Lisbeth Chapter Summary And Analysis

Another heavily emphasized theme in the book is justice; each criminal will get his “just desserts” for his actions (as all the violent criminals in the book are men). In reality, though, there is not always justice. The criminals don’t always pay, and the victims rarely ever feel retribution.
In the book this is emphasized in few ways. In the chapter where Lisbeth rapes and tattoos Bjurman there is a deep sense of satisfaction that Bjurman has gotten when he deserved. He is violated and victimized in the same way that he violated and victimized Lisbeth. Later in the book, Lisbeth steals a large sum of money from Wennestrom, and again there is a sense of satisfaction that finally Lisbeth is being rewarded witht eh independence that money

This can be seen in the above scenes in how justice is attained. Culturally speaking, Sweden does not down from a heavy Christian background. In fact the prevalence of Nordic Mythology in Swedish writing can be seen in many Swedish writers, Larrson included (Henderson 1049). Christanity was not adopted in Sweden until the latter part of the twelfth century, almost 700 years after the spread of Christianity in the Holy-Roman Empire. As a result culture in Sweden is more heavily influenced by the Viking and Nordic Mythology/culture, and still is today (Henderson 1049). In Norse Mythology there is a certain level of verisimilitude that is not present in Christianity. Norse myths anthropomorphize certain traits of humanity, much like the greek pantheon did, and are tales about the gods being human and human making mistakes. Myths in Christianity are parables (depending on your interpretation) and stories about how humans should lead their lives, and as such they are less true to life and more idyllic. In the bible the bad guys always serve justice, and wrongs are righted with retribution (especially in the Old Testament). Norse Myths are less focused on retribution and more on restoration, and the justice system reflects this (Henderson