How did Olav Duun portray conflict across generations in The People of Juvik?

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Norwegian literature Statue of Petter Dass in Sandnessjøen, Norway.

In his masterpiece, The People of Juvik, Olav Duun portrays the evolution of a peasant family across several generations, spanning from 1814 to 1920.1

Rather than focusing solely on interpersonal conflict, Duun uses the family's progression to symbolically trace the development of the Norwegian people. He depicts a transition from a state of unself-conscious primitivism toward a more complex, civilized humanism. This generational journey is marked by an internal struggle, as the characters navigate the tension between their modern, civilized aspirations and the persistent, violent heritage of their ancestors.1

Ultimately, Duun’s narrative suggests that this development is not a clean break from the past; instead, the characters' growth is complicated by these "throwbacks" to earlier, more primal states, illustrating a continuous psychological and spiritual battle between an uplifting human spirit and darker, natural forces.1