Crazy Ivar’s protection and admiration of the wild ducks in contrast to Oscar and Lou’s desire to kill the ducks demonstrates the divide between those who respect the land and those who would force it to change. Ivar introduces his ducks by stating that “these wild things are God’s birds,” and he wishes that Oscar and Lou “never shoot” (27). Through the wild ducks Cather demonstrates Ivar’s respect for the land and his desire to not alter what he has found. Moreover, Ivar later shares his knowledge of nature with Alexandra because while she may want to change the land she respects it enough to cooperate with the land rather than forcing change. Contrary to Ivar, Oscar and Lou want to shoot the wild ducks of the pond and Lou goes as far as to…show more content… As Emil shoots the wild ducks in Alexandra’s pond, Carl observes that there was a sudden “whirr of wings” (71). The panicked movement of the ducks implies that they were not anticipating danger and did not believe that they could be harmed. Cather utilizes these ducks to foreshadow the violent end of Emil and Marie’s forbidden romance because like the ducks they believe because they are not acting on their desires that they cannot be harmed. In addition, Marie’s situation is similar to the story of Narcissa Prentiss Whitman shared by Limerick. Limerick describes Narcissa as “lonely,” similar to how Marie feels when Emil goes to Mexico (38). Limerick presents the evidence needed for the determination that Narcissa is an injured innocent, the same debate could be made for Marie. Alexandra does believe that the deaths were Marie’s fault, despite the fact that Marie and Emil never engaged in their desires. Thus, Marie and Emil could be considered as Limerick’s injured innocents. Cather also foreshadows Emil’s forbidden love when the Bergson family visited Crazy Ivar’s pond. Once on Ivar’s land, Emil was fascinated with the wild ducks and asked Ivar various questions about their habits and lives. Emil’s fascination with the wild ducks represents an early indication of his fascination with Marie. Furthermore, Cather shows that
