The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has two main storylines and one “other”, arguably just as important story though; the first story is the disappearance of Harriet Vanger, and second the murder of multiple women by a serial killer, the lesser storyline has to do with the character Wennestrom.
The main characters of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo can be interpreted as representations of certain aspects of Swedish society, and act accordingly.
The Vanger family and corporation represent the decaying Swedish corporate aristocracy. Once important and powerful they are now in decline, though still having some power. Former CEO Henrik Vanger appears as a kindly, weathered old man, but, as the reader finds out, will always put his family/corporation first. The Wennestrom group makes it money using shell holdings, black market trade, and deceit. Milton security is painted as an upstanding, if economically inert, corporation. Both Wennestrom and Vanger are privately held companies, being won exclusively by the family of the founder, and as such are open to corruption. (Stenport and Alm 162).
As a character Harriet Vanger represents the escape from the gender biased and corporate controlled state, both literally and figuratively. Harriet escapes from Sweden
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to flee from her murderous and incestuous brother Martin, and as a result is untouched by the corruption rampant in the Vanger corporation/family. She is later found as the head of a prosperous, family-owned Australian Corporation. Lisbeth Salander is the independent, free-lance hacker that goes against gender norms and expectations.
Michael Blumkvist is, after quitting the magazine Millennium, a free-lance reporter/amateur detective that is hired to investigate Harriet. Both characters represent certain aspects of Swedish Society; Lisbeth represents the independent, non-conformer that is anti-mainstream and non-collectivist (Stenport and Alm 169), while Blumkvist is the truth-seeking, unapologetic crusader (Stenport and Alm 172). Both are opposed to big corporations and their control over the Swedish economy and state, but in the end both compromise their integrity by choosing to cover up the crimes of Martin Vanger (Larrson
495-500). In The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo the corporate crimes involving money eventually take precedence over the crimes against women. Blumkvist and Salander are heavily influenced by money in this decision. Blumkvist decided to not reveal the murders in favor of keeping his main source of funding for Millennium, the Vanger Corporation, from being scrutinized under the veil that he is concerned about the welfare of Henrik and Harriet (Stenport and Alm 173). Salander, though hesitant, also agrees to keep the murders secret as long as the Vanger Corporation donates money to foundations that help women, although being slightly more altruistic that Blumkvist she is still assuaged by money (Stenport and Alm 171). The actions of these two characters is representative of the independent, individualistic, and anti-establishment enterprises (such as media) and how, in Sweden, even they have a price.
After the women are able to harness their own silk they spin cocoons for their revolutionary uprising. The women then confront the agent and assail him announcing their revolt and newfound rights, “These wings of ours are invisible to you.” However the agent is unable to directly see the transformation as such he has yet to feel the full effect of the women’s revolt. In addition, the women will gain the freedom to escape from the mill through rebirth within the cocoons where they will grow wings and regain their autonomy as well as identity. What is more, after the women deprive the agent of influence over them they subject him to their revolutionary process by placing him in a cocoon, “The last thing I see before shutting his eyes is the reflection of my shining new face.” The rebirth of the women grants them new appearances and capabilities that will let them escape nowhere mill as well as enclosing their former oppressor and ending their entrapment. When advocacy for equality was becoming heavily supported mirror processes occurred, communities began to speak up for women's rights subduing views of oppressors which allowed women to become more independent and independent. The women’s assault on the agent resembles the actions of the advent of
Her involvement challenges stereotypes and ideas set in the responders' minds in relation to gender issues. She is equal to any male, completing her job successfully and outwitting anyone in her path. She is also the intellectual counterpart of Harry Lavender, the "evil villain" in the story. In light of the tongue-in-cheek atmosphere of the novel, through Claudia, Day captures the typically marginalised li... ... middle of paper ... ...
During the 1800’s, business leaders who built their affluence by stealing and bribing public officials to propose laws in their favor were known as “robber barons”. J.P. Morgan, a banker, financed the restructuring of railroads, insurance companies, and banks. In addition, Andrew Carnegie, the steel king, disliked monopolistic trusts. Nonetheless, ruthlessly destroying the businesses and lives of many people merely for personal profit; Carnegie attained a level of dominance and wealth never before seen in American history, but was only able to obtain this through acts that were dishonest and oftentimes, illicit.
Helga Crane can never fit completely into either of the societies she has chosen to associate herself with. As a bi-racial woman in the early 19th century she fits in neither with black people nor white. But there is a place where she can feel more at home and that place is Copenhagen. Her ideals, likes and dislikes align better with the society in Copenhagen than Harlem.
The character of Helga Crane from the novel Quicksand by Nella Larsen is a very complex character, struggling with racial identity, social class and sexism. Helga Crane is a twenty-three year old schoolteacher that comes from a mixed racial background. Her birth mother was a Danish woman, while her birth father was of West African descent. In the novel, she is depicted as a very exotic, beautiful and intelligent looking woman. Her racial dilemma however has left her lonely, alienated and psychologically uncertain to her belonging in the world. While growing up, due to her significant dark-skin and European features she was ostracized by both the Caucasian and African American community. In order to find herself a place in the world, and feel at home she traveled from the South, to cities such as Chicago, Harlem and even the European city of Copenhagen in Denmark. When it came to her travels, everywhere she would go she stated a strong opinion on her belonging. With that being said, I would like to focus this paper on three passages regarding her life at Naxos, in Harlem, and in Copenhagen.
...e relationship with men, as nothing but tools she can sharpen and destroy, lives through lust and an uncanny ability to blend into any social class makes her unique. Her character is proven as an unreliable narrator as she exaggerates parts of the story and tries to explain that she is in fact not guilty of being a mistress, but a person caught in a crossfire between two others.
All the characters are products of their own society, Veronese society. Status is everything, money buys anything. Woman must marry well and produce many offspring. Men believe strongly in defending their honor by any means available especially violence.
Vanger is not an isolated example; numerous times in this Swedish novel do misogynistic and sadist examples appear. Nor does the book portray an isolated culture of sadists in Sweden, as is evidenced by Lisbeth Salander who says that, “by the time she was 18…did not know a single girl who at some point had not been forced to perform some sort of sexual act against her will” (Larsson 228).
The novel is described as a feminist novel. Yet, this is not exactly acurate. The absence of men in the utopian society may seem extreme to some, and it is. This is how Gilman makes her point. She does not create a world without men because men are terrible creatures who have corrupted the world. The utopia which lacks men is a clean peaceful place, which surpasses in almost every way the competitive societies that we live in. But, it is neither the absence of men nor the presence of women that makes this to be the case. Gender, in this novel, is symbolic for the most part. Gilman does separate the two genders to destroy stereo types, but also to establish a concrete difference between the two worlds. The male world is not bad, and the female good is not good. The world in which people are defined by others and limited is bad, while the world in which people are free to grow without being defined or compared to others, and are able to see the unity of all people is good. Comparing Herland to the real world, Gilman begins destroying gender based stereotypes. Because there are no distinctions of gender in Herland, nor any superficial characteristics which accompany gender, Herland women take on the roles of all people without considering any limitations. These women are strong, agile, nurturing, intelligent, cooperative, and able to rely on themselves. They are not "typical" females. As Gilman explains through the male character Van, "Those 'feminine charms' we are so fond of are not feminine at all, but mere reflected masculinity developed to please us because they had to please us, and in no way essential to the real fulfillment of their great process" (p59). In the same way, stereotypes about men can be thrown up as well. Gilman shows the reader that if people stop basing their identities on what others want, they will no longer be slaves to limitations. They will be free to discover their true selves and will allow others to do the same. Gilman shows readers that men and women are distinct people, but reminds us that they are people first. This can be seen when one of women of Herland named Somel, questions the men by saying, "But surely there are characteristics enough which belong to People, aren't there?
This paper will have a detailed discussion on the shareholder theory of Milton Friedman and the stakeholder theory of Edward Freeman. Friedman argued that “neo-classical economic theory suggests that the purpose of the organisations is to make profits in their accountability to themselves and their shareholders and that only by doing so can business contribute to wealth for itself and society at large”. On the other hand, the theory of stakeholder suggests that the managers of an organisation do not only have the duty towards the firm’s shareholders; rather towards the individuals and constituencies who contribute to the company’s wealth, capacity and activities. These individuals or constituencies can be the shareholders, employees, customers, local community and the suppliers (Freeman 1984 pp. 409–421).
Symbolism and meaning is by far one of the most important aspects of the tattoo industry. “The abstract emotions and human awareness of emotions show what really is going on in ones life (Johnson)”. For that reason tattooing is a form of self-expression, and can stand for literal interpretations. For the most part these interpretations are the conveying of spiritual meaning, or marking milestones such as life or death” (Johnson). For those who think tattooing is just for looks or put a bad judgment on it, should also realize that ones personal interest reflects upon their lives. “Many individuals get their first tattoos during adolescence or young adulthood.”(Bravermark) Due to the mainstream culture, these traditions traditionally associate with stereotypes. Stereotypes defiantly have a huge impact on life. Which leads to the next point? Whether flaunted or hidden, sought as art or brought out on a whim, the tattoo has left a huge impact on generation after generation.
and do things themselves. One of the women gets her own job and the other leaves her daughter for adoption. Thus showing they are making their own decisions in life. This is unheard of in the 1800's and shows Ibsen trying to have a society in which women do have an identity in society and can be heard. Throughout the play, a women is shown doing her own thinking and not listening to what men have to say even though that is not how it used to be. Ibsen creates this new society in which anyone, no matter the gender, should be able to make their own decisions about life and how to live it.
It is known that corporations play a large part in making the world go around. Many times we read, hear or see stories on companies and why something was done a certain way. The film “The Corporation” has given a whole new insight to not only how businesses operate but what motivates them and their decisions that they make to keep their businesses thriving.
The novel explores gender roles through the characters of Mrs. Ramsay, Mr. Ramsay, and Lily. Each of these characters embodies different views in regards to gender roles. The readers are taken into their minds and thoughts and are allowed to see what each character views is the role of his/her gender.