Britannica Sources used in this answer

How did Amalie Skram use naturalism in The People of Hellemyr?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Norwegian literature Statue of Petter Dass in Sandnessjøen, Norway.

In her tetralogy Hellemyrsfolket (1887–98; "The People of Hellemyr"), Amalie Skram utilized naturalism to explore the deterministic forces governing human existence.12

As a leading figure of Norwegian Naturalism, Skram was deeply convinced that humanity was entirely subject to the tyranny of natural laws. In The People of Hellemyr, she applied this philosophy by chronicling the history of a family across four generations, focusing on themes of family ambition, feelings of inferiority, and inevitable decay.1

Through her merciless revelations of repression—particularly regarding the experiences of women within marriage and the family—Skram depicted characters trapped by their circumstances and biological or social environments. Her work is characterized by an extreme pessimism, reflecting the naturalist belief that individuals have little agency against the crushing weight of heredity and environment, while simultaneously demonstrating a profound compassion for the human condition and the suffering inherent in it.1