# XII explained — Martin Birck’s Youth

> Chapter companion for Martin Birck’s Youth by Hjalmar Söderberg.

## What happens

As Martin grows older, he learns the art of forgetting and gaining knowledge. He forgets the Red Turk and Uncle Abraham, who committed suicide, but learns about the world through teachers and comrades, gradually losing his childhood innocence.

## Themes in this chapter

### Loss of Innocence

Martin's childhood innocence is fading as he learns about the world, including the Sixth Commandment and other adult matters.

### The Passage of Time and Mortality

The chapter reflects on the passage of time, as years add up and the new buries the old, and on mortality through Uncle Abraham's suicide.

## Character check-ins

### Martin Birck

Martin is growing up, learning to forget and gaining knowledge from teachers and comrades.

### The Red Turk

Martin has forgotten the Red Turk, who is no longer remembered.

### Uncle Abraham

Uncle Abraham, who committed suicide, is forgotten but appears in Martin's dreams as a dark riddle.

## Key lines

> So year was added to year, and the new buried the old, while Martin was slowly initiated into the twofold art of life, to learn and to forget.

As time passed, Martin learned two essential skills: gaining knowledge and letting go of the past.

_This introduces the central theme of learning and forgetting._

> And Uncle Abraham, who had given him to Martin and who had hanged himself with a stove-cord one rainy day, when he didn’t find it worth the trouble to live any more, was soon forgotten as well, though he now and again came up in Martin’s dreams as a dark and disturbing riddle.

Uncle Abraham, who gave Martin the Red Turk and later committed suicide, was also forgotten, but occasionally haunted Martin's dreams as a troubling mystery.

_This highlights the impact of Uncle Abraham's death on Martin._

## Links

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