# Chapter XII explained — Growth of the Soil

> Chapter companion for Growth of the Soil by Knut Hamsun.

## What happens

Isak and his sons work on building a sawmill, while Inger, changed after her prison term, becomes preoccupied with dressmaking and social status, leading to tensions in the household.

## Themes in this chapter

### Family and Generational Change

Isak consults his sons on farm decisions, highlighting the shift in family roles and the boys' growing maturity.

### Progress and Modernity

Inger's focus on the sewing machine and fashionable cloak reflects the encroachment of modern urban values into rural life.

## Character check-ins

### Isak

Works on the sawmill with his sons, feels tired, and struggles with Inger's changed attitude.

### Inger

Shows less care for the household, focuses on dressmaking and her cloak, and desires a servant.

### Eleseus

Helps with the sawmill, skilled with a plumb-line, and goes to school.

### Sivert

Helps with the sawmill, has a knack for hammering nails, and goes to school.

### Oline

Mentioned as possibly spreading gossip about Inger.

## Key lines

> If only Inger had been as in the old days! But Inger was not so strong as she had been, it seemed, and that was natural enough after her long spell within walls.

Isak wishes Inger were still her former self, but her strength and spirit have diminished after her imprisonment.

_Reflects Inger's changed character post-prison._

> And a fool I was to do it. We might have had her mouth sewed up too, and then I needn't have throttled her.

Inger regrets killing her child, suggesting a callous alternative rather than expressing remorse.

_Shows Inger's hardened attitude toward her past crime._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/growth_of_the_soil_se/chapters/xii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/growth_of_the_soil_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/growth_of_the_soil_se/chapters