United States or Puerto Rico ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
The more varied characters as the critic Johan Mortensen has pointed out like Hellgum, the mystic in "Jerusalem," are merely indicated and shadowy. How unlike Ibsen! Selma Lagerlöf takes her delight, not in developing the psychology of the unusual, but in analyzing the motives and emotions of the normal mind.
She was so horrified that her knees shook. "No, no!" she thought, "it can't be possible that any one in our family is a murderer." Then she recalled the story of her mother. "That accounts for it," she muttered, and hurried past Ingmar over to Hellgum. "Ingmar first!" cried Hellgum. "The murderer should not be helped before his victim," said Karin. "Ingmar first! Ingmar first!"
But now that Big Ingmar is gone, and the schoolmaster has lost his power over the people, while the pastor, as you know, was never any good at ruling, they run after Hellgum, and they're going to follow him just as long as you choose to remain in the background." Ingmar's hands dropped; he looked quite worn out. "But I don't know who is in the right," he protested.
A few minutes later Karin came along and found Ingmar sitting on the doorstep with a wound in his neck, and inside she discovered Hellgum, who by that time had got to his feet again and was now leaning against the wall, axe in hand and his face covered with blood. Karin had not seen the fleeing men; she supposed that Ingmar was the one who had attacked Hellgum and wounded him.
"I don't think that Hellgum and I can live in the same parish," he said, "but it's plain enough that I must make way for him." "No," cried Karin quickly, "if you will only let me care for you, so that your life may be spared to us, I promise you that I will see that Hellgum goes away.
As he walked away he heard a man say in angry tones: "We are three brothers who have come a long way to call you to account, John Hellgum, for what has befallen our younger brother. Two years ago he went over to America, where he joined your community. The other day we received a letter telling us that he had gone out of his mind, brooding over your teaching." Then Ingmar hurried away.
He was going over in his mind all that this man had robbed him of: Gertrude and Karin, his home and his business. Again he seemed to hear a cry. It occurred to him that possibly a quarrel had arisen between Hellgum and the strangers. "There would be no harm done if they were to beat the life out of him," he thought. Then he heard a loud shout for help.
"Another letter has come from our dear brother Hellgum," said Halvor. "This is why I have called the brothers and sisters together." "I gather that you must think this a very important document, Halvor," said Bullet Gunner, thoughtfully. "I do," replied Halvor. "Now we shall learn what Hellgum meant when he wrote in his last letter that a great trial of our faith was before us."
In a little while Hellgum asked her if she had looked within to get at the cause of this affliction. "Has Mother Karin ever asked herself why this affliction has been visited upon her?" Karin made no reply; again she seemed to retire within herself. "Something tells me that God has done this that His Name might be glorified," said Hellgum.
There was one thing, however, of which Ingmar was certain: if all this misery was to be forced upon him, Hellgum should not escape with his skin. He went down to Strong Ingmar's but in the hope of meeting the preacher. When he got to the door, he caught the sound of loud and angry voices. There seemed to be a number of visitors inside, so he turned back at once.
Word Of The Day