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Oscar Humlum In Borderliners

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In his novel Borderliners, Peter Hoeg uses a deceased character, Oscar Humlum, to mentor Peter and steer him in the right direction. Bonded by their broken family situations and common understanding of each other, Peter and Oscar become fast friends at Crusty House. Humlum stands up for Peter when he is confronted by bullies and pedophiles, and serves as Peter’s ‘savior’ on numerous occasions. Although he commits suicide in front of Peter by swinging into an oncoming train, Humlum’s persona is resurrected and he continues to save Peter as he did while they lived in Crusty House. When he reemerges to Peter, Humlum mirrors Jesus with his sacrifices and divine interventions to guide Peter. Hoeg characterizes Oscar Humlum as a Christ-like guardian angel that appears to Peter in times of need and provides him with the wisdom and strength to persevere. Hoeg portrays Humlum as Christ with overwhelming references to light and awareness, where Humlum acquires a divine aurora. He describes Humlum as a “passive resistance against the dark” (171) and credits him with causing light to grow and emanate from the trees and school upon his appearance. Interpreted symbolically, Humlum can be viewed as Christ from his ability to divinely shed awareness and hope in the same way …show more content…

Just as Jesus sacrificed himself so that others could live without sin, Humlum swings into the train to free Peter of any emotional baggage he had for transferring to a different school. Similarly, Humlum takes the cold shower so that Peter could “stay in the warm shower and not be made a move on” (172). Humlum’s sacrifices for Peter gives Peter the strength to in turn devote energy to helping August. It is Humlum, the parallel of the guardian Jesus, who instills protective instincts in Peter; Peter subsequently shelters August, Katarina, the mother, and the

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