The Natives of Hemsö: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Natives of Hemsö: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the intricate relationships and personalities within a small fishing community through the lens of three key figures. Johannes Edvard Carlsson is portrayed as a lively and opportunistic manager who marries Widow Flod primarily for her wealth. Despite his resourcefulness in agriculture and the prosperity he brings to the community, his selfishness and failures in navigation lead to his demise. Anna Eva Flod, Carlsson's wife, is depicted as a kind-hearted yet vulnerable woman who clings to tradition and strives for her son's welfare, even amid the complexities of her marriage. Her son, Gusten Flod, contrasts sharply with Carlsson; he is thoughtful and unassuming, ultimately evolving into a responsible figure by the story's conclusion. Additionally, Pastor Erik Nordstöm serves as a multifaceted character whose gruff demeanor and spiritual authority complicate community dynamics. The narrative showcases themes of ambition, familial loyalty, and the challenges of personal growth, inviting readers to reflect on the deeper social fabric of Hemsö.
The Natives of Hemsö: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: August Strindberg
First published: Hemsöborna, 1887 (The People of Hemsö, 1959; better known as The Natives of Hemsö)
Genre: Play
Locale: The island of Hemsö and environs, on the Stockholm archipelago
Plot: Naturalism
Time: The late 1800's
Johannes Edvard Carlsson, the newly hired manager of Widow Flod's farm. Short and stocky and in the prime of life, he is lively and assertive. He is also selfish, opportunistic, and philandering. His open and passionate—even flirtatious—nature makes him a convivial and optimistic fellow, prone to embellish the truth when it is to his advantage. His skill in overseeing land and people and his good luck cause several ingenious enterprises to flourish under him, despite his lack of a real business sense. The surrounding community enjoys the prosperity for which he is responsible, though even after his death they maintain a suspicion of him as an interloper. He is resourceful and a jack-of-all-trades; he knows agriculture, but his ignorance of fishing and hunting gains for him the scorn of his new stepson. He marries Widow Flod largely to acquire her wealth and land, and he dies through ignorance of how to survive in a storm at sea.
Anna Eva Flod, the widow who owns the farm and who becomes Carlsson's wife. Mrs. Flod is a relatively old woman, widowed two years before the story begins. She has kind eyes and a face parched by wind, is envious of the youth and vitality of people around her, and likes to think of herself as still young enough to enjoy wedded bliss. She is easily flattered, falling prey to Carlsson's trickery and emotional fervor. She is entrenched in the customs and mores of the little fishing community, taking seriously her role of hosting the haymaking festivities and carefully observing traditions at her wedding celebration. A pious woman, she loves her son deeply and looks out for his welfare. She has a kinder heart than Carlsson but can be just as provoked to anger and harsh words as he is. While she is dying from overexposure from tracking Carlsson on an adulterous tryst, she does what she can to ensure that her son will inherit almost everything; she allows Carlsson to keep for himself only a house that he built.
Gusten Flod, the son of Widow Flod, ten years younger than Carlsson. Gusten is unpretentious and unassuming, as well as lackadaisical and relatively unmotivated. He is quiet and thoughtful and can be placating when other people's tempers flare. He tends to simmer and glower when he is angry, rather than becoming loud and pugnacious. He knows the sea intimately and is very much at home doing as he pleases on his mother's farm. He has little sense of order, method, or even security. Although he can be generous to a friend (sharing his last drop of brandy with the pastor), he can also hold a grudge (nearly boycotting his mother's wedding because of his antagonism toward Carlsson). He is shy, though straightforward, and more honest than Carlsson. He is even capable of making peace, toasting Carlsson on his wedding day and asking the pastor for a tribute to Carlsson at his funeral. The novel is a saga of Gusten Flod's coming of age; by the end, he has become the responsible, respected, and independent master of Hemsö.
Erik Nordstöm, the pastor of the Hemsö community and environs, also a fisherman and farmer. The pastor is an enigma and can be seen as either the most colorful or the most contradictory character in the book. He is short, thick, and weatherbeaten in appearance and coarse, gruff, and blunt in personality. As the spiritual leader of the community, he gives Sunday sermons and officiates at weddings and funerals. Keeping his congregation standing in the hot sun for five hours and eighteen hymn verses is not unusual for him. He is also prone to consuming more alcohol than he can handle and twice loses consciousness at the Flod home because of overimbibing. He is irascible and is given to perpetuating gossip and holding grudges. He is conniving and vindictive; it is he who suggests that Gusten retaliate against Carlsson for gulling the widow into marriage. It is also he who, at the end of the novel, counsels Gusten to be forgiving and not judge Carlsson too harshly.