The origins of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

From the country that gave the world Abba, Ericsson, Spotify, IKEA, H&M and yes, even WikiLeaks, the Millenium series by Swedish author Stieg Larsson is another offering that is difficult to ignore. With 65 million copies of the books sold worldwide and a Hollywood film coming to the Philippines in January, Lisbeth Salander’s character and the book’s background has piqued the curiosity of readers about the origins of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the first book in the suspense trilogy.   The series revolves around the anti-social Salander, a computer whiz with a photographic memory, and crusading journalist Mikael Blomkvist. In the first book, business tycoon Henrik Vanger hires Blomkvist to investigate the mysterious disappearance of his favorite niece Harriet. Without a body and only a glimmer of hope for success, Blomkvist relies on the remarkable skills of Salander to look for Harriet and uncover the gruesome truth about the dysfunctional Vanger family.   The trilogy – which also includes The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest – is imbued not only with a strong feminist characterization, but also the rich cultural tapestry and landscape of Sweden. Most of the characters are based on real people, the locales are actual places, and many of the institutions and companies in the book exist in Sweden up to this day. This is not surprising, since Larsson was a professional journalist until his demise in 2004, just before the publication and unexpected success of the Millennium series.   Land of the Midnight Sun   Think of summer cottages in the countryside and poles used for community dancing – these are images that conjure a laidback and a nature-loving existence that will give readers an idea of Lisbeth’s origins. She comes from the land of the midnight sun, at times a blazing red halo on a warm summer day, but otherwise a dramatic reddish horizon.   In the book, the central characters take long walks even in the dead of winter and enjoy their coffee at any time, notwithstanding caffeine overdose. If coffee breaks (or fika in Swedish) often surface in the novel, that’s because it is the national pastime, especially in the winter when the body needs to generate more heat. Many fabulous local cafés have been put up for fika breaks, but certainly not Starbucks, which may be found so far only at the Arlanda International Airport.   Sweden is also known for its long winter nights, the immaculate white snow an illuminating presence in stark contrast to the dark evenings. The white winter landscape may feel a bit eerie for the uninitiated, but for the nine million or so population of the country, the snow feels like a gentle touch of Mother Nature to the skin or a cleansing agent to the soul. Out here, the first drop of snow is something to look forward to, causing understandable euphoria. Small talk commonly revolves around “when will the snow arrive this year” topics, and bitter cold does not translate to bad weather. As the locals would say, “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.”   Crimes against women and youth   It is easy to regard the 20-something character of Lisbeth as a rebellious, anti-social, or unconventional girl. But where she comes from, the foundation of her strikingly strong character may not be that extraordinary at all.   There is more of Lisbeth in her home country, well perhaps not so much of the unfortunate events in her young life, but in the portrayal of willpower. There is nothing unusual in Lisbeth’s aspirations, a symbol of the strong persona and awareness of human rights among young people. Her kick-ass persona is based on the popular fictional figure of Pippi Longstocking, created by Astrid Lindgren, who has become a reference point for understanding and dealing with the precociousness of young children. In the case of Lisbeth, however, her character has become a gauge of the level of stoicism and audacity among young adults in Sweden today.   What makes the crimes committed against Harriet and Lisbeth quite gruesome is the fact that Sweden, as a general rule, provides its children (anyone below 18 as mandated by UN standards) with utmost protection and expansive services. Reported to be the first country to outlaw corporal punishment in 1979, Swedish law is clear about upholding the best interests of the child. This is manifested in all aspects of its social institutions – from schools, health centers, and other forms of children’s participation in community life. During Christmas, for instance, standard practice guarantees individual gifts to children from participating families while adults receive one gift per family.   Thus, there is a certain expectation that child abuse is vigilantly checked and prevented. Last month, Swedish citizen Patrick Johnsson was sent to jail for a rape case in the Philippines and several charges of child pornography after thousands of sexually explicit videos and pictures of children were found in his possession. His plan to return to the Philippines with a newly purchased plane ticket was foiled with his arrest and 5-year jail sentence. This is considered a landmark case against child assault, reinforcing the message that child protection in Sweden knows no geographic or transnational boundaries.   Faces of Feminism   Aside from Lisbeth, other female characters in the book exhibit strong-willed persona including Harriet and Cecilia Vanger, the nieces of Henrik Vanger, and Millennium editor-in-chief Erika Berger. The portrayal of gender-equal relationships imbues the detective fiction with a feminist perspective, something that predominantly patriarchal countries would consider as taboo or uncommon.   Yet, like anywhere else, threats to women do exist in the country. As the novel notes, “18% of women in Sweden have at one time been threatened by a man while 92% of women in Sweden who have been subjected to sexual assault have not reported the most recent violent incident to the police.” The figure represents a disquieting problem: that violence against women occurs everywhere, even in considerably more progressive countries.   Like Lisbeth, most women in Sweden would not want to be submissive and passive, what with all the gains on women empowerment that they already enjoy. Sweden has one of the longest paid parental leaves in the world, at 480 days. Its decriminalization policy on prostitution, where the state prosecutes the client instead of the sex worker, is a model being copied by many countries. Reproductive health services reach everyone, and individual choice weighs heaviest more than anything else, including the choice to have an abortion procedure that the State provides safely for free. In student centers, it’s not unusual to find a bowl of free condoms at the students´ disposal in universities all over Sweden. Same sex marriage is upheld by the State as much as heterosexual union. The definition of rape in Sweden is also quite comprehensive, and includes any kind of action that is against the will of the victim, such as not wearing a condom when it has been agreed upon by both parties in the first place.   Even as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo portrays Lisbeth’s attitude in the light of strong feminist tendencies, her assertiveness sans the recourse to violence may just as well constitute a typical Swedish girl’s disposition towards freedom of expression and rights-based orientation. For Lisbeth, it could be a rebellious streak or a case of growing up too much too soon, but on the whole, one might find a liberating journey courtesy of the protagonist, sustaining the attention of the reader following the trail of her engaging story.   The novel most certainly leaves a lasting impression, far beyond an impulse to visit the nearest H&M outlet in pursuit of a piece of dragon tattoo clothing for one’s collection. – YA, GMA News