THE FATHER

By: Bjornstjerne Bjornson

Buletic Hermias

Bjornstjerne Bjornson

Born
Died
Occupation
Nationality
Notable award(s)

8 December 1832
Kvikne,Norway
26 April 1910(aged77)
Paris,France
Poet,novelist,
playwright,lyricist
Norwegian
Nobel Prize in Literat
ure
1903

Bjornstjerne Bjornson
was the son of a Norwegian pastor
was a Norwegian writer and the 1903
Nobel Prize in Literature laureate.
is considered as one of The Four Greats
Norwegian writers; the others being Henrik
Ibsen, Jonas Lie, and Alexander Kielland.

Summary
The Short Story Father is about a man
who was the wealthiest and most influential
person in his parish. A peasant, Thord
Overaas, visits his priest four times.
The first time he asks that his son, Finn,
be baptized by himself. Sixteen years later
Thord pays the priest ten dollars, for Finn to
stand first for communion.

Summary
Third when Thord requested that the
banns may be published for his son when
he is about to marry Karen Storliden,
daughter of Gudmund, the riches girl in
parish. Thord pays the priest three dollars.
Soon the father and son were rowing
across the lake, to Storliden to make
arrangements for the wedding.

Summary
His son stood up to straighten the seat in
which he was sitting but suddenly the board
slipped under him and fell.
Thord visits the priest for the last time
but not for his pleasures now. Thord has
sold his farm, and presents half of its price
to be given to the poor.

Characters
Thord Overaas
-the father of Finn
Finn Overaas
-the son of Thord
The priest

Settings and Theme

Setting
-Lake, where Finn Overaas died
Theme
-Life is short, learn to value your life and
the
lives of the people around you.

Conflict and Point of view

Point of View
-Detached Omniscient
Conflict
-Man vs. Himself

Epiphany (Thord)
Characteristics of the Father Before the death
of Finn: -Proud
-Arrogant
-Fearless
Characteristics of the Father after the death
of Finn -Humble
-Kind

Analysis
Who is the Father? Thord? Finn? Priest?
- Thord is the father in the story who shows
fatherly love to his son Finn.
Why Thords son was named Finn?
-Thord named his son Finn, it wasnt only
because that was his fathers name, but
because
it foreshadowed Finns death. Finn
died from drowning in a lake, and fish swim
in lakes as well as they have fins.

Analysis
What do you mean by the following passage
spoken by the priest?
God grant that the child may become a
blessing to you!
-In saying this the priest shrewdly implied
to the
father that his child is a piece of good
fortune for him and his future. Also, that the
child will teach
him something of great
importance within the time they have
allotted together.

Analysis
I think at last your son has brought you a
true blessing.
-It says that because of his sons death, the
man learned to love his son, and learned to
value how short life may be. As well as he
learned to value others lives as well as his
own.

Quotable quotes
4 years: My Daddy can do anything!
7 years: My Dad knows a lota whole lot.
8 years: My father does not know quite
everything.
12 years: Oh well, naturally Father does
not know
that either.
14 years: Oh, Father? He is hopelessly oldfashioned.
21 years: Oh, that man-he is out of date!

Quotable quotes
25 years: He knows a little bit about it, but
not
much.
30 years: I must find out what Dad thinks
about it.
35 years: Before we decide, we will get
Dad's idea
first.
50 years: What would Dad have thought
about
that?
60 years: My Dad knew literally
everything!
65 years: I wish I could talk it over with

Thank you!

Prepared by: Justin Leah B. Buletic & Stella Amor P. Hermias