Pelle the Conqueror · Chapter
XXXIV explained
Pelle is hailed as a hero after a victory against the employers, but the lockout continues and he feels the weight of responsibility.
What happens
Pelle is hailed as a hero after a victory against the employers, but the lockout continues and he feels the weight of responsibility. He discovers that Ellen has been selling herself for money, which devastates him. After a confrontation, she leaves him. Pelle wanders the poor districts, encounters a widow who blames him for her husband's suicide, and gives her his last money. At a meeting, a newspaper advertisement reveals that working women are being driven to prostitution, and Pelle, now determined, proposes a radical strike targeting essential services like scavengers and street-cleaners to force a resolution.
Themes in this chapter
Labor Movement and Solidarity
Pelle leads the workers to victory and proposes a radical strike targeting essential services, emphasizing collective action and sacrifice.
Poverty and Survival
The chapter depicts the dire conditions of the poor during the lockout, including hunger, homelessness, and the desperation that drives women to prostitution.
Injustice and Resistance
Pelle confronts the systemic exploitation of workers and their families, and his plan to strike at essential services is an act of resistance against capitalist oppression.
Fatherhood and Family
Pelle's family life collapses when he discovers Ellen's actions, and he later gives away his last money, reflecting the personal cost of the struggle.
Characters to notice
- Pelle the Conqueror
Hero of the day after the victory, but burdened by the lockout; discovers Ellen's betrayal, confronts her, and later proposes a radical strike plan.
- Ellen
Sells her wedding dress and lies about winning the lottery; Pelle discovers the truth and she leaves him.
- Father Lasse
Mentioned as Young Lasse, Pelle's son, who is present during the confrontation with Ellen.
- Lars Hansen
President of the Scavengers' Union; Pelle recruits him to suspend work in the strike.
Key passages
“That was a glorious stroke! The employers abandoned all further idea of running the works without the Federation.”
The employers gave up trying to operate without the workers' union, marking a major victory.
Highlights the success of the workers' collective action.
“You are lying! Will you tell me the truth? Out with it!”
Pelle angrily demands the truth from Ellen after suspecting her deception.
Shows the emotional climax of Pelle's personal crisis.
“Let us strike them where they have struck us from the beginning! In the belly!”
Pelle proposes targeting the employers' essential needs, like sanitation and utilities, to force a resolution.
Illustrates Pelle's strategic shift to aggressive tactics.