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Jerusalem
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Interpreting Messages from Heaven,
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This review is from: Jerusalem (Paperback)
This novel is an exploration of that universal dilemma, the angst shared across countries, across generations, gender and race, which is the conflict between satisfaction with life as it is and the desire for something more, and of the tonic provided by religion to soothe and ease the dilemma. Lagerlof shows both the benefits and the limits of religion in her portrayal of the hopes and trials of rural town in turn of the century Sweden. The people of the town struggle to live by the word of the Lord as preached down by their uninspired pastor and the local lofty school teacher. Bound tightly in traditions, restricted by the rules and eyes of small town life where everyone knows everyone's business, the life choices of each villager, whether rich or poor, are only as good as the neighbors judge them to be, and the only protection against harsh judgment is to do everything in terms of "As God wills." The ruling family of the village always fall back on the phrase, "[a]ll we Ingmars need do is walk in the ways of God " to justify their actions but what guidance does such a phrase really provide?Lagerlof's novel shows the villagers pursuing their needs and desires, using religion as a screen and an excuse for following whatever path is chosen, good or bad. Yet the judgment of the Lord will show itself in how a farm prospers, or in the violence of a thunder storm, or in the nature of a season, warm and mild or harsh and freezing, and the people then quake in fear of their own evilness. These are not people who do what they want under a label of "religious": they are angst and guilt ridden, unhappy most of the time, and always questioning themselves and their neighbors. The villagers appeal to notions of fate and chance to help them decide on what to do and how to do it, and call on Providence to do what it is supposed to do best, provide. But who will decipher the messages from Providence, who will interpret the wishes of the Lord? A lay preacher comes to town and instigates a movement towards leaving Sweden, convincing many of the villagers to set out for Jerusalem and leave the past behind. We understand the reasons why such a plan appeals but we also foresee failure. The internal misery these people carry around cannot just be left at the border. Lagerlof illustrates beautifully the problem inherent in religion, which is that all messages from heaven are interpreted here on earth by man, and according to man's own needs, desire, and fears. Will the lay preacher's religion be enough to save these villagers from Sweden and bring them some peace? The novel ends with children crying and whimpering, "We don't want to go to Jerusalem; we want to go home." Lagerlof was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, awarded to her in 1909. She is most famous for her children's book "The Wonderful Adventures of Nils" in which a rotten little boy is reformed through traveling with wild geese to spots of natural and wild beauty throughout Sweden. Her writings are known for their mix of realistic portrayals of life in rural Sweden and the fantasy necessary to escape the often harsh realities of such a life. Whether the fantasy is having a spiritual vision (at one point in Jerusalem, two men are on a bridge and the heavens open up to offer them a view of Paradise) or the imaginings of adventures in nature such as Nils has, relief is provided from the daily grind. Lagerlof is wonderful at illustrating the incredible beauty of rural Sweden in all seasons, leading me to think it was not escape from the physical landscape the people in her novels needed, but escape from the suffocating rules of small town life. Religion was one escape provided, but not necessarily the best escape: I think I'd prefer the wild adventures of Nils to the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. For more reviews, go to www.readallday.org
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