Pan: Analysis of Major Characters
"Pan: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the complex relationships and emotional turmoil faced by the central characters in the narrative set in 19th-century Norway and later in India. The story is primarily narrated by Lieutenant Thomas Glahn, a solitary figure who struggles with his profound feelings for Edvarda Mack, a beautiful and headstrong young woman. Glahn's self-destructive tendencies are highlighted through his impulsive actions and his turbulent romantic entanglements, including his involvement with the innocent Eva, who tragically dies due to circumstances tied to him.
Edvarda, caught between her affections and societal expectations, adds depth to the emotional landscape of the story, while her father, Herr Mack, embodies the domineering presence of authority and envy. The narrative also introduces rivals for Edvarda's affection, including a doctor and a Finnish baron, each showcasing different facets of competition and desire. The character of Aesop, Glahn's dog, symbolizes loyalty amidst the chaos of human relationships, reinforcing themes of companionship and loss. Through these characters, the text explores themes of love, jealousy, and the consequences of one's actions within a richly depicted cultural backdrop.
Pan: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Knut Hamsun
First published: 1894 (English translation, 1920)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Sirilund, Norway, and an adjacent forest
Plot: Psychological
Time: 1855–1861
Lieutenant Thomas Glahn, the principal narrator. Thirty years old at the time he recounts events that occurred two years earlier, in 1855, he takes up solitary residence in a hut in rural northern Norway, on the outskirts of the coastal town of Sirilund. Awkward in society yet extraordinarily attractive to women and men, he shoots himself in the leg in frustration over his relationship to Edvarda. He is disingenuous in claiming that he writes his account merely to pass the time and that he is indifferent toward Edvarda. After the death of Eva, he moves to India, where he dies of a gunshot wound.
Edvarda Mack, the tall, flirtatious, and headstrong only child of the town's wealthiest man. She is fifteen or sixteen years old at the time that Glahn, who is struck by the curve of her eyebrows and her long, delicate fingers, moves to Nordland. Her ambivalence over the handsome stranger, Glahn, exacerbates Glahn's anxieties.
Herr Mack, a successful and imperious trader. A widower who conducts clandestine trysts with Eva, he is envious of Glahn's success in luring her away from him and resentful of his daughter Edvarda's attentions to the outsider.
The doctor, an urbane physician. He is one of Glahn's rivals for the affections of Edvarda. He discovers and treats Glahn's self-inflicted leg wound.
Eva, the pretty, ingenuous young wife of a blacksmith. She falls in love with the handsome stranger Glahn and gives herself to him, though he is in love with Edvarda. She is killed in an avalanche inadvertently set off by Glahn.
The second narrator, Glahn's hunting partner in India and his alter ego. He recounts the events after Glahn leaves Norway. Envious of the attention that Glahn receives, particularly from Maggie, he is goaded by Glahn into shooting him to death.
Maggie, a pretty Tamil woman who, Glahn remarks, is always chewing. When she transfers her affections from the second narrator to Glahn, the latter becomes enraged.
The Baron, a Finnish scientist whom Herr Mack brings to stay with them. A sociable and rational man, he is Glahn's most serious rival for Edvarda's love. Glahn spits in his ear at the Baron's farewell party and fires a parting salute that results in Eva's death.
Aesop, Glahn's faithful dog, his solitary companion in the Norwegian woods. As a parting gift to Edvarda, Glahn shoots Aesop and sends her his dead body.
Cora, Glahn's canine companion in India, the successor to Aesop.