Character

The main character in the novel is Trond Sanders. He is a 65 year old man, who lives in a remote place that reminds him of his past. Each summer he would go to a cabin in Norway and stay there all summer with his dad. A lot of Trond's memories described so far in the book, involve him and his friend, Jon, who lived near the cabin. Trond is a very heavy thinker and likes to break down his memories into little actions. He enjoys analyzing the situations, and he is very good at recalling every detail. As Trond says on page 37, "I wondered if he was talking aloud to himself, as I often did when I was alone, describing what I had just done and pondering for and against and ending by saying I hadn't had any choice". Overall he is a very simple man who likes to be alone, because it gives him the opportunity to think and live without stress. His simple personality also is the main reason why he is a follower and not a leader. When he was younger, Jon was always the leader and Trond always was a foot behind. Like Nels had mentioned on an earlier post, I also wonder if Trond's character has made any changes from when he was a boy.