Henrik's Motive
"My motive is the simplest thing
imaginable: revenge."
"What do you want to revenge?"
- Chapter 4, page 86
Summary of Henrik's motive, as told by the book:
- Wants to slander the rest of the family who hasn't done anything good
"There are many reasons why the Vanger Corporation is on the ropes today, but one of the key ones is the short-termism and greed of my relatives." (page 87) - Wants to find out who murdered Harriet because Harriet was like a daughter to him
"Harriet was the apple of my eye. ... I looked on her as my own daughter". (page 91)
Interpretation of how Henrik's motive came to be:
Why he might want to find out what happened to Harriet, a.k.a, why is he so obsessed?
*Spoiler:*
Key Points:
First let us define the word "obsession." The psychology definition is "an invasive recurring thought," meaning that this person will have the thought over and over again whether they want to have it or not. Henrik has an obsession with finding Harriet's murderer. This is important to him because Harriet was one of the only people that Henrik cared about.
Let's look into it a little deeper. At the end of chapter nine we find out the history of Henrik's wife, Edith. He was supposed to protect her, and while he did that he also ended up married her. He says that he isn't able to have children (page 183), which suggests that he feels guilt from being unable to continue the bloodline with Edith. This guilt he feels from being unable to have a child makes the guilt from losing Harriet even greater, as she was like a daughter to him. He is finally able to have a daughter, and then she is cruelly ripped away from him. There's no wonder why he wants to find her murderer.
Why he might want to find out what happened to Harriet, a.k.a, why is he so obsessed?
*Spoiler:*
Key Points:
- Obsession: an invasive recurring thought
- Harriet was like a daughter
- Married Jewish woman while they were fleeing
- Makes the guilt of losing Harriet greater
First let us define the word "obsession." The psychology definition is "an invasive recurring thought," meaning that this person will have the thought over and over again whether they want to have it or not. Henrik has an obsession with finding Harriet's murderer. This is important to him because Harriet was one of the only people that Henrik cared about.
Let's look into it a little deeper. At the end of chapter nine we find out the history of Henrik's wife, Edith. He was supposed to protect her, and while he did that he also ended up married her. He says that he isn't able to have children (page 183), which suggests that he feels guilt from being unable to continue the bloodline with Edith. This guilt he feels from being unable to have a child makes the guilt from losing Harriet even greater, as she was like a daughter to him. He is finally able to have a daughter, and then she is cruelly ripped away from him. There's no wonder why he wants to find her murderer.