The Greenlanders

A detailed Summary of The Greenlanders

Jane Smiley's The Greenlanders has a theme of decline throughout its story. The decline of a society is something that has happened before, something that will probably happen again, and something that some people would argue is happening right now. This book describes it happening in Greenland during the 14th century, during the lives of the two main characters, Gunnar Asgeirsson and Margret Asgeirsdottir. The decline of a society is usually equal parts perception and reality; there are plenty of actual problems, but at the same time there are a bunch of people simply whining about "the good old days."

At the beginning of the story, things seem well for most Greenlanders. The weather has been fairly mild, allowing for the livestock to remain healthy during the winter. A trading ship arrives with plenty of goods for trade, and with news of a horrible disease ravaging Europe that the Greenlanders have managed to avoid. And the skraelings, a barbarous tribe to the north, ha

The Greenlanders are all fairly optimistic, especially at the news of the arrival of Bishop Alf. Greenland has been without a bishop for many years, and the Greenlanders feel that a little bit of God's attention will bring them more good luck. It doesn't work out that way though. The new Bishop and his priests are Norwegians who aren't that familiar with how the Greenlanders live. The Greenlanders are soon distressed about the increased tithes they're paying and the church involvement in local disputes. The new officials use fear and threats to increase church attendance. Then a representative from the king in Norway arrives. He soon starts levying extra taxes to pay for his farms' upkeep.

These new emotional and financial strains are exacerbated by a general decrease in wealth and food. Winters seem to be getting longer, causing the health of the sheep and cow herds to suffer. Hunting trips to the north, which always provided riches such as narwhal tusks and bear hides, are never made

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Approximate Word count = 677
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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