# XIII explained — Pelle the Conqueror

> Chapter companion for Pelle the Conqueror by Martin Andersen Nexø.

## What happens

Pelle returns with the cattle and finds his father Lasse gone to fetch spirits. The men are engaged in a wager and Erik boasts of his strength. Pelle observes the tension between the workers and the bailiff, and later witnesses a violent wrestling match between Gustav and Anders, while Lasse warns Pelle to stay out of trouble.

## Themes in this chapter

### Social Class and Inequality

Lasse's advice to Pelle about accepting one's place as a servant contrasts with the men's defiance of the bailiff.

### Community and Belonging

The men's shared wager, wrestling, and evening gatherings illustrate the bonds and tensions within the worker community.

## Character check-ins

### Pelle the Conqueror

Returns with cattle, eats supper with the men, and secretly watches the wrestling match.

### Father Lasse

Gone to fetch spirits; later advises Pelle to avoid conflict and stay out of trouble.

### Erik Erikson

Boasts of his strength, eats twenty herrings, and defies the bailiff's orders.

### Gustav

Flirts with Bodil, taunts the pupil, and engages in a violent wrestling match with Anders.

### Bodil

Flirts with Gustav and the pupil, watches the wrestling match with pride.

### Anders

Wrestles with Gustav, putting his arm around Bodil's waist.

## Key lines

> I suppose a good conscience is the best support. If you have it and have done your duty, you can look both the bailiff and the farmer—and God the Father, too—in the face.

Lasse tells Pelle that a clear conscience and doing one's duty allow a person to face authority and God without fear.

_Lasse's conservative worldview emphasizes submission to social hierarchy._

> Erik undertook to eat twenty salt herrings with potatoes after he had finished his meal. The stakes were a bottle of spirits, and the others were to peel the potatoes for him.

Erik bets he can eat twenty herrings and potatoes after already being full, with a bottle of spirits as the prize.

_Shows the men's rough, competitive culture and their use of physical feats for entertainment._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/pelle_the_conqueror_se/chapters/xiii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/pelle_the_conqueror_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/pelle_the_conqueror_se/chapters