The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Stieg Larsson’s novel, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, is best represented by its original Swedish title: Män som hatar kvinnor, or “Men who hate women”. Motifs such as human nature, violence against women, and abuse of power are all examined throughout the novel. Despite the heavy subject matter, Larsson delivers his plot with literary adroitness. He balances the horrific reality depicted in the story with an elaborately designed crime, and equally intricate characters to solve it. The female characters of the novel are used to depict how common violent acts against women are in Swedish society. Larsson explores the various motives that may be behind such heinous crimes, and illustrates the factors of society that make said acts possible. As the personal stories of the female characters are revealed, the reader witnesses an overwhelming amount of criminality including the corruption of men in power, abuse within families, political corruption, and religious beliefs used to promote violent crimes against women. Larsson also raises questions regarding how responsible criminals actually are for their crimes. For example, to what extent can criminals be held accountable for their actions taking into consideration the state of the society in which they live, as well as their upbringing? In spite of the horrors that the women of the novel are faced with, they prove to be strong, independent, and intelligent. They are victims of horrible offenses, yet they do not identify as such. While The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo brings attention to the power that some men choose to abuse, it also highlights the undeniable fortitude of women.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was one of those books that I couldn’t put down until I had read it cover to cover. Admittedly, the first few chapters are very law and business oriented, making it heavy and slightly dull for some people. However, what appears ordinary at first morphs into one of the most suspenseful and ingenious books that I have ever read. The novel emphasizes elements of human existence, that while difficult to discuss, need to be recognized. Larsson displays a very dark side of human nature, but does so in a way that does not deprive the reader of their faith in humanity. The characters are a careful balance of the basic forms of good, evil, strength, and weakness. Personally, I love the novel because it is not only thought-provoking, but it is also never predictable. I think that this novel is important for people to read in order to recognize the strength of women, as well as the strength of human beings in general. The crimes presented in the novel are, in part, so horrific because they are realistic. I think that witnessing the survival of the characters, both mentally and physically, against all odds provides a sense of empowerment to readers.