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The Shadow
In this bleak fairytale, a kind and good-natured learned man on vacation sends his shadow to investigate a balcony across the street. When his shadow never returns, he notices that he has grown a new one and figures all is well. However, five years later, he meets his original shadow, and it is now corporeal-but it doesn't share his principles. As the shadow grows in strength, the man weakens, raising the question of whether good always triumphs over evil.
16 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1847
About the author
Hans Christian Andersen
7,746 books3,593 followersHans Christian Andersen (often referred to in Scandinavia as H.C. Andersen) was a Danish author and poet. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, Andersen is best remembered for his fairy tales. Andersen's popularity is not limited to children; his stories — called eventyr, or "fairy-tales" — express themes that transcend age and nationality.
Andersen's fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers as well. Some of his most famous fairy tales include "The Little Mermaid", "The Ugly Duckling", "The Nightingale", "The Emperor's New Clothes" and many more. His stories have inspired plays, ballets, and both live-action and animated films.
Andersen's fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers as well. Some of his most famous fairy tales include "The Little Mermaid", "The Ugly Duckling", "The Nightingale", "The Emperor's New Clothes" and many more. His stories have inspired plays, ballets, and both live-action and animated films.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 76 reviews
February 8, 2025
After I emerged from Murakami’s Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (see my review HERE) I was curious about other stories of people being separated from their shadows and was surprised how common a theme it is. They all make some connection between shadow and soul or personhood, and illustrate the danger of poor choices and careless wishes.
1814, Peter Schlemihl, by Adelbert von Chamisso
Read it HERE.
A Faustian tale where a man sells his shadow to the Devil in exchange for limitless wealth. But he discovers that a person without a shadow is a social outcast, regardless of their riches. The Devil offers to return his shadow in exchange for his soul.
Image: A Shadow, detaching a man’s shadow (Source)
1847, The Shadow, by Hans Christian Andersen (this story)
Read it HERE.
Note: “Thou” used to be the informal term of address, and “you” was formal. (Because Anglican liturgy is one of the last outposts of thou, and is rare even there, it’s easy to assume it’s the reverential term.)
A learned young man moves from a cold country to a hot one, in Africa. He is fascinated by the apartment on the opposite side of the street: always dark, no one to be seen, but the lush balcony flowers are watered, and strains of music reach his ears. One evening, he catches a glimpse of a slender maiden inside. His Shadow stretches to the balcony, and he says:
“Now if only the Shadow was sharp enough to go in and look about and then come and tell me what it saw!”
When, next morning, he realises he is still without a shadow, he remembers Chamisso’s tale:
“He knew that there was a story about a man without a shadow which everyone at home in the cold countries knew; and if the learned man went there and told them his own story they would say he was merely imitating the other.”
Nevertheless, he returns home, having grown a bit of a new shadow, to write books about true, good, and beautiful things. Many years later, a finely-dressed but incredibly thin man knocks at his door: it’s his former Shadow, claiming he's seen everything, knows everything, and is very wealthy. He tells his story and departs.
After a year and a day (very fairytale), the Shadow visits again, and the story takes a darker turn. Despite the addition of a princess, it’s not really a children’s story.
Image: A Shadow presenting demands (Source)
1885, My Shadow, a poem in A Child's Garden of Verses, by Robert Louis Stevenson
Read it HERE.
In four four-line verses a small child contemplates the purpose and meaning of their shadow. The child is not very complimentary. It ends with a separation, purely because the shadow is too lazy to get out of bed. There's no suggestion of other consequences.
1888, The Fisherman and His Soul, by Oscar Wilde
Read it HERE, and read my review HERE.
I don’t know if Wilde knew of Andersen’s tale (or Chamisso’s), but there are many parallels: a good and innocent man gives up his shadow for love of an ethereal female figure (a mermaid, in Wilde’s story), but there is, inevitably, a high price to pay. You cannot live in two worlds, and having made a choice, there’s no going back, as Persephone in the Underworld and Lot’s wife in the Old Testament discovered. It has a very Christian ending, with flowers symbolising God’s benevolent love, as with the peach trees in The Selfish Giant.
1902, Peter Pan, by JM Barrie. Until Helle mentioned it in a comment, I'd forgotten Peter's shadow getting left behind when he flees, and later, Wendy sewing it back on.
1926, The Charwoman's Shadow, by Lord Dunsany
Read about it HERE.
This one’s a full novel, and I’ve not read it, but it’s another allegory of shadows and souls, and someone who regrets giving up their shadow for possible wealth.
In a totally different vein
Image: “Approaching the Shadow” by Fan Ho, 1954 (Source)
Jun'ichirō Tanizaki’s In Praise of Shadows (see my review HERE) is a fascinating, surprising, occasionally amusing essay that lauds and explains traditional Japanese aesthetics relating to light and its absence. The shadows are mainly of objects, rather than people.
1814, Peter Schlemihl, by Adelbert von Chamisso
Read it HERE.
A Faustian tale where a man sells his shadow to the Devil in exchange for limitless wealth. But he discovers that a person without a shadow is a social outcast, regardless of their riches. The Devil offers to return his shadow in exchange for his soul.
Image: A Shadow, detaching a man’s shadow (Source)
1847, The Shadow, by Hans Christian Andersen (this story)
Read it HERE.
Note: “Thou” used to be the informal term of address, and “you” was formal. (Because Anglican liturgy is one of the last outposts of thou, and is rare even there, it’s easy to assume it’s the reverential term.)
A learned young man moves from a cold country to a hot one, in Africa. He is fascinated by the apartment on the opposite side of the street: always dark, no one to be seen, but the lush balcony flowers are watered, and strains of music reach his ears. One evening, he catches a glimpse of a slender maiden inside. His Shadow stretches to the balcony, and he says:
“Now if only the Shadow was sharp enough to go in and look about and then come and tell me what it saw!”
When, next morning, he realises he is still without a shadow, he remembers Chamisso’s tale:
“He knew that there was a story about a man without a shadow which everyone at home in the cold countries knew; and if the learned man went there and told them his own story they would say he was merely imitating the other.”
Nevertheless, he returns home, having grown a bit of a new shadow, to write books about true, good, and beautiful things. Many years later, a finely-dressed but incredibly thin man knocks at his door: it’s his former Shadow, claiming he's seen everything, knows everything, and is very wealthy. He tells his story and departs.
After a year and a day (very fairytale), the Shadow visits again, and the story takes a darker turn. Despite the addition of a princess, it’s not really a children’s story.
Image: A Shadow presenting demands (Source)
1885, My Shadow, a poem in A Child's Garden of Verses, by Robert Louis Stevenson
Read it HERE.
In four four-line verses a small child contemplates the purpose and meaning of their shadow. The child is not very complimentary. It ends with a separation, purely because the shadow is too lazy to get out of bed. There's no suggestion of other consequences.
1888, The Fisherman and His Soul, by Oscar Wilde
Read it HERE, and read my review HERE.
I don’t know if Wilde knew of Andersen’s tale (or Chamisso’s), but there are many parallels: a good and innocent man gives up his shadow for love of an ethereal female figure (a mermaid, in Wilde’s story), but there is, inevitably, a high price to pay. You cannot live in two worlds, and having made a choice, there’s no going back, as Persephone in the Underworld and Lot’s wife in the Old Testament discovered. It has a very Christian ending, with flowers symbolising God’s benevolent love, as with the peach trees in The Selfish Giant.
1902, Peter Pan, by JM Barrie. Until Helle mentioned it in a comment, I'd forgotten Peter's shadow getting left behind when he flees, and later, Wendy sewing it back on.
1926, The Charwoman's Shadow, by Lord Dunsany
Read about it HERE.
This one’s a full novel, and I’ve not read it, but it’s another allegory of shadows and souls, and someone who regrets giving up their shadow for possible wealth.
In a totally different vein
Image: “Approaching the Shadow” by Fan Ho, 1954 (Source)
Jun'ichirō Tanizaki’s In Praise of Shadows (see my review HERE) is a fascinating, surprising, occasionally amusing essay that lauds and explains traditional Japanese aesthetics relating to light and its absence. The shadows are mainly of objects, rather than people.
July 6, 2021
A morose, bittersweet story about a change of power between a man and his shadow. Very inventive and creative.
January 18, 2019
دوستانِ گرانقدر، تلاش نمودم تا چکیده ای مناسب از داستانِ "سایه" را برایِ شما ادب دوستانِ گرامی، در زیر بنویسم
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این داستان در موردِ مردی اندیشمند است که به سرزمینی بسیار گرم و حاره ای بر رویِ خط استوا سفر کرده است و همچون ساکنینِ آنجا، مجبور است روزها در خانه بماند و شبها یا بیرون برود و یا به رویِ ایوانِ خانه هوا خوری کند
روبرویِ خانه اش، منزلی بزرگ قرار گرفته که بسیار عجیب است و گویا دربِ ورودی ندارد و اهالیِ آنجا میگویند تا حالا کسی را ندیده اند که در آنجا رفت و آمد و زندگی کند... از طرفی از درونِ خانه صدایِ آهنگی عجیب در اثرِ نواختنِ ساز به گوش میرسد.. مردِ اندیشمند، گل و گیاهانی تازه و سرحال در آنجا دید و با خود گفت: حتماً باید کسی در آن خانه باشد
شبی از شبها مرد اندیشمند در ایوان ایستاده بود و شمعی پشتِ سرش روشن بود و سایه اش در حیاطِ خانهٔ روبرو افتاده بود... مرد با خود گفت: ای کاش سایهٔ من نیز خرد و هوش داشت و به درونِ اتاق میرفت و از اخبارِ آن خانهٔ مرموز، من را آگاه مینمود
خلاصه، مرد به حالتِ شوخی به سایه اش گفت: خجالت را کنار بگذار و کاری کن تا بفهمم وجودت بی فایده نیست.. زود برو داخل و برایم خبر بیاور
مرد برگشت و واردِ اتاقش شد و سایه هم در امتدادِ مرد واردِ اتاقِ خانهٔ روبرو شد... صبح که مردِ اندیشمند از خواب بیدار شد، به درونِ ایوان رفت، با تجعبِ فراوان دید که سایه ای ندارد!!.. با خودش گفت: نکند دیشب سایه به درونِ اتاقِ آن خانهٔ مرموز رفته و بازنگشته است
مرد برایِ از دست دادنِ سایه اش بسیار ناراحت بود، ولی پس از چند هفته، سایه ای جدید همچون یک نوزاد برایش درست شد و دوباره، سایه اش آرام آرام قد کشید و بزرگ شد
مرد با سایهٔ جدیدش به سرزمینِ خود بازگشت و نوشتنِ کتابی را آغاز کرد... پس از مدت ها، روزی دربِ خانه به صدا درآمد و مردِ خوش پوش و ثروتمندی به دیدنِ او آمد و گفت: من همان سایهٔ قدیمیِ شما هستم و شروع کرد به تعریف کردن که در این مدت چه کرده است... در آن خانهٔ مرموز با شخصی به نامِ <شعر> آشنا شده است و شرح داد که چگونه توانسته همچون انسان، لباس بپوشد و غیره و غیره
خلاصه عزیزانم، سایه که هم ثروتمند شده بود و هم خودخواه بود.. به مرد پیشنهاد داد تا همراهِ او به شهری سفر کنند که آبِ گرمِ طبیعی و معدنی دارد... مردِ بیچاره قبول کرد و همراهِ او رفت
سایه در آنجا با دخترِ پادشاه آشنا شد و به شاهزاده گفت که این مردِ لاغری که مرا همراهی میکند، سایهٔ من است که به تنِ او لباس پوشانیده ام، چراکه من دوست دارم از دیگران متفاوت باشم.. دخترک بسیار تعجب کرد... ولی از این سایهٔ خودخواه خوشش آمد و با یکدیگر قرارِ ازدواج گذاشتند
این سایهٔ خودخواه، به این مردِ بیچاره گفت: من حاضرم به تو پولِ خوبی بدهم، ولی در ازایِ آن باید نقشِ سایه را برایِ من بازی کنی... همانطور که من یک عمر به زیرِ پایِ تو بودم و همراهت بودم، تو نیز برایِ من اینکارها را انجام بده و دستمزدت را بگیر
مردِ اندیشمند، عصبانی شد و گفت: تو در موردِ من چه فکر کرده ای؟ من میروم و حقیقت را به شاهزاده میگویم که تو سایه هستی، نه یک انسان..... ولی سایه که به ثروت و قدرت دستیافته و بُرش و نفوذِ فراوانی نیز در میانِ همه بدست آورده بود، دستور داد تا مرد را به زندان بیاندازند... و برایِ آنکه روزی روزگاری کسی از این راز مطلع نشود، سرِ پیرمردِ بیچاره را قطع کردند و سایه و شاهزاده با یکدیگر ازدواج نمودند
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امیدوارم این چکیده را پسندیده باشید
<پیروز باشید و ایرانی>
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این داستان در موردِ مردی اندیشمند است که به سرزمینی بسیار گرم و حاره ای بر رویِ خط استوا سفر کرده است و همچون ساکنینِ آنجا، مجبور است روزها در خانه بماند و شبها یا بیرون برود و یا به رویِ ایوانِ خانه هوا خوری کند
روبرویِ خانه اش، منزلی بزرگ قرار گرفته که بسیار عجیب است و گویا دربِ ورودی ندارد و اهالیِ آنجا میگویند تا حالا کسی را ندیده اند که در آنجا رفت و آمد و زندگی کند... از طرفی از درونِ خانه صدایِ آهنگی عجیب در اثرِ نواختنِ ساز به گوش میرسد.. مردِ اندیشمند، گل و گیاهانی تازه و سرحال در آنجا دید و با خود گفت: حتماً باید کسی در آن خانه باشد
شبی از شبها مرد اندیشمند در ایوان ایستاده بود و شمعی پشتِ سرش روشن بود و سایه اش در حیاطِ خانهٔ روبرو افتاده بود... مرد با خود گفت: ای کاش سایهٔ من نیز خرد و هوش داشت و به درونِ اتاق میرفت و از اخبارِ آن خانهٔ مرموز، من را آگاه مینمود
خلاصه، مرد به حالتِ شوخی به سایه اش گفت: خجالت را کنار بگذار و کاری کن تا بفهمم وجودت بی فایده نیست.. زود برو داخل و برایم خبر بیاور
مرد برگشت و واردِ اتاقش شد و سایه هم در امتدادِ مرد واردِ اتاقِ خانهٔ روبرو شد... صبح که مردِ اندیشمند از خواب بیدار شد، به درونِ ایوان رفت، با تجعبِ فراوان دید که سایه ای ندارد!!.. با خودش گفت: نکند دیشب سایه به درونِ اتاقِ آن خانهٔ مرموز رفته و بازنگشته است
مرد برایِ از دست دادنِ سایه اش بسیار ناراحت بود، ولی پس از چند هفته، سایه ای جدید همچون یک نوزاد برایش درست شد و دوباره، سایه اش آرام آرام قد کشید و بزرگ شد
مرد با سایهٔ جدیدش به سرزمینِ خود بازگشت و نوشتنِ کتابی را آغاز کرد... پس از مدت ها، روزی دربِ خانه به صدا درآمد و مردِ خوش پوش و ثروتمندی به دیدنِ او آمد و گفت: من همان سایهٔ قدیمیِ شما هستم و شروع کرد به تعریف کردن که در این مدت چه کرده است... در آن خانهٔ مرموز با شخصی به نامِ <شعر> آشنا شده است و شرح داد که چگونه توانسته همچون انسان، لباس بپوشد و غیره و غیره
خلاصه عزیزانم، سایه که هم ثروتمند شده بود و هم خودخواه بود.. به مرد پیشنهاد داد تا همراهِ او به شهری سفر کنند که آبِ گرمِ طبیعی و معدنی دارد... مردِ بیچاره قبول کرد و همراهِ او رفت
سایه در آنجا با دخترِ پادشاه آشنا شد و به شاهزاده گفت که این مردِ لاغری که مرا همراهی میکند، سایهٔ من است که به تنِ او لباس پوشانیده ام، چراکه من دوست دارم از دیگران متفاوت باشم.. دخترک بسیار تعجب کرد... ولی از این سایهٔ خودخواه خوشش آمد و با یکدیگر قرارِ ازدواج گذاشتند
این سایهٔ خودخواه، به این مردِ بیچاره گفت: من حاضرم به تو پولِ خوبی بدهم، ولی در ازایِ آن باید نقشِ سایه را برایِ من بازی کنی... همانطور که من یک عمر به زیرِ پایِ تو بودم و همراهت بودم، تو نیز برایِ من اینکارها را انجام بده و دستمزدت را بگیر
مردِ اندیشمند، عصبانی شد و گفت: تو در موردِ من چه فکر کرده ای؟ من میروم و حقیقت را به شاهزاده میگویم که تو سایه هستی، نه یک انسان..... ولی سایه که به ثروت و قدرت دستیافته و بُرش و نفوذِ فراوانی نیز در میانِ همه بدست آورده بود، دستور داد تا مرد را به زندان بیاندازند... و برایِ آنکه روزی روزگاری کسی از این راز مطلع نشود، سرِ پیرمردِ بیچاره را قطع کردند و سایه و شاهزاده با یکدیگر ازدواج نمودند
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امیدوارم این چکیده را پسندیده باشید
<پیروز باشید و ایرانی>
February 7, 2025
The Shadow is a dark fantasy story by Hans Christian Andersen, which was first published in 1847. It is almost the opposite of a moral fable as it is so unremittingly bitter and depressing. The protagonist is a man of learning, very modest and gentle by nature. He often writes about the good, the beautiful and the true, but finds that nobody is interested in what he writes.
The story has a similar theme to the later play by Harold Pinter, called "The Servant", and a similar black ending.
Illustration by Hans Christian Andersen's original illustrator Vilhelm Pedersen
A very bleak view of human nature is shown in this tale, in which the shadow becomes separated from the man.
The only conclusion to be drawn, is that it is not always good that triumphs. In this story evil has a powerful and lasting grip over the good, and the just. Two stars, as it is cleverly told, but I do not like this one at all.
The story has a similar theme to the later play by Harold Pinter, called "The Servant", and a similar black ending.
Illustration by Hans Christian Andersen's original illustrator Vilhelm Pedersen
A very bleak view of human nature is shown in this tale, in which the shadow becomes separated from the man.
The only conclusion to be drawn, is that it is not always good that triumphs. In this story evil has a powerful and lasting grip over the good, and the just. Two stars, as it is cleverly told, but I do not like this one at all.
June 11, 2015
لمحبي الكلاسيكية الأندرسنية
قصة قصيرة .. الظل
قرأتها مسبقًا ضمن مجلد قصصه القصيرة ولكن الإستماع لها مجددًا رائع كذلك
هذا الخيال الخصب يستحق إعادة المحاولة و التأني في فهم مغزاه
قصة الظل الذي سئم كونه نكرة و أصبح سيدًا لصاحبه بعد أن راقت له لعبة الإنفصال التي تقمصها
قطار خيال أندرسن يعجّ بالأفكار الرائدة التي تقرع باب القلب
قصة قصيرة .. الظل
قرأتها مسبقًا ضمن مجلد قصصه القصيرة ولكن الإستماع لها مجددًا رائع كذلك
هذا الخيال الخصب يستحق إعادة المحاولة و التأني في فهم مغزاه
قصة الظل الذي سئم كونه نكرة و أصبح سيدًا لصاحبه بعد أن راقت له لعبة الإنفصال التي تقمصها
قطار خيال أندرسن يعجّ بالأفكار الرائدة التي تقرع باب القلب
May 5, 2017
One of my favourite stories from my youth! A quick read and a really fascinating one.
Although chilling and sinister for a fairytale, this story was just as splendid now as the time I watched it animated on kids' television years and years ago. The characters had me mesmerized from the start, Anderson really did a thorough job for such a short story.
The protagonist is only referred to as "the master", an educated and curious man, kind and somewhat shy. The Shadow is nothing at first - only a shadow, until it later develops into the antagonist. One day, the master asks his shadow to enter a party instead of him, to see what is going on inside. He does not think anything of it - I mean, who thinks they can actually separate from their shadow? So he does not notice that when he turns around to go home, his shadow walks in the opposite direction.
Years go by and the Shadow returns to his master. Upon their first reunion he is pleasant and impressive, wearing diamond rings and talking about how well his life is going. The shift begins. The educated man runs into troubles and misfortunes, and his former shadow is there, seemingly only to offer a helping hand. The Shadow only asks for one thing in return; that when they are out and about, the master may walk beside and behind him as if he were his shadow. Only pretending, of course.
A long while passes and The Shadow starts to refer to himself as a real man, and with his charm and lack of conscience, he fools everyone around him - blackmailing, conning and using other people's weaknesses in order to rise on the social ladder. At the end of the story, the roles have reversed: The real man has become a shadow and the Shadow has become the master.
The Shadow slowly drops his pretense around his former master and tells him to - not pretend - but to become his shadow for the rest of their lives (for a good pay and comfortable living, of course). The master finally realizes what has happened and is repulsed by the idea. He throws a fit, saying he'll tell everyone that the Shadow is an impostor and a liar, and that in fact he is the real man.
The Shadow laughs at him. Who would question his realness? The Shadow is rich, handsome and very well liked, about to be married to a beautiful princess. In contrast, the master is a shell of his former self; he has nothing except his shadow, which he has been clinging to for months. In essence he has actually become the shadow, even though he is the rightful master.
With his upcoming beneficial wedlock, the Shadow has his former master arrested and put in prison. The next day the Shadow tells his fiance that his shadow companion has gone mad. He pretends moroseness as he explains to the princess that the madness caused his shadow to imagine himself to be a real man - all the while accusing him of being a shadow! The Shadow marries the princess and the master is executed the same day.
The tale of The Shadow is precise, bitter and sweet. It is filled with symbolism and analogies to the brink, and it strikes me as eerily dark for a story written in the Romantic era of literature. Or perhaps perfectly dark, considering the gothic traits that surfaced towards the end of the Romanticism (i.e. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein).
The contrast of a man's character - both between other men and the dualism of the self - is portrayed beautifully. We have the polar opposition of two characters that are essentially one; where one decides to act while the other flunked the opportunity.
One is kind, the other lacks empathy, one is reserved, the other is flamboyant - and then there are all the greys in between. They don't start out as opposites because they are initially one person. However, as they take on separate lives and meet again years later, they have have become two completely different characters. Through individual decisions and personal aspirations, they have developed and furthered their traits.
The story is a fascinating study of the human mind, philosophy and morals. It turns the perspective back and forth on how we view ourselves as humans, and how our thoughts mould our behavoiur. The different masks we put on when exiting our homes; the facade and importance of appearances - the appeal of it, it is all there, between the lines.
The power and thrill of painting a picture of oneself exactly as one entertains to be seen by others; not necessarily to fool or dupe others, but to heighten the idea of oneself and import the picture of something more refined into others' minds. The greed and need for fame, power, love, respect and recognition - I daresay this story is as relevant today as it was back in 1847.
There is often a certain distance between the "real" human self and the virtual self; how we are perceived by others through social media. We separate from ourselves, just like the master, by sending out our shadows. The Shadow presents a pretty picture, but it is shallow and it will never be the equivalent to a complete picture. I think we will do well to remember that. As masters of our individual shadows and as observers of fellow humans, the truthful picture has more depth and complexity than a two dimensional shadow.
Although chilling and sinister for a fairytale, this story was just as splendid now as the time I watched it animated on kids' television years and years ago. The characters had me mesmerized from the start, Anderson really did a thorough job for such a short story.
The protagonist is only referred to as "the master", an educated and curious man, kind and somewhat shy. The Shadow is nothing at first - only a shadow, until it later develops into the antagonist. One day, the master asks his shadow to enter a party instead of him, to see what is going on inside. He does not think anything of it - I mean, who thinks they can actually separate from their shadow? So he does not notice that when he turns around to go home, his shadow walks in the opposite direction.
Years go by and the Shadow returns to his master. Upon their first reunion he is pleasant and impressive, wearing diamond rings and talking about how well his life is going. The shift begins. The educated man runs into troubles and misfortunes, and his former shadow is there, seemingly only to offer a helping hand. The Shadow only asks for one thing in return; that when they are out and about, the master may walk beside and behind him as if he were his shadow. Only pretending, of course.
A long while passes and The Shadow starts to refer to himself as a real man, and with his charm and lack of conscience, he fools everyone around him - blackmailing, conning and using other people's weaknesses in order to rise on the social ladder. At the end of the story, the roles have reversed: The real man has become a shadow and the Shadow has become the master.
The Shadow slowly drops his pretense around his former master and tells him to - not pretend - but to become his shadow for the rest of their lives (for a good pay and comfortable living, of course). The master finally realizes what has happened and is repulsed by the idea. He throws a fit, saying he'll tell everyone that the Shadow is an impostor and a liar, and that in fact he is the real man.
The Shadow laughs at him. Who would question his realness? The Shadow is rich, handsome and very well liked, about to be married to a beautiful princess. In contrast, the master is a shell of his former self; he has nothing except his shadow, which he has been clinging to for months. In essence he has actually become the shadow, even though he is the rightful master.
With his upcoming beneficial wedlock, the Shadow has his former master arrested and put in prison. The next day the Shadow tells his fiance that his shadow companion has gone mad. He pretends moroseness as he explains to the princess that the madness caused his shadow to imagine himself to be a real man - all the while accusing him of being a shadow! The Shadow marries the princess and the master is executed the same day.
The tale of The Shadow is precise, bitter and sweet. It is filled with symbolism and analogies to the brink, and it strikes me as eerily dark for a story written in the Romantic era of literature. Or perhaps perfectly dark, considering the gothic traits that surfaced towards the end of the Romanticism (i.e. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein).
The contrast of a man's character - both between other men and the dualism of the self - is portrayed beautifully. We have the polar opposition of two characters that are essentially one; where one decides to act while the other flunked the opportunity.
One is kind, the other lacks empathy, one is reserved, the other is flamboyant - and then there are all the greys in between. They don't start out as opposites because they are initially one person. However, as they take on separate lives and meet again years later, they have have become two completely different characters. Through individual decisions and personal aspirations, they have developed and furthered their traits.
The story is a fascinating study of the human mind, philosophy and morals. It turns the perspective back and forth on how we view ourselves as humans, and how our thoughts mould our behavoiur. The different masks we put on when exiting our homes; the facade and importance of appearances - the appeal of it, it is all there, between the lines.
The power and thrill of painting a picture of oneself exactly as one entertains to be seen by others; not necessarily to fool or dupe others, but to heighten the idea of oneself and import the picture of something more refined into others' minds. The greed and need for fame, power, love, respect and recognition - I daresay this story is as relevant today as it was back in 1847.
There is often a certain distance between the "real" human self and the virtual self; how we are perceived by others through social media. We separate from ourselves, just like the master, by sending out our shadows. The Shadow presents a pretty picture, but it is shallow and it will never be the equivalent to a complete picture. I think we will do well to remember that. As masters of our individual shadows and as observers of fellow humans, the truthful picture has more depth and complexity than a two dimensional shadow.
February 22, 2025
داستان چهاردهم از همخوانی هانس کریستین اندرسن
به نظر یه جورایی بحث هویت یابی و تغییر جایگاه رو میخواست نشون بده و اینکه بگه در نهایت قرار نیست اون درستکاره پیروز بشه، دنیا اینطور نمیچرخه که هرکس به اون چه فکر میکنه لایقشه و درسته برسه.
اسفند ۱۴۰۳
به نظر یه جورایی بحث هویت یابی و تغییر جایگاه رو میخواست نشون بده و اینکه بگه در نهایت قرار نیست اون درستکاره پیروز بشه، دنیا اینطور نمیچرخه که هرکس به اون چه فکر میکنه لایقشه و درسته برسه.
اسفند ۱۴۰۳
December 26, 2018
Imagine se sua sombra se libertasse , e quisesse te fazer de sombra!! É o que acontece nesse Belo conto de Andersen, que narra a história de um sábio cuja sombra se liberta e retorna, anos depois, como homem com a intenção de fazê-lo de sombra . Como terminará essa história? Garanto que surpreenderá a muitos.
May 10, 2022
Asombrado por este cuento fantástico. La sombra no solo se pierde sino que adquiere una independencia tal que ejercerá poder sobre su amo.
May 14, 2020
(Kinda Creepy) but, one of my FAVORITE stories.
February 3, 2025
All in all, a delightful, witty, absurdist surprise.
One of many stories loosely following the trope of selling one's soul to the devil. A circumstantially cloistered man finds his shadow offering to venture outside to explore the world for him. As the shadow becomes self-aware, it takes on a life of its own, leading to a sinister twist.
Among the authors inspired by this story appears to be Oscar Wilde in his short tale The Fisherman and His Soul.
One of many stories loosely following the trope of selling one's soul to the devil. A circumstantially cloistered man finds his shadow offering to venture outside to explore the world for him. As the shadow becomes self-aware, it takes on a life of its own, leading to a sinister twist.
Among the authors inspired by this story appears to be Oscar Wilde in his short tale The Fisherman and His Soul.
January 5, 2016
El cuento más oscuro y amargo de Andersen que he leído. Aunque había oído que en él podían encontrarse rastros del interés de Andersen por el esoterismo, para mí lo que muestra el cuento es la amargura del autor por haber sido devorado por su propia fama como contador de cuentos.
Es un cuento extraño, pero me ha gustado.
Es un cuento extraño, pero me ha gustado.
July 2, 2016
Highly imaginative! A shadow inexplicably leaves a man, only to return as a separate person, cunning and full of adventures. He even gets the girl in the end!
Said the learned man... "You must tell me everything you saw."
"Everything," said The Shadow. "For I saw everything, and I know everything."
Said the learned man... "You must tell me everything you saw."
"Everything," said The Shadow. "For I saw everything, and I know everything."
December 11, 2024
The book is dark.
.......................................
And with that, end of my Hans Christian Andersen Era.
.......................................
And with that, end of my Hans Christian Andersen Era.
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March 17, 2026Kolejna lektura sobowtórowa, tym razem oklepańsza i mniej domyślna, ale jako ilustracja narzędzia, jakim w bliźniactwie jest cień – b. dobra.
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August 31, 2021I 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?
January 14, 2025
Imagina que eres tan pringado que tú sombra te suplanta la identidad
July 30, 2022
This was quite eerie and disturbing despite the lighthearted first half.
I must say I quite enjoyed it but still, this was quite a weird trip.
I must say I quite enjoyed it but still, this was quite a weird trip.
January 30, 2023
I have arranged my takeaway thoughts into a haiku:
"Assuming low stakes,
You give your power away.
Not knowing the game."
"Assuming low stakes,
You give your power away.
Not knowing the game."
September 5, 2026
I have seen what no human being has the power of knowing, although they would all be very glad to know– the evil conduct of their neighbors. Had I written a newspaper, how eagerly it would have been read! Instead of which, I wrote directly to the persons themselves, and great alarm arose in all the town I visited. They had so much fear of me, and yet how dearly they loved me.
read this in preparation of reading shvartz’s shadow later! a horribly lovely little fairy tale
the shadow, placing his foot with the polished leather boot as firmly as possible on the arm of the new shadow of the learned man, which lay at his feet like a poodle dog. This was done, it might be from pride, or perhaps that the new shadow might cling to him, but the prostrate shadow remained quite quiet and at rest, in order that it might listen, for it wanted to know how a shadow could be sent away by its master, and become a man itself.
December 18, 2024
Сказка, о молодом ученом, который, отпустив свою тень, стал ее заложником и, в конечном итоге, был ею убит.
Есть мнение, что именно эта история стала прообразом «тени» Юнга. Юнг ввёл архетип «тени» .Тень - это те негативные или неприятные качества/стороны каждого человека, которые он в себе отказывается принимать.
2024/12:
История Андерсена - напоминание, что нужно учиться принимать свои недостатки и менее благоприятные стороны, вместо того, чтобы изгонять их из себя, ибо это невозможно. В противном случае, Тень, будучи уже полностью сформированной и автономной личностью, возвратиться в жизнь человека, но тот уже будет не в состоянии повлиять на ее властвование над его разумом и будет ею погублен.
5/156
Есть мнение, что именно эта история стала прообразом «тени» Юнга. Юнг ввёл архетип «тени» .Тень - это те негативные или неприятные качества/стороны каждого человека, которые он в себе отказывается принимать.
2024/12:
История Андерсена - напоминание, что нужно учиться принимать свои недостатки и менее благоприятные стороны, вместо того, чтобы изгонять их из себя, ибо это невозможно. В противном случае, Тень, будучи уже полностью сформированной и автономной личностью, возвратиться в жизнь человека, но тот уже будет не в состоянии повлиять на ее властвование над его разумом и будет ею погублен.
5/156
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2025
This is one of his best ones yet.
A scholar goes to a dark country where he eventually loses his shadow.
His shadow eventually returns to take his place.
There could be multiple ways to interpret the story, a sign of its depth. On one level, it can be about disowning the Freudian shadow, which is not the right move. On another level, it could be about letting go of knowledge since knowledge is here to serve us, not us serve it.
We must know the true master, which is often within, and not just a shadow reflection.
A scholar goes to a dark country where he eventually loses his shadow.
His shadow eventually returns to take his place.
There could be multiple ways to interpret the story, a sign of its depth. On one level, it can be about disowning the Freudian shadow, which is not the right move. On another level, it could be about letting go of knowledge since knowledge is here to serve us, not us serve it.
We must know the true master, which is often within, and not just a shadow reflection.
August 25, 2026
Wonderfully written but this story of a man who loses his shadow and learns that the shadow has become a wealthy man, does not feel much like a story that would have been written by Hans Christian Andersen. It is certainly interesting and a truely worth pondering more as a parable: how can this happen? Is the shadow fully a man? Or is something missing, one part of his humanity, perhaps? And while the shadow has developed into a fully-formed man, what is the cost for the man who used to be his master?
September 28, 2020
Üldse mitte see, mida oleks Andersenilt oodanud.
Kummastav ja kõhe. Iga mõtte algus tundub nagu ilus fantaasiarikas lõngajupp, kuid selle jupi teine pool on kaetud tõrva, tuha ja kõige koleda sisse.
On põnev vaadelda, kuidas meie imiteerija võid meid endeid mängida paremini kui me ise. Kuidas muutuda võime iseenda varjuks. Kuid lõpp taaskord jättis mind segadusse ja tunnen, et mingi oluline mõte jäi mulle tabamata. Kes aru sai võib muga jagada seda, thänkjuverimeni.
Kummastav ja kõhe. Iga mõtte algus tundub nagu ilus fantaasiarikas lõngajupp, kuid selle jupi teine pool on kaetud tõrva, tuha ja kõige koleda sisse.
On põnev vaadelda, kuidas meie imiteerija võid meid endeid mängida paremini kui me ise. Kuidas muutuda võime iseenda varjuks. Kuid lõpp taaskord jättis mind segadusse ja tunnen, et mingi oluline mõte jäi mulle tabamata. Kes aru sai võib muga jagada seda, thänkjuverimeni.
September 3, 2022
I was shy of a few a stories from finishing the Collected Short Stories of Andersen, but then my reading selection took a turn. To return to this one, just reminds me of the magic behind short stories. From the way the plot unfolds, I was enthralled though I could sort of predict what would become of the man's shadow... This is a cautionary tale of what happens when you don't see things for yourself, and rely on other's for understanding.
November 21, 2022
Neste conto temos a separação de um homem (o sábio) e sua sombra.A medida que os anos passam, mesmo o sábio tendo adquirido outra sombra, a sua antiga sombra retorna em forma humana, pois seu encontro com a poesia (como um ser mesmo), resultou nisto.A cada encontro, que são divididos por anos de intervalo, a vida do sábio piora, enquanto a sombra próspera, até que em uma inesperada viagem entre os dois, a sombra começa a dizer que o sábio é que é sua sombra, e não o contrário.
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November 29, 20222.5 ☆
I enjoyed the transition I felt between the first and second parts of the story: from pure (almost innocent) light-hearted storytelling to something that feels so cruel and evil. I also liked the way the story ended
Yet there’s nothing incredible about it and neither did I fall in love with the author’s writing
And if there is any moral here, then I clearly did not get it 🫤
I enjoyed the transition I felt between the first and second parts of the story: from pure (almost innocent) light-hearted storytelling to something that feels so cruel and evil. I also liked the way the story ended
Yet there’s nothing incredible about it and neither did I fall in love with the author’s writing
And if there is any moral here, then I clearly did not get it 🫤
September 4, 2020
Ummm que injusto y amargo cuento.
Pero creo que aveces así es la realidad con gente que llega más astuta que tú y te saca ventaja.
Me dio algo de coraje el cinismo y a la ve la astucia de la sombra, creepy, extraño, raro, amargo.
Pero creo que aveces así es la realidad con gente que llega más astuta que tú y te saca ventaja.
Me dio algo de coraje el cinismo y a la ve la astucia de la sombra, creepy, extraño, raro, amargo.
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January 26, 2025it's so funny how the Grimm brothers have all this street cred for being dark, violent, and, well, grim, while being relatively vanilla and then there's our queer ballerina-never-been Hans casually writing this shit
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