You don't move to the frontier because you're unmotivated. You move there because you've got a fire in your belly and you want to carve out some territory for yourself. Well Per Hansa is no exception, and like American antihero Daniel Plainview, Per Hansa has a competition inside him that sometimes moves him to do great things and sometimes alienates him from the people around him.
It's tough to decide in the end whether Per Hansa's competitiveness does more harm or good. His zest for competition isn't portrayed in black and white terms—it's as gray as the prairie sky in winter.
Questions About Competition
- Do you think Per Hansa's competitiveness is strength or a weakness? Why?
- Are any other characters besides Hansa competitive? How does the competitiveness express itself?
- If the men in this book are competing with nature, who seems to be winning by the end of the book? Why?
- Does Per Hansa teach competitiveness to his children? What kind of people do you think they'll grow up to be?
Chew on This
In Giants in the Earth , O.E. Rölvaag criticizes the concept of American competitiveness, suggesting that it splits people apart and ruins communities.
In Giants in the Earth , we see that the only reason for living is to be competitive and to strive to outdo the people around you.