The trials in a person's life determine who they will become as their existence continues. Since we were children we have been “obsessed with a fairy tale, we spend our lives searching for a magical door and a lost kingdom of peace” (Eugene O'Neill). However, fairy tales in which people try to transform their lives portray reality with their frivolous endings. "The Ugly Duckling" by Hans Christian Andersen symbolizes and defines the feelings, insecurities and desires of not only the protagonist of the story but also the antagonists and readers. The story of "The Ugly Duckling" represents the development of emotions and control. When other creatures call out his (Anderson) ugly duckling flaws, they feel powerful. Andersen uses this emotion to identify a person's need to belittle others to achieve results. The duckling's "brothers and sisters were rude to him and said, 'Ah, you ugly creature, I wish the cat would take you,' and his mother said she wished he had never been born" (Andersen) because it puts them in embarrassment. It's not clear how it could be different. The duckling feels “very tired and distressed” (Andersen) because he does not understand how to deal with criticism from his peers and elders. Andersen uses the harsh condemnation of his peers to provoke a feeling of uselessness and loneliness. Happiness finally floods the duckling because his true place in the world has been identified. Readers can identify with the characters' emotions because the creatures symbolize ordinary people. Bullies enjoy the feeling of power while the people the bullies avoid understand the worthlessness the ugly duckling experiences. Throughout their lives people have to deal with others failing…the middle of the paper…shows daily happenings in your mind. The ugly duckling “…had been persecuted and despised for his ugliness, and now he heard them say he was the most beautiful of all birds” (Anderson) symbolizing when someone grows up not so special then when life continues, he blossoms into someone everyone needs to know. Works Cited “Hans Christian Andersen: The Ugly Duckling.” Hans Christian Andersen: Fairy Tales and Stories. Zvi Har'El, December 12, 2007. Web. January 4, 2012..Johnson, Nancy J. Giorgis, Cyndi Colbert, Chrissie Conner, Angela King, JanineKulesza, Dottie. "Children's Books: Identity." Reading Teacher 53.5 (2000):435. Collection of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences. Network. 3 Han. 2012.Martin Evan, Jay. “Freud, Sigmund.” Biographies of Britannica (2011): 1. MAS Ultra – School edition. Network. January 4. 2012.