The Emigrants (Swedish novel)
Encyclopedia
The Emigrants is a novel by Vilhelm Moberg
from 1949. It is the first part of the The Emigrants suite
.
. Karl Oskar Nilsson and his wife, Kristina, own a farm in Ljuder Socken in Småland
. They have four children and work hard to make a living, but the poor harvests lead to famine, a catalyst for the beginnings of emigration to the United States in search of a better life. Karl Oskar and his brother Robert want to go, but Kristina doesn't want to leave her home country, knowing that she will never see the rest of their family again. But after the death of their oldest child, she accepts her husband's plans when she realizes that they are in just as much danger from their lives in Sweden as on the big sea and in a New World
.
They pack up all their belongings and book passage in a group with others from their parish. The characters illustrate some of the motives that prompted people to leave Sweden in the 19th century. The travelers include:
The second part of the book tells how they board the ship in Karlshamn
, and then how the life goes on during the ten weeks they spend on board - battling sea-sickness and scurvy
, before finally reaching New York City
in midsummer of 1850.
Vilhelm Moberg
Karl Artur Vilhelm Moberg was a Swedish author and historian, most commonly associated with his four novels known as The Emigrants Series.-Early life:...
from 1949. It is the first part of the The Emigrants suite
The Emigrants (novels)
The Emigrants is the collective name of a four novel suite by the Swedish author Vilhelm Moberg:*The Emigrants *Unto a Good Land *The Settlers *The Last Letter Home...
.
Plot
The story takes place in the 1840s up to 1850. The first part of the novel describes the hardships faced by rural families in SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Karl Oskar Nilsson and his wife, Kristina, own a farm in Ljuder Socken in Småland
Småland
' is a historical province in southern Sweden.Småland borders Blekinge, Scania or Skåne, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means Small Lands. . The latinized form Smolandia has been used in other languages...
. They have four children and work hard to make a living, but the poor harvests lead to famine, a catalyst for the beginnings of emigration to the United States in search of a better life. Karl Oskar and his brother Robert want to go, but Kristina doesn't want to leave her home country, knowing that she will never see the rest of their family again. But after the death of their oldest child, she accepts her husband's plans when she realizes that they are in just as much danger from their lives in Sweden as on the big sea and in a New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
.
They pack up all their belongings and book passage in a group with others from their parish. The characters illustrate some of the motives that prompted people to leave Sweden in the 19th century. The travelers include:
- Karl-Oskar, Kristina and their four children - seeking to escape poverty and famine and finding a place where their work pays off.
- Robert, Karl Oskar's adventurous brother - landless, as the second son of a farmer whose holding is too small to sub-divide. He seeks escape from the harsh conditions of hired farm help.
- Danjel Andreasson with family, Kristina's uncle, who had been banished from the country due to his religious "delusions". The state Lutheran church was very powerful, and dissent, even in the simple form of home Bible study, was not tolerated. They bring their farmhand Arvid, who is a friend of Robert.
- Jonas Petter Albrektsson, who seeks to escape from an unhappy marriage at a time when divorce was not possible.
- Ulrika of Västergöhl, a former prostitute, looking to leave her past behind and start afresh with her daughter Elin.
The second part of the book tells how they board the ship in Karlshamn
Karlshamn
Karlshamn is a locality and the seat of Karlshamn Municipality in Blekinge County, Sweden with 12,957 inhabitants of the city core and 30 918 in the municipality ....
, and then how the life goes on during the ten weeks they spend on board - battling sea-sickness and scurvy
Scurvy
Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans. The chemical name for vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is derived from the Latin name of scurvy, scorbutus, which also provides the adjective scorbutic...
, before finally reaching New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in midsummer of 1850.