Summary
Mother Stina goes to the Ingmar Farm auction alone, delighting in her village's natural beauty but troubled by the auction. Ingmar hopes to buy the farm, but the wealthy logging company outbids him. He fears that if his sister Karin sells the farm to the company, he will lose the rights to his sawmill and, without a source of income, be unable to marry Gertrude. Mother Stina hopes Karin will instead sell the farm to Sven Persson, one of Big Ingmar's former workers who will likely allow Ingmar to keep the sawmill.
A crowd gathers at the farm to witness the auction, laughing at the Ingmarssons' sleighs and tools from "the ancient times." Through the heirlooms presented at the auction, Mother Stina imagines the Ingmarssons' long family history and connection to their home. She overhears Strong Ingmar and Sven Persson discussing Young Ingmar's rejection of Persson's lumber sale, saying cryptically that "he has already made a deal elsewhere."
Karin invites Mother Stina inside, where villagers, including the parson, attempt to outbid the company to prevent corporations from ruining the farm. However, they are outbid every time. A peasant man purchases a silver jug and gives it to Ingmar as "a souvenir of all that by right should have been [his]" and encourages him to "take over the farm" as a "service" to the parish and the many elderly servants who called Ingmar Farm home for their entire lives. Halvor and Karin decide to sell the farm to Judge Persson, who gives the farm to his youngest daughter as a wedding present. She marries Ingmar, who forsakes Gertrude to save his farm.
After Ingmar's betrayal, Gertrude feels intense, unrelenting fear that she will see him in the village; she suspects she will "become quite insane" trying to avoid him. One night, she dreams she encounters the witch Finne-Mrit, who encourages Gertrude to revenge herself on Ingmar, and Humming Pete, an arsonist-for-hire, whom she asks to burn down Ingmar Farm.
Upon waking, she is overcome with guilt and follows the path of her dreams, considering taking revenge on Ingmar in the real world. She walks to Blackwater Brook, a fabled, magical stream said to allow people passing over to see visions of things happening elsewhere. As she crosses, she sees a mysterious man walking toward her, with " a slender and very beautiful face" and "clear and radiant eyes" that contain "a wonderful light." Immediately, she feels her grief and need for vengeance evaporate, and proclaims that she has "seen the Christ" and decides to join the Hellgumists in Jerusalem.
On Ingmar's wedding day, Gertrude attempts to see him but is rejected thrice by the household staff and Ingmar's wife. Finally, Ingmar meets with Gertude, and they walk into the woods together. Ingmar is bereft because he is unsatisfied with his bargain and, by betraying Gertrude, did not keep his word for the first time in his life. Gertrude explains her plan to sneak away and join the Hellgumists in Jerusalem and asks Ingmar to care for her elderly parents. Gertrude gives Ingmar a parcel containing his inheritance money, which she found hidden in a pillow purchased from Ingmar Farm. Ingmar, still in love with Gertrude, is grief-stricken that he could have purchased the farm and married Gertrude if she had not waited until his wedding day to give him the money.
An elderly woman, the widow of the Dean, lives alone with her servant and is frequently visited by members of the community. She harbors many paranoias and refuses to leave her house. However, one day, she unexpectedly takes a ride to Ingmar Farm, where many Hellgumists gather. She warns them not to go to Jerusalem, as it is a "wicked city" where people "crucified Christ." Similarly, the entire village attempts to dissuade the Hellgumists from heading to Jerusalem, yet they are firm in their mission to transform "God's country" into "a paradise." However, at the widow's pronouncement, Karin begins to doubt her mission for the first time.
The Jerusalem-bound Hellgumists depart from Ingmar Farm and reach the town bridge. There, they begin to feel a kinship with their village and community. They recognize the shared spaces, history, and the natural beauty surrounding them as "all theirs," yet they will "never see it again." They sob and sing a hymn called "We Shall Meet Again," dedicated to their homeland. They pass friends and family gathered to witness their departure. The brother of one of the Hellgumists announces that he repurchased the family farm so that his family may return to their home country. Gunhuild attempts to say goodbye to her parents but finds their home deserted. She leaves the house horrorstruck, believing that in going to "the Holy Land," she is "killing [her] own mother."
Hök Matts Ericsson, meanwhile, labors the entire day clearing stones from his property, even during a thunderstorm and as his son passes by. Behind the Hellgumists drives a mysterious woman with her face covered by a black shawl. They all try to guess her identity, suspecting she is a loved one. The Hellgumists reach the train station, a dreary, deserted place. Fearful and upset, all the children attempt to walk home. They are brought back to the train station, crying, "We don't want to go to Jerusalem; we want to go home."
Analysis
One of the text's most poignant ironies comes when the Hellgumists sell their farms to fund their trip to Jerusalem. They believe their work will turn Jerusalem into a "paradise," eradicating the poverty and violence in that region. However, by selling their properties to the highest bidders and distancing themselves from their community, they make their village vulnerable to poverty and exploitation by large businesses. Similarly, the community improves without the Hellgumists' intervention. For example, as the group leaves the village, they pass Mucklemire, a place where "dirty, ragged youngers" and "scum of the earth" reside. However, as they pass, the Hellgumists realize that the residents are inexplicably clean, sober, and orderly. This example demonstrates that a community can improve and progress without the aid of missionaries or religion. This irony calls into question the Hellgumists' motivations and the consequences of "Religious Devotion." The Hellgumists, broadly, desire intense spiritual experiences, community, and certainty during a period of rapid social change. John Hellgum himself seeks to validate his experiences and feelings by exerting control over his followers and maintaining a mystical persona. Thus, through these ironies, the text explores how religiosity can be a coping mechanism and comfort for lost, distressed people; however, this coping mechanism can also have major unintended real-world consequences.
Ingmar's choice to accept Sven Persson's "deal" embodies the themes of legacy and connection to land and community. Though Ingmar veered from his family's expectations throughout his life by starting his own business and living off the farm, he prioritizes his legacy at the expense of his personal happiness. After forsaking Gertrude and purchasing Ingmar Farm, he assumes the role of "Big Ingmar" in the eyes of the community. However, his decision is paradoxical. In order to retain ownership of the farm, Ingmar must break his promise for the first time in his life. As the Ingmarssons are known to "walk in the ways of God," integrity and follow-through are essential qualities for the Ingmar heir. However, ownership of the ancestral lands supersedes living out these virtues. Similarly, Hök
Matts Ericsson abandons his religion and his son to maintain ownership of his farm. In short, according to the narrative, connection to land and community are more powerful forces than religious devotion.
The text incorporates the motif of biblical allusions through direct references to Bible stories and characters and through the structure of scenes. For example, when Gertrude attempts to return Ingmar's inheritance, she is denied access to him three times. This recalls the scene in the New Testament where the apostle Peter denies Jesus three times over the course of a night, immediately prior to Christ's death. The Ingmarssons are considered moral, self-sacrificial leaders, occupying a Christ-like persona within the context of the text. Paralleling the Christian tradition, where Jesus is said to have willingly sacrificed his life to save his community, Ingmar sacrifices his personal happiness to save Inmgar Farm and the community. He silently accepts his fate during the auction, similar to the Passion of Jesus, who silently accepts his conviction and execution. Gertrude's gift inflicts intense emotional damage on Ingmar, his "passion" or "crucifixion." However, he vows that he will see Gertrude again, just as in the Biblical narrative, Jesus vows to see his disciples after his resurrection.
Gertrude's "revenge" parallels "Book One: The Ingmarssons." In the opening book, Big Ingmar and his wife, Brita, retreat to the woods to discuss the dissolution of their relationship. Though Big Ingmar resolves to abandon Brita, his feelings change when she reveals that her time in prison helped her foster love and affection for him. This confession, though intended as a comfort, causes Big Ingmar great emotional pain, as the strife in their relationship could have been avoided if Brita had developed or confessed her feelings earlier. Similarly, Ingmar and Gertrude retreat into the woods, where Gertrude presents Ingmar with the "gift" of his lost inheritance. Though Gertrude claims she wanted to make Ingmar "happy," Ingmar collapses with grief, as knowing he could have married Gertrude if she revealed the inheritance sooner is too great a regret to bear. Like his father, Ingmar was pleased with his decision until his love interest revealed her "gift."
Gertrude's gift is also highly ironic. After Ingmar's betrayal, Gertrude spends weeks fantasizing and dreaming about exacting her revenge, whether by physically injuring Ingmar or burning down his farm. However, after Gertrude converts to Hellgum's religion, she unintentionally exacts the most damaging "revenge" by solving Ingmar's problems only after it is too late for them to be together. Thus, Gertrude gets her "revenge" only when she forgives Ingmar and no longer desires revenge.
The novel concludes before the pilgrims reach Jerusalem, allowing the reader to speculate as to whether the Hellgumists follow through with their mission. Though the Hellgumists identify Jerusalem as their spiritual home, they are forced to confront their deep connection to the land and community as they leave. Surveying the natural world with fresh eyes, they "felt sad at having to leave their dear old bridge, for they knew it was something which belonged to all of them." Though the Hellgumists willingly separated from their community, refusing to associate with nonbelievers, they identify with their village, like the parish, bridge, and schoolhouse, claiming ownership and kinship with the public spaces as they leave. Similarly, the villagers gather to say goodbye to the Hellgumists, tearfully demonstrating their support despite their theological differences. Thus, the narrative affirms yet again how a deep-rooted connection to an ancestral home is more powerful than religious devotion.
