Characters - Out Stealing Horses

Out Stealing Horses seems to be an extremely interesting book so far with many complex characters. The book starts with the protagonist, a man in his mid-sixties named Trond Sander. He lives by himself along with his dog Lyra in a small cabin in Norway. From the first chapter, I think Trond is an independent individual who likes to be alone. He has one neighbor, a unique man named Lars Haug who has gone through many interesting experiences throughout his lifetime. Trond meets Lars for the first time when he is awoken late at night by a dog whistle. He decides to go on a walk and encounters Lars outside searching for his dog poker. He starts talking to Lars and uncovers something that deeply affected Lars when he was younger. Lars shot a dog when he was eightteen years old and seems to be deeply affected by the event. He told Trond the story because he was talking about shooting poker and wasn't sure if he could allow himself to shoot a living animal again. On the bottom of page twelve Lars says, "I was just eighteen," he said. "It's long ago, but I shall never forget it." This quote proves that the day he shot the dog will always be in his memory and never be forgotten. The next chapter in the book moves on to Trond remembering adventures he went on wiht his childhhood friend, Jon. Jon always had adventures planned out for the boys to go on. They were not always legal, but Trond seemed to do anything his friend asked him to. He seemed seriosuly influenced by Jon. Based on the flashbacks, Trond didn't seem to think for himself. He seemed to allow others to tell him how to act and what to do.