This play makes one think about truth-telling, how it can be used for good or ill, and how good intentions can very well end in bad results. While being honest is recognized as a morally good thing in general, one's motivations behind telling the truth and realistic expectations of likely consequences do matter when trying to judge whether or not it is a good thing to do in particular situations.
The wild duck, though silent, is in a way the most important character in the play. Apparently they have a tendency, when shot, to plunge all the way down to the bottom of the water, get hold of the weeds that are found on the lake bed, and hang on tight to them until death, never coming back up to the surface.
Ibsen seems to indicate that life is like a lake scene. The water is beautiful and smooth, while at the bottom lie all the weeds and junk that nobody wants to see and that people prefer to not think about. But it's there all the same. The "wild ducks" among us are those who are forced by others, well-intentioned or not, in the name of "honesty" to get down to the bottom of the lake to see all the debris. But once they see it, they are unable to let go and live life on the surface as before, so the sight destroys them.
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