart and mind was telling him to do.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read the story, I caught myself confused and had to double back and reread it. I couldn't grasp or understand the meaning or intention until I started looking at it metaphorically. I then started to compare it to my life and the choices I want to take but was too scared to. If you allow the "what ifs" and doubts to take over you'll end up losing time and most importantly yourself. By the time you realize the position you're in isn't where you want to be & finally want to take that risk, it can possibly be too late. Just like how the scholar had the chance to do what the shadow stepped up and took from him.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading "The Shadow" by Hans Christian Andersen. I felt like the nameless scholar of this tale was so used of the colder north that the hot country left him exhausted and depressed, I believe that the change in climate does have and effect on us as human beings. He became thin and even his shadow shrank. In the hotter country everyone stayed inside with their shutters drawn and doors closed all day long which caused him to feel hopeless. It was only in the evenings when the sun went down that he was able to feel normal again and gain his shadow back. He was able to experience how lively the streets were, church bells were ringing, people were strolling the streets, chairs and tables were brought out and everyone moved out into the street and had a good time. He was able to feel strong again and happy.
ReplyDeleteGood response, Shante. Maybe we should take more seriously the way the story opens with a man from a cold climate visiting a "hot" one! In a sense, this "heat" means things are going to be "hot" in other ways -- socially, emotionally, and creatively. The learned man, perhaps, is just too cold at heard to see this.
DeleteAt first when I read it, I was a bit confused but then I read it again because I didn't really understand what I read or the words and metaphor he used. So after reading it again, I finally understood it as I compared it to the normal life of man . As humans we tend to fear change and putting ourselves out there in most ways, so we rather avoid it and end up living a life of what if's. And I honestly get it because as a human we prefer to follow the safe way to prevent problem and mostly failure and disappointment. It is the same with the scholar who let his shadow do something that he was too afraid to do but eventually he faced his fears and did it himself. Humans mostly use their minds and keep living in their head and they don't take action and just stay in their world of imaginations and what if's. Hopefully they are able to seize the day and take action before it is too late and life passes them by.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading “The Shadow '' by Hans Christian Anderson, I believe that there's a significance in the contrast with climates. Since the learned man is from the north. By traveling to the south it causes him to decline due to the extreme heat because he’s not used to it. The nameless scholar and the shadow are really only able to thrive when the sun goes down. The author even describes it as the nameless man feeling “revived’ when the sun is setting.
ReplyDeleteBy the time the learned man refuses the shadows demands, I believe that it was already too late at the beginning of the tale for the learned scholar to do anything. At the very beginning the learned scholar was already envious of his shadow. He claims “...my shadow is the only living thing to be seen opposite”. He attempts to use his shadow in this way because the learned scholar is too afraid. The shadow knows this which is why he doesn’t return. The shadow knows he can use this to his advantage. In the story the shadow knows the scholar is failing and uses this opportunity to become a true man by asking the scholar to travel with him. When the scholar accepts, I personally believe this is the scholar's ultimate downfall because he couldn’t stand up for himself at this time. This causes the shadow to become the master and take over this man's life which leads to his tragic end.
Upon completing, “The Shadow”, a lot of the metaphors went right over my head at first. It wasn’t until I went back and broke down their meanings that I then had a better grasp of the story. The learned man seemed quite reclusive and timid to experience changes in his life. He ends up sending his shadow to experience the world for him, meanwhile he works on his books. The shadow then returns later on as a distinguished individual. The life of the learned man and even our own lives are defined by changes and taking chances. With the learned man being too timid to take these chances and the shadow already having done them, his own choices have ultimately lead to his own demise in the end of the story.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the story "The Shadow" I wanted to think of what it could mean. Does Christian andersen's stories hold meaning or metaphors. Do they represent something deeper and is there something to learn from his writing.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this story is supposed to represent two sides of someone's personality. The learned man represents you as your own personality the good or the neutral. The shadow represents the darkness. The things in your head that you refuse to accept or confront. The beginning when he lets the shadow go and he talks about learning poetry yet not truly being able to enter the domain or he would be destroyed. I believe the house is supposed to represent the fullness of yourself. All the knowledge, darkness, light that you could possibly become and without the learned man entering with the shadow neither would have been able to safely enter.
Throughout the story there they talk of traveling and eventually the learned man goes with the shadow to travel. The learned man does not take this opportunity to control his shadow and lets the shadow take precedence. Representing people who don’t come to terms with their darkness and let it consumer them. While finishing the story we see that the shadow in the end kills his trusting, kind self.
To go deeper Your shadow never leaves you. That represents your darkness and in life the bad and ugly never truly leaves you as well. When in therapy it's recommended to come to peace with the dark side of yourself. To truly understand yourself you must accept what you cannot change to truly be healed from your darkness. You must accept the shadow for what it is, you cannot trust the shadow but must work together with it. Control it and realize it is a part of you just like a real shadow is to a human.
I believe that this is a warning to people about how if you do not learn to accept yourself for who you are and work on your weaknesses they can in time slowly take over and change you or in some instances completely erase who you used to be.
My name is Claudia Rocha.. I guess I have to open a Google account to being posting. Anyway, this reading was morose, bittersweet story about a change of power between a man and his shadow. Very inventive and creative. I am not sure if this story has a "moral," but it is a fascinating and chilling tale of role reversal. Perhaps it questions what defines us and makes us our "real" selves?
ReplyDeleteI believe that Anderson and Scholar were so worried about being unoriginal because they were afraid of living in a world where appearances are everything and that gives Anderson and Scholar a mind of what you think is best to do such as being out of there comfort zone and not comment on such sensible things. - Emily Dominguez
ReplyDeleteI believe that Anderson and Scholar were so worried about being unoriginal because they were afraid of living in a world where appearances are everything and that gives Anderson and Scholar a mind of what you think is best to do such as being out of there comfort zone and not comment on such sensible things.
ReplyDeleteAndersen's story "The Shadow" is the story about a learned man and his shadow. It turns the perspective back and forth on how we view ourselves as humans, and how our thoughts mold our behaviorr. The different masks we put on, the facade and importance of appearances.but ummm, what an unfair and bitter story.
ReplyDeleteBut I think that sometimes this is the reality with people who arrive smarter than you and take advantage of you.
Tracey Agyei
"The Shadow" by Christian Andersen is a story that requires more than one read. It is about a learned man and his shadow. The shadow represents an unseen side of ourselves that we sometimes fail to represent that is our real truth including our flaws. In the story, the shadow takes the life and princess of the scholar after the shadow says the scholar is simply his shadow. It brought many deep thoughts reading this.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading "The Shadow" by Hans Christian Andersen. By the time he finally refuses the shadow's demands, it seemed to be too late. I believe he could have done things quite differently. Such as self-reflection, the character could have engaged in self-reflection to understand the nature of their shadow and what it represents. This self-awareness might have led to better decisions. He could have also instead of outright refusing the shadow's demands, the character could have explored ways to accept and integrate the lessons or desires it symbolizes into their life in a healthier manner.
ReplyDeleteWhile also addressing the shadow's demands early on rather than postponing or avoiding them might have prevented the situation from escalating.
ReplyDeleteI think the man could have tried to do the things he wanted to do in the moment, like traveling and seeing the house where poetry lived. The shadow represents the life the man could have had if he chooses to do the things, he wanted to do rather than having the shadow take over and live his life for him. The man passed away at the end when he refused the shadows offer and was threatening to expose him. The man was letting life pass him by and by the time he realized what the shadow was going to do, it was too late. I think if the man didn’t let the shadow try to take over, he wouldn’t have died. The lesson in the story was to try to live your life and gather experience while you're still alive, otherwise you may regret it later on.
-Jessyca Iswanto
In the story, “The Shadow”, by Hans Christian Andersen, the scholar also known as “the learned man”, travels to a much more oppressive climate opposed to his home in the cold north. The scenery, brightness of the atmosphere, and the lively people were enticing to the learned man. He saw a light referred to as “she” which the readers later on become aware that the light represented poetry. When the scholar returns back to his home in the north without his old shadow, he begins to write a book about “the true, the good, and the beautiful.” The scholar tends to look more at the beauty of the world, meanwhile his shadow does not as he claims the scholar does not understand how the world is and that he personally would not write about the beauty of the world. Eventually, his old shadow arrives to his home and is well dressed and goes on to say, “gained so much… have a body of flesh… inclined to purchase my freedom from service… diamond rings sparkled on his fingers…” The shadow had become better than his own “master” since he departed from him. Upon the old shadows’ arrival, he notices the learned man’s new shadow and steps on his arm while he speaks about what he saw in the opposite house back in the warm region. It seems as if the scholars old shadow is mocking him when he says how much of a man he became because he was well dressed by the clothes the tailor gave him, was ready to start a family, and became a professor. When the shadow tells the scholar about the opposite house he says, “If you had gone there, you would not have remained a human being, whereas I became one…” “It is true I did not think much about it while I was with you, but you will remember that I was always much larger at sunrise… in the moonlight even more visible than yourself.” As the shadow explains how much better his appearance became since the scholar last saw him and speaks about the opposite house, it seems as if he is subtlety putting the scholar down as he sees how the scholar is living and his skinny appearance as well. The shadow also said when he arrived, “… to see you before you die.” This could possibly be foreshadowing as the learned man promised not to tell anyone who the shadow really is and agrees to travel with him short noticed. On their trip they met the princess and the shadow made a deal that he would give the learned man thousands of dollars among other things for him to stay as his shadow without telling anyone his true identity. The learned man disagreed with this and wanted to tell the princess. That was then at once the shadow turned on him by telling the princess how small of a brain he has, and that he believed he was a man and that the shadow imitating the man was a shadow and should be locked up. The shadow spoke about the learned man to the princess in a way for her to believe he had truly lost his mind. The princess agreed and did not like the clashing of lower class with upper class and had the scholar executed. I believe that his old shadow had taken advantage of the learned man and foreshadowed his death when he told him he wanted to visit him before he died. The learned man instantly regretted making the deal to swap places with his shadow given the unexpected circumstances pertaining to meeting the princess and having to hide his true identity. This displays how the world is not all beauty like the shadow said, and he himself became one of those bad people in the world who manipulated and took advantage of his “master” so he could be capable of achieving the life he wished to live. The moral of the story could be that you should always stay true to yourself or you may regret being someone you’re not. If you pretend to be another person or being persuaded to trade spots without any thought, you may not be aware of the consequences until your time has run out.
ReplyDelete-Elena Ruggieri
Throughout reading the “Shadow” I could not help but make the connections towards the familiar fairy tales that I had grown up with, but not one that I had seen mentioned that was an immediate connection to this short story was the story of Peter Pan. Peter Pan and his shadow have a playful relationship in which his shadow will ultimately take on a life of his own, similar to the shadow of the Learned Man within the “Shadow”. However, the “Shadow” takes on a much more sincere approach that leaves the reader feeling melancholy, as if the sinister tone is portrayed to make the reader think more about the notion of one's shadow in a more serious nature as opposed to the silliness that was portrayed in Peter Pan. But despite the parallels of tone, I wonder if they ultimately tell the same tale. The idea that everyone has a doppelganger inside them that sees and encourages your deepest desires. While the darkness and shadows have consistently been connected to evil both in and outside of literature, and while in this story it certainly holds darker indications, I don’t necessarily believe the shadow was a harmful entity. Instead, I believe the shadow is portrayed to be a more knowledgeable version of oneself, one that would not be there without you, but is also not distracted with the many ornate details of day-to-day life. The shadow is an observer, and the shadow understands you and will guide you better than anyone else. And despite the learned man ultimately choosing to believe in his shadow too late, I believe that the shadow in both Hans Christian Anderson’s story, as well as the aforementioned Peter Pan, play the same role. - Stasia Porter
ReplyDeleteAfter reading "Shadow" by Hans Christian Andersen I learned about the scholar and his shadow. This is portrayed as different perspectives. I think the significance between the north to the south and the cold to the hot is the shadow being his crutch. The shadow kept in in check, taking care of himself etc "the big brother." The anxiety tells us about his lack of confidence, the lack of ability to stand out and tell his story. When he becomes ill, he realizes his regrets. The dislike of his books on the other hand I don't see connected. What he could have done differently is listen to the shadow, take the advice, follow through with the gifts the shadow is giving him. I don't think it was too late at the beginning of the tale.
ReplyDeleteReading this tale was an interesting experience. Initially, I was drawn to the concept of the shadow returning to its home, feeling a personal connection to the idea of returning to one's homeland because, as the Shadow says, "we always love our native land." However, as I read deeper into the story and discovered the conditions the shadow imposed for its journey with the master, I began to sense that its intentions were far from benign. The master even initially declined the invitation.
ReplyDeleteIt became apparent that the shadow was not as virtuous as it seemed. It was as though the scholar gave in to despair when he fell ill and struggled to gain recognition for his writing. Perhaps he saw his life taking a negative turn and lost hope in a brighter future. This led him to disregard the preservation of his identity and ultimately accept the shadow's offer, resulting in a journey where "The shadow was the master and the master was the shadow." When he finally understood what was really happening, it was a realization that came a little too late, as the shadow had already taken control.
Hi! I agree, I think the man could have avoided being controlled, but once he befriended the shadow, the damage was done.
ReplyDeleteHi! I agree, I think the man could have avoided being controlled, but once he befriended the shadow, the damage was done. -Jessyca Iswanto
DeleteI Believe the contrast in climates is a representation of how living life confined can make one lose a sense of identity if not exposed to other ways of living. Even from the beginning of the story the scholar believed he could live and do the same things as he once did in cold climates. It is not until he arrives in a warmer climate where he has to shift his lifestyle in order to adapt to a different environment. Perhaps the scholar has not experienced different cultures or regions of the world to really understand the beauty in which he wanted to write about. He did not know anything outside of his norm and thus lost his identity or shadow. However we see that going into different climates and regions benefits us with knowledge and true understanding of the world through experiences. When the shadow returns he tells the scholar he does not understand how the world works and that a journey would do him good and that is the way of the world and will always be. His shadow however did see everything he saw the bad and the good which gave him a wider view of the world. I think that is also why it was easy for the scholar to lose his shadow because he didn’t really understand the world or himself in the first place.
ReplyDelete- Ashley Hernandez
Ashley, I quite like your interpretation of the symbolism of the change in "climate" for the scholar -- perhaps it's much more than the weather, but a certain lack of adaptability, or curiosity, that dooms the poor fellow.
DeleteThis week, I had to reread the story a few times to understand the meaning behind “The Shadow” as it can be a bit confusing at first. The author forces the reader to view the passage metaphorically and not in the literal sense. As I continued to re-read the passage, the metaphor of the shadow began to make more sense. While the “learned man” was timid to have experiences and reluctant to do new things in his life, his shadow went out and experienced life for the man. When the shadow returns to him he has had all his experiences while the learned man did not. I feel as through this can be used to think about our own lives. The author demonstrates through the shadow metaphor that one needs to take chances in life and experience life without being too timid and hiding behind your own shadow. This choice to be timid and not take chances while letting the shadow do it for him, led to the ending of the story and his passing.
ReplyDeleteI was a bit confused about this reading in the beginning, so I read it multiple times throughout the week. At some point in time the shadow and the man were split apart, and it seemed to be a good gap of time because the man did not even recognize his own shadow when reunited. What I took from the reading is that the shadow was the part of the man that was able to go out and live life and experience things. I think this because although the shadow looked like a shadow, it was dressed in an exquisite suit and jewelry which made it look as if it was a real man. The man was too afraid to experience all he could from life, and I think the shadow is a way to show us what the man could've been if he hadn’t been so timid.
ReplyDelete-Kaylin Kochinskas
It was too late from the beginning, especially with all the shadow’s demands. The learned man should have known that the shadow could not be trusted, and he does not see him as equal, unfortunately. From my understanding of the shadow, the learned man was so afraid of what society would think that he made decisions that hurt him in the long run. He chose to trust the shadow, that’s to say sometimes we let fear rule the our uncertainty which ruins it in the long run.-Ololade (Lola) Ojekunle
ReplyDeleteThe scholar told no one about the loss of his shadow because he was afraid of seeming unoriginal. Throughout the whole story, the scholar was trying to find “the good, the beautiful, and the true” so that he could write about experiences that few people could relate to; therefore seeming original. Like the scholar, I think many people struggle with finding the balance of being themselves and being able to relate to others, and he felt the only way to have a successful life was to be like no one else.
ReplyDeleteOn the contrary, the shadow had never experienced life as a human, and celebrated the ability to write, speak, travel, and form relationships. Having been a human, the scholar could not see that these very things are exactly what make life good, beautiful, and true. The scholar was afraid of being too human, while the shadow celebrated it. In the end, we see that the shadow had a much better life, which shows that taking advantage of the opportunities we are given is what will make life meaningful.
In this passage, I believe the shadow is foreshadowing some sort of "alter-ego" or just a different side to everyone that is not generally seen or discovered. The dark side, also known as the shadow, takes over and eventually kills the man. As this shadow gains power over the man and makes the man play as the shadow, it gains fear of being discovered. Nowadays, it is seen that many people have different sides to them. It is always hard to see the dark sides of everyone as they portray something completley different behind closed doors.
ReplyDelete(Reflecting on questions 3 and 4) When the scholar eventually agrees to travel with the shadow, he appears to not only be failing in health but as a writer, so when the shadow offers a second time, the man accepts as he has nothing much going for him. It’s possible that the scholar considered a change in scenery to be eye-opening and possibly lift a writer’s block he has. Maybe it was possible that the baths would heal his ailment and his better physical state would clear his mental state (which, of course, does not happen). A possible explanation is that when the shadow left the scholar in the beginning of the story, it took a part of the man as well. As we see the shadow succeed throughout the story, we find the scholar declining in response, not only in his success as a writer but in health. When the shadow visits again a few years later, it’s noted how he gained some healthy weight while the man noticeably lost it. I would say it’s safe to assume that the scholar declining in health and in his work are connected, and the start of his failure was fated as soon as his shadow left. I would say that the shadow and the scholar are negatively correlated. The succession of the shadow would take from the man, leaving him to decline. I believe that if the man wasn’t executed, he would’ve died from illness nonetheless. - Hannah Parker
ReplyDelete(reflecting on questions 3 + 4) When the scholar eventually agrees to travel with the shadow, he appears to not only be failing in health but as a writer, so when the shadow offers a second time, the man accepts as he has nothing much going for him. It’s possible that the scholar considered a change in scenery to be eye-opening and possibly lift a writer’s block he has. Maybe it was possible that the baths would heal his ailment and his better physical state would clear his mental state (which, of course, does not happen). A possible explanation is that when the shadow left the scholar in the beginning of the story, it took a part of the man as well. As we see the shadow succeed throughout the story, we find the scholar declining in response, not only in his success as a writer but in health. When the shadow visits again a few years later, it’s noted how he gained some healthy weight while the man noticeably lost it. I would say it’s safe to assume that the scholar declining in health and in his work are connected, and the start of his failure was fated as soon as his shadow left. I would say that the shadow and the scholar are negatively correlated. The succession of the shadow would take from the man, leaving him to decline. I believe that if the man wasn’t executed, he would’ve died from illness nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteAndersons story "The Shadow" was about a learned man and his shadow that takes on a life of his own because the learned man hides behind his own. In my understanding, the shadow in this story represents the beauty of life and what the learned mans life could have been like if he wasn't so timid and afraid to experience the real world. The shadow eventually returns to the man to gradually take control over him and wants the learned man to remain as his shadow permanently, but the man has fear of his shadow being discovered which is why it's easier for him to hide behind it. My understanding of this story is that you should accept your true self for who you are and take chances in life even if you are scared of the outcome, before it becomes too late.
ReplyDeleteThroughout reading the “Shadow” I could not help but make the connections towards the familiar fairy tales that I had grown up with, but not one that I had seen mentioned that was an immediate connection to this short story was the story of Peter Pan. Peter Pan and his shadow have a playful relationship in which his shadow will ultimately take on a life of his own, similar to the shadow of the Learned Man within the “Shadow”. However, the “Shadow” takes on a much more sincere approach that leaves the reader feeling melancholy, as if the sinister tone is portrayed to make the reader think more about the notion of one's shadow in a more serious nature as opposed to the silliness that was portrayed in Peter Pan. But despite the parallels of tone, I wonder if they ultimately tell the same tale. The idea that everyone has a doppelganger inside them that sees and encourages your deepest desires. While the darkness and shadows have consistently been connected to evil both in and outside of literature, and while in this story it certainly holds darker indications, I don’t necessarily believe the shadow was a harmful entity. Instead, I believe the shadow is portrayed to be a more knowledgeable version of oneself, one that would not be there without you, but is also not distracted with the many ornate details of day-to-day life. The shadow is an observer, and the shadow understands you and will guide you better than anyone else. And despite the learned man ultimately choosing to believe in his shadow too late, I believe that the shadow in both Hans Christian Anderson’s story, as well as the aforementioned Peter Pan, play the same role.
ReplyDelete- Stasia Porter
Throughout reading the “Shadow” I could not help but make the connections towards the familiar fairy tales that I had grown up with, but not one that I had seen mentioned that was an immediate connection to this short story was the story of Peter Pan. Peter Pan and his shadow have a playful relationship in which his shadow will ultimately take on a life of his own, similar to the shadow of the Learned Man within the “Shadow”. However, the “Shadow” takes on a much more sincere approach that leaves the reader feeling melancholy, as if the sinister tone is portrayed to make the reader think more about the notion of one's shadow in a more serious nature as opposed to the silliness that was portrayed in Peter Pan. But despite the parallels of tone, I wonder if they ultimately tell the same tale. The idea that everyone has a doppelganger inside them that sees and encourages your deepest desires. While the darkness and shadows have consistently been connected to evil both in and outside of literature, and while in this story it certainly holds darker indications, I don’t necessarily believe the shadow was a harmful entity. Instead, I believe the shadow is portrayed to be a more knowledgeable version of oneself, one that would not be there without you, but is also not distracted with the many ornate details of day to day life. The shadow is an observer, and the shadow understands you and will guide you better than anyone else. And despite the learned man ultimately choosing to believe in his shadow too late, I believe that the shadow in both Hans Christian Anderson’s story, as well as the aforementioned Peter Pan, play the same role.
ReplyDelete-Stasia Porter
I do think that if the man hadn't made friends with the shadow from the start, things would have turned out differently for him. But once he became friends with the shadow, it was too late. The shadow had evolved beyond his original form. He had grown, picked up so much knowledge, and traveled so far. However, the man was becoming older and had not really done anything. I think the man's decision to comply with the shadows' request was motivated by the contrast between them. Going out into the world with the shadow, it seemed as if the man had nothing to lose, and the he may even acquire additional experience.
ReplyDeleteI think the man (being an artist/writer) felt considerably more alone in the wake of his stories losing their audience. "No one cares to hear anything I say", as he puts it, which is phrased in a very interpretable way. He says this in the presence of The Shadow and one can't help but wonder if the phrasing is meant to stir emotion in The Shadow. I believe that the man, while sincere in his loneliness, is desperate for some kind of companionship at this point in his life. He had long sought to write about something meaningful to him -- the "good, beautiful and true" --but he loses some of his passion since no one is paying attention to his work anymore. The story also calls attention to the fact that the man has fallen ill at this point in the story, no doubt indicating an overall decline in the quality of his life after The Shadow left him. I believe this shows that The Shadow is already taking from the man, as when it returns to the man, The Shadow appears healthier. This directly contrasts with the sickened state of the learned man. I think that there was already a negative relationship between the learned man and The Shadow. While speaking to the princess, The Shadow refers to the learned man as his own shadow. The deal the man made to take a journey with his Shadow was at his own expense in the end, and the princess even has the man executed. They see this as "freeing him from his frail existence" and deem it necessary. The Shadow's act of self preservation leads to the death of the learned man. Prior to his death, he realizes too late that this deal is unfavorable to him and requires the forfeiting of his own history and accomplishments. This is when his Shadow turns on him, as he now has acquired the power to do so. The fragile trust that existed between the two is broken partly due to The Man's willingness to accompany his Shadow in the first place, leading down a harmful path for himself. This could be representative of how many people have two sides to themselves, and feel that only one side can be successful if the other has outlived it's use. Another way to see it could be like a mask that doesn’t fit anymore, and changing into another.
ReplyDelete-jaymes raymond
DeleteI didn't really understand the passage at first but then I came to an understanding that the shadow is not a trusted person. Although the idea of a shadow is to be one’s self, in this passage they are eventually they are viewed separately. I feel as if the man tried to find security in the shadow and lost himself. The man seemed to not be open to society and even afraid of society. He seemed to care about other’s views of him. So he trusted the shadow to later become the shadow. It kind of shows how you eventually let fear overpower who we should be or really are. It’s easy to get lost in what others want you to be and how you see yourself compared to them.
ReplyDeleteThroughout reading the “Shadow” I could not help but make the connections towards the familiar fairy tales that I had grown up with, but not one that I had seen mentioned that was an immediate connection to this short story was the story of Peter Pan. Peter Pan and his shadow have a playful relationship in which his shadow will ultimately take on a life of his own, similar to the shadow of the Learned Man within the “Shadow”. However, the “Shadow” takes on a much more sincere approach that leaves the reader feeling melancholy, as if the sinister tone is portrayed to make the reader think more about the notion of one's shadow in a more serious nature as opposed to the silliness that was portrayed in Peter Pan. But despite the parallels of tone, I wonder if they ultimately tell the same tale. The idea that everyone has a doppelganger inside them that sees and encourages your deepest desires. While the darkness and shadows have consistently been connected to evil both in and outside of literature, and while in this story it certainly holds darker indications, I don’t necessarily believe the shadow was a harmful entity. Instead, I believe the shadow is portrayed to be a more knowledgeable version of oneself, one that would not be there without you, but is also not distracted with the many ornate details of day to day life. The shadow is an observer, and the shadow understands you and will guide you better than anyone else. And despite the learned man ultimately choosing to believe in his shadow too late, I believe that the shadow in both Hans Christian Anderson’s story, as well as the aforementioned Peter Pan, play the same role.
ReplyDelete-Stasia Porter
Reading this tale was an interesting experience. Initially, I was drawn to the concept of the shadow returning to its master, feeling a personal connection to the idea of returning to one's homeland because, as the Shadow says, "we always love our native land." However, as I read deeper into the story and discovered the conditions the shadow imposed for its journey with the master, I began to sense that its intentions were far from benign. The master even initially declined the invitation.
ReplyDeleteIt became apparent that the shadow was not as virtuous as it seemed. It was as though the scholar gave in to despair when he fell ill and struggled to gain recognition for his writing. Perhaps he saw his life taking a negative turn and lost hope in a brighter future. This led him to disregard the preservation of his identity and ultimately accept the shadow's offer, resulting in a journey where "The shadow was the master and the master was the shadow." When he finally understood what was really happening, it was a realization that came a little too late, as the shadow had already taken control.
Throughout reading the “Shadow” I could not help but make the connections towards the familiar fairy tales that I had grown up with, but not one that I had seen mentioned that was an immediate connection to this short story was the story of Peter Pan. Peter Pan and his shadow have a playful relationship in which his shadow will ultimately take on a life of his own, similar to the shadow of the Learned Man within the “Shadow”. However, the “Shadow” takes on a much more sincere approach that leaves the reader feeling melancholy, as if the sinister tone is portrayed to make the reader think more about the notion of one's shadow in a more serious nature as opposed to the silliness that was portrayed in Peter Pan. But despite the parallels of tone, I wonder if they ultimately tell the same tale. The idea that everyone has a doppelganger inside them that sees and encourages your deepest desires. While the darkness and shadows have consistently been connected to evil both in and outside of literature, and while in this story it certainly holds darker indications, I don’t necessarily believe the shadow was a harmful entity. Instead, I believe the shadow is portrayed to be a more knowledgeable version of oneself, one that would not be there without you, but is also not distracted with the many ornate details of day to day life. The shadow is an observer, and the shadow understands you and will guide you better than anyone else. And despite the learned man ultimately choosing to believe in his shadow too late, I believe that the shadow in both Hans Christian Anderson’s story, as well as the aforementioned Peter Pan, play the same role.
ReplyDeleteI think the shadow in this verse alludes to a form of "alter-ego" or simply a distinct aspect of oneself that is not frequently noticed or seen. The shadow, or dark side, seizes control and kills the man in the end. This shadow grows more afraid of being detected as it gets control over the guy and forces him to play the role of the shadow. Its frightening to think about how accurate this is and to compare it to people you may know and how they act. There are many similarities to how the story is perceived and how relatable it can be. In modern times, it's common to see persons with several personas. Since everyone presents a completely different identity when they are alone, it might be difficult to perceive their harsher sides.
ReplyDeleteI think that the whole purpose of the shadow is almost like your conscience. In the story, the shadow almost becomes a person of its own, taking on life. The man he "belongs to" writes a lot about the beauty and good-intentions he has to pursue, along with how he is scared of letting people down or who thinks what of him, which is the opposite of his shadow. Through the novel, the shadow understands what it is like to be on the "dark side" of human behavior and in the end, the shadow returns back to himself in human form, takes over, and kills the man out of fear. The moral I got out of the story, is that although you're preached your whole life that good conquers all evil, that just is not the case in every scenario. People who are good and do good do not always get good in return, and subconsciously, I think there's a little bit of the shadow in everyone. It is all about how you perceive it. I really enjoyed the story, it was something I have not read before and although I feel like I did not entirely understand it, I got something out of it.
ReplyDelete-Ava Perry
This story reminds me of the Chinese philosophical concept of yin and yang. The shadow is yin because I feel like subconsciously he's very dark and negative. The learned man is very optimistic and want to write about "the true, the beautiful, the good". But then again, I also believe when the learned man discovered that the shadow had a life and personality of his own, this confused him, because his shadow is always supposed to beneath him. This stirred of jealously because the shadow basically the showed the learned man, all he could have if he wasn't so afraid of living his life.
ReplyDelete_sky toh
If I am being quite honest, I found this story rather hard to read, so I will be trying my absolute best to analyze this work to the best of my ability. Early on in the story, the scholar mentions that he told no one about the loss of his shadow as he felt that such a story was already well-known. I feel as though the scholar might be afraid of being unoriginal since his shadow seemingly held such extraordinary adventures, which were known by so many. He mentions that he writes about good and beautiful things, only for nobody to hear or seemingly care about it. Perhaps he is also envious of this shadow. Envious that it has taken bold actions and interesting adventures with the recognition of others. Perhaps Andersen was met with such similar feelings throughout his life? I feel as though we as humans want to be recognized for the brave actions we face as it usually feels very validating. Like we are "doing something right." - Sofia Rosa
ReplyDeleteIn this story I often see the shadow being its own sort of creature or part within the story. Throughout the story the shadow really identifies and shows how it is become a part of the dark side. "The Shadow," a crime-fighting vigilante with the ability to cloud men's minds and become invisible. Over time the shadow becomes sort of afraid to be seen or caught in the action and try to hide its own identity. overall I don't exactly see the shadow to be harmful but that still opens the question of why it wasn't to hide its identity so much.
ReplyDelete