A Nightmarish Power: Monstrosity in “Wroniec” by Jacek Dukaj

Abstract

Wroniec by Jacek Dukaj is a dark fairy tale set during the martial law in Poland (1981–1983). The protagonist of the story, a young boy named Adaś, has witnessed a kidnapping of his father by a monstrous bird — Wroniec. Adaś is set to find and rescue his father, but before he is able to do that, he has to fight many monsters who serve Wroniec. The only weapon that Adaś can use against them is the power of his own imagination. The purpose of this article is to analyse how the authorities of the martial law are seen as monsters by a young  boy, changed into grotesque beings by his imagination. The article shows how Dukaj created the monsters based on the real authorities from the ’80. The names, behaviour, and appearance of the monsters have been examined in order to do that. It is also noted how important in the creation of both monster and reality child’s imagination is.