Jenny · Chapter
VI explained
Gert Gram confesses to Jenny the story of his marriage to Mrs.
What happens
Gert Gram confesses to Jenny the story of his marriage to Mrs. Gram, detailing how he seduced her, was forced to marry her when she became pregnant, and has since endured her jealousy and possessiveness, which has destroyed his artistic ambitions. He expresses his admiration for Jenny's courage and vitality. Their conversation is interrupted when Gert spots his wife, Rebecca, in the street below. Jenny insists on accompanying him home to avoid suspicion. At the Gram household, Mrs. Gram is cold and hostile towards Jenny. When Helge returns, he and Jenny argue about her arriving with his father, and she leaves in frustration.
Themes in this chapter
Artistic Identity and Work
Gert Gram discusses his failed artistic career, his inability to find his own style, and the sacrifice of his dreams for his marriage.
Jealousy and Possessiveness
Gert describes his wife's jealousy as a 'kind of madness', which has tormented him for twenty-seven years and controls their family life.
Sacrifice and Consequences
Gert reflects on how he had to give up his artistic dreams and endure an unhappy marriage as a consequence of his past actions.
Characters to notice
- Gert Gram
Confesses his unhappy marriage and lost artistic dreams to Jenny, revealing his past and his wife's jealousy.
- Jenny Winge
Listens to Gert's confession, feels compassion for him, and becomes entangled in the Gram family's tensions.
- Mrs. Gram
Her jealousy and possessiveness are described by Gert, and she displays hostility towards Jenny.
- Helge Gram
Returns home and argues with Jenny about her coming home with his father.
Key passages
“I thought that her great passion would give me, who was comparatively cold, a hold on her.”
Gert believed that his wife's intense love for him would give him power in their relationship, since he was less emotionally invested.
Gert's reflection on his initial miscalculation in his marriage.
“But we reap as we sow, and I had to marry her.”
Gert acknowledges that he had to face the consequences of his actions by marrying the woman he had seduced.
Gert's fatalistic view of his marriage as a direct result of his past behavior.
“Her jealousy has grown into a kind of madness as the years have gone by.”
Gert explains that his wife's jealousy has intensified over time to the point of irrationality.
Gert's description of the progression of his wife's possessiveness.