A Man Called Ove Character Analysis

The novel A Man Called Ove written by Fredrik Backman begins with a pretext of a grumpy old man who does not know a thing about computers and probably never will. As that is the preface of the novel, the true plot upholds a much deeper look at the life of Ove. Ove may be considered a grumpy old man at the beginning, but through many, one could call, unfortunate events, the reader is able to see his true compassion. Early in the novel, the reader learns that Ove’s beloved wife, Sonja passed away, and her absence has taken an emotional toll on Ove. Ove is faced with a new challenge as he is fighting to live without his wife, he feels the need to help once-a-upon friends that are struggling in their marriage as they deal with Alzheimer’s. With

This lesson, essentially, is the base of Ove’s entire life; he is a self-made man that is willing to put in the hard work. The first example of the we can do it mentality is expressed in how Ove handles Sonja’s passing. The depression and sadness felt by Ove, after she had died, leads him to a dark place. Ove attempts numerous suicides, each which failed, thankfully, each in efforts to be reunited with Sonja. Slowly, with time, Ove was able to focus his energy elsewhere, while still honoring Sonja’s life. Instead of being merely sad all the time, Ove rises to the occasion and helps an old friend. With help of the neighborhood team, Ove is drawn out of this inner gloom and shown the light of life ☺. Along with this, another example of the, we can do it lesson, is expressed, when Ove’s home is robbed and wrecked. When the young robbers enter Ove’s home, it ends with Ove going to the hospital. The tension builds in the novel, as the reader demands to know if Ove is alive. The author creates a scenario that alludes to fatal events, however with a quick turn around, Ove refuses to not fight for his life. With that, Ove begins to work his way back to “health”, which for him includes a minor setback: “ Ove has a heart problem” (Backman 328)☺. Ove comes back from this and regains this former strength and the reader is allowed a breather from all the “we can do this” lesson learning. In this example, Ove understands that he can live and he wants to live, thus he does. The lesson that we all truly are able to do it is shown in both Ove’s coping methods and his resilience to become healthy