Ibsen creates many boundaries between characters and social groups/norms in The Wild Duck. Of these, there can be physical boundaries but the most prominent boundaries are portrayed as social, and mental boundaries. The mental/social boundaries can be displayed as someone being uncomfortable or agitated by another person or social group.
An example of one of the boundaries Ibsen creates is the boundary between the different groups of servants. On page 121, Ibsen uses punctuation and tone to convey this boundary. Mrs. Sørby walks in to the room and says "Petterson, will you have coffee served in the dining room." She displays that she is not interested in formally addressing Petterson, and in a way gives him a command to go do something. By taking a question– "Will you have coffee served in the dining room?" and warping it into a statement– "Will you have coffee served in the dining room." she forms her sentence in a way that makes it more likely she will get an answer that she wants. By making the question into a statement, that Petterson will, in fact, go serve coffee, she commands him to do so and distances herself from him. She does not allow him to espress his own answer, eliminating Petterson's individualism. Mrs. Sørby creates a barrier between them by making Petterson inferior to herself.
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