The Wonderful Adventures of Nils · Chapter
The Old Peasant Woman explained
Nils, Morten Goosey-Gander, and Dunfin seek shelter for the night in a desolate farm in northern Småland.
What happens
Nils, Morten Goosey-Gander, and Dunfin seek shelter for the night in a desolate farm in northern Småland. They find refuge in a cowshed inhabited by a single cow and a few chickens. The cow tells them about the old peasant woman who owns the farm, whose children and grandchildren all left for a foreign land, leaving her alone and heartbroken. Nils reflects on his recent adventures, including the fire he accidentally caused at Osa and Mats's old home and the death of Fumle-Drumle. The chapter ends with the cow revealing that two strangers offered to buy and drain the swamp, giving the old woman hope that her children might return.
Themes in this chapter
Humanity and Compassion
The old peasant woman's selfless love for her children and grandchildren, and her willingness to let them go for a better life, highlights deep compassion and sacrifice.
Freedom vs. Confinement
The children's desire to escape poverty and confinement in Småland contrasts with the old woman's confinement to her lonely, decaying farm, bound by memories and longing.
Interconnectedness of Life
The cow Rödlinna's connection to the family's history and the old woman's hope that draining the swamp will bring her children home illustrates how land, labor, and family ties are intertwined.
Characters to notice
- Nils Holgersson
Nils is the leader of the group seeking shelter. He reflects guiltily on the fire he caused at Osa and Mats's home and mourns Fumle-Drumle's death.
- Morten Goosey-Gander
Morten is one of the tired travelers, having chosen Dunfin as his companion to search for Nils. He falls asleep immediately upon entering the cowshed.
- Dunfin
Dunfin accompanies Morten Goosey-Gander on the search for Nils and also falls asleep in the manger.
- Smirre Fox
Smirre Fox is mentioned as the threat that forces the travelers to seek a safe sleeping place; Nils fears he will attack them before morning.
- Akka
Akka is referenced as the leader who commanded the wild geese to search for Nils in pairs and arranged a meeting at Taberg.
Key passages
“Are you coming at last, mistress? said she. I thought that you didn't propose to give me any supper tonight.”
The cow expects her owner to feed her, showing she is hungry and neglected.
This line reveals the cow's routine and the old woman's absence, setting up the story of the farm's decline.
“Good times are coming for me too, if only my children grow up. Yes, if they only grow up.”
The old woman comforts herself with the hope that her children will eventually help her.
This repeated refrain underscores her enduring optimism despite her hardships.
“If there had been large, rich fields here, in place of these barren swamps, then there would have been no need for them to leave.”
The old woman blames the unproductive land for driving her children away.
This highlights the theme of poverty and emigration central to the chapter.