The Story of Gösta Berling · Chapter
XI: The Plaster Saints explained
Count Henrik Dohna, seeking to regain God's grace and public respect after annulling his marriage, whitewashes Svartsjö church and destroys its painted ceiling and plaster saints, sinking them in Lake Löfven.
What happens
Count Henrik Dohna, seeking to regain God's grace and public respect after annulling his marriage, whitewashes Svartsjö church and destroys its painted ceiling and plaster saints, sinking them in Lake Löfven. However, during a service meant to honor him, the pensioners of Ekeby, disguised as the resurrected saints, carry him out of the church in disgrace. The congregation sides with the pensioners, and Count Dohna and his mother flee Borg shortly after.
Themes in this chapter
Guilt and Remorse
Count Dohna's attempt to whitewash the church is a public act of penance for his cruel treatment of his wife, yet his pride undermines his repentance.
Community and Belonging
The congregation and pensioners collectively reject Dohna's hypocrisy, affirming their own moral authority over the church.
Nature and the Supernatural
The plaster saints seemingly rise from the lake to reclaim their place, blending natural imagery with a supernatural sense of justice.
Characters to notice
- Henrik Dohna
Orders the destruction of the church's images and whitewashing to atone for his annulled marriage, but is publicly humiliated when the pensioners carry him out of the church.
- Countess Märta Dohna
Flees Borg with her son after the incident, trembling and veiled, unable to bear the shame.
- The Young Countess
Remembered by the congregation as the kind, beautiful wife who was cruelly tortured at Borg, justifying the pensioners' actions.
- Gösta Berling
Implied as one of the pensioners who carry Count Dohna out of the church, acting on behalf of the community's judgment.
Key passages
“They used no violence, nor did they waste much time in explanations. It was plain enough: 'We the Ekeby pensioners have our own opinion. Count Dohna is not worthy to be praised in God's house. Therefore we carry him out. Let him who will carry him in again.'”
The pensioners silently lifted Count Dohna from his seat and carried him outside, making it clear through their actions that they believed he did not deserve honor in the church.
This moment encapsulates the pensioners' role as enforcers of communal justice, acting without words but with decisive moral clarity.
“When man is silent, the stones must speak.”
When people fail to speak the truth, even inanimate objects will rise up to reveal it.
This proverb underscores the theme of supernatural or natural forces intervening when human justice fails.