What happened to Oskars mom?

For discussion of John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel Låt den rätte komma in
Post Reply
User avatar
OskarTheArsonist
Posts: 66
Joined: Tue Jan 09, 2018 9:05 pm
Location: USA

What happened to Oskars mom?

Post by OskarTheArsonist » Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:52 pm

What do you guys think happened to Oskars mom? we know that Oskar definitely loves her so I don't think that he would have left with out saying goodbye in person or in a letter at a latter date. If Oskar did send a letter (which I think is the most likely) what do you think it would have said?
"the quieter you become, the more you are able to hear"

User avatar
metoo
Posts: 3677
Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2011 12:36 pm
Location: Sweden

Re: What happened to Oskars mom?

Post by metoo » Wed Feb 14, 2018 1:38 pm

OskarTheArsonist wrote:
Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:52 pm
What do you guys think happened to Oskars mom? we know that Oskar definitely loves her so I don't think that he would have left with out saying goodbye in person or in a letter at a latter date. If Oskar did send a letter (which I think is the most likely) what do you think it would have said?
I think Oskar would have realised that he hurt his mother by leaving the way he did. Perhaps not immediately, but soon enough. This, in my opinion, is most consistent with the Oskar we see in the novel.

I also think that the thought about explaining to her and ask her forgiveness have lingered in the back of his mind since then. But, alas, telling her the truth wouldn't make her happier, so he never have done anything.

He still might, though.
But from the beginning Eli was just Eli. Nothing. Anything. And he is still a mystery to me. John Ajvide Lindqvist

User avatar
Jameron
Posts: 2728
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2011 10:09 pm
Location: Stoke on Trent, UK

Re: What happened to Oskars mom?

Post by Jameron » Wed Feb 14, 2018 8:14 pm

OskarTheArsonist wrote:
Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:52 pm
What do you guys think happened to Oskars mom? we know that Oskar definitely loves her so I don't think that he would have left with out saying goodbye in person or in a letter at a latter date. If Oskar did send a letter (which I think is the most likely) what do you think it would have said?
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9666800/1/Regrets

.
"For a few seconds Oskar saw through Eli’s eyes. And what he saw was … himself. Only much better, more handsome, stronger than what he thought of himself. Seen with love."

User avatar
dongregg
Posts: 3937
Joined: Sun Jul 21, 2013 10:58 pm
Location: Atlanta
Contact:

Re: What happened to Oskars mom?

Post by dongregg » Wed Feb 14, 2018 8:16 pm

About five years ago, PeteMork wrote:
I think that, if she truly loved him, the pain of not knowing where her son was or what had happened to him would be far greater than the pain of knowing he was safe and happy, but had (even in the worst case scenario) seemed to have rejected her -- especially if he told her he still loved her. No specifics would be necessary in the letter.
Right, no reveal about being a vampire required. My feeling from the start was that Oskar needed to protect himself and Eli. A letter could ramp up the manhunt again.

Still, as you may read in Set Me As a Seal Part 10:
Oskar thinks of his mother. Although Eli is still fearful of leaving Sweden, a country she has survived in for more than two centuries, for Oskar it means giving up the dream that he might one day see his mother again.

Sometime during the next few years, I'll write to her.

Oskar's lips start to tremble, but he forces his face into a stern mask. It's time I started acting my age. I'm not a child anymore.

Eli senses the depth of Oskar's sadness, and she puts her arm around his waist and snuggles close.
“For drama to deepen, we must see the loneliness of the monster and the cunning of the innocent.”

User avatar
PeteMork
Posts: 3781
Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2009 9:56 pm
Location: Menlo Park, California

Re: What happened to Oskars mom?

Post by PeteMork » Wed Feb 14, 2018 11:50 pm

dongregg wrote:
Wed Feb 14, 2018 8:16 pm
About five years ago, PeteMork wrote:
I think that, if she truly loved him, the pain of not knowing where her son was or what had happened to him would be far greater than the pain of knowing he was safe and happy, but had (even in the worst case scenario) seemed to have rejected her -- especially if he told her he still loved her. No specifics would be necessary in the letter.
Right, no reveal about being a vampire required. My feeling from the start was that Oskar needed to protect himself and Eli. A letter could ramp up the manhunt again.

Still, as you may read in Set Me As a Seal Part 10:
Oskar thinks of his mother. Although Eli is still fearful of leaving Sweden, a country she has survived in for more than two centuries, for Oskar it means giving up the dream that he might one day see his mother again.

Sometime during the next few years, I'll write to her.

Oskar's lips start to tremble, but he forces his face into a stern mask. It's time I started acting my age. I'm not a child anymore.

Eli senses the depth of Oskar's sadness, and she puts her arm around his waist and snuggles close.
I address my take on this in greater detail in my FF, "The Eli Chronicles," Chapter 46, for any of you with enough patience to slog your way through it. ;) :
(The chapter is pretty much complete in itself.)

http://let-the-right-one-in.com/fancont ... the-family

Of course, there are no easy answers to what may have happened, and how she might have felt after all those years. This is only one of many possibilities; and not a particularly happy one.
We never stop reading, although every book comes to an end, just as we never stop living, although death is certain. (Roberto Bolaño)

User avatar
dongregg
Posts: 3937
Joined: Sun Jul 21, 2013 10:58 pm
Location: Atlanta
Contact:

Re: What happened to Oskars mom?

Post by dongregg » Thu Feb 15, 2018 1:54 am

PeteMork wrote:
Wed Feb 14, 2018 11:50 pm
I address my take on this in greater detail in my FF, "The Eli Chronicles," Chapter 46, for any of you with enough patience to slog your way through it. ;) :
(The chapter is pretty much complete in itself.)

http://let-the-right-one-in.com/fancont ... the-family

Of course, there are no easy answers to what may have happened, and how she might have felt after all those years. This is only one of many possibilities; and not a particularly happy one.
No Pete, it's happy. Thank you!
“For drama to deepen, we must see the loneliness of the monster and the cunning of the innocent.”

User avatar
SpartanAltego
Posts: 251
Joined: Sun Nov 26, 2017 4:39 am
Location: Michigan, U.S.

Re: What happened to Oskars mom?

Post by SpartanAltego » Sun Feb 25, 2018 1:35 am

Tearing her hair out in fits of anguish. Tortured by the idea that her son is out somewhere with a psychopath who ripped apart multiple children and kidnapped her baby. Or, even worse, she failed to see her son falling in with 'the wrong crowd' and Oskar went willingly. Deep depression.

As long as her son is 'missing' she'll never get any kind of closure. She'll be on the look out for any news, chasing shadows, holding out hope that Oskar will be found alive...or at the very least his body. If the police connect the pool massacre with the ritual killings, then it's entirely possible she would follow stories of similar events (necks snapped, blood drained) if they surfaced.

Oskar's father would probably blame her as well. Can't imagine that argument leaving anyone feeling well. Even if Oskar leaves a note explaining in painstaking detail every thought, word, and action that led a decision his mother will still have to confront a reality where her only child would rather live with a serial killer.

And of course, the longer time passes the more likely it is that Oskar eschews any direct contact if he ever tried to keep tabs. Better to keep the heat down, let his story fade into the unsolved mysteries of the world, and hope his mother can move forward without him. It's one of the many bitter prices that Oskar decided to pay by embracing a life with Eli.
"The dark is patient, and it always wins. But its weakness lies in its strength: a single candle is enough to hold it at bay. Love is more than a candle. Love can ignite the stars." - Matthew Stover

User avatar
dongregg
Posts: 3937
Joined: Sun Jul 21, 2013 10:58 pm
Location: Atlanta
Contact:

Re: What happened to Oskars mom?

Post by dongregg » Sun Feb 25, 2018 3:03 am

Once Eli and Oskar shared blood in Karlstad, Oskar stepped onto a one-way road.

I imagine that he struggled on the train with the decision. If he went back, surely the police would interview him until he told the whole story, and then Karin would be a hero as the whole country dusted off their pitchforks and torches. Whether he chose to be turned or not, his loyalty to Eli precluded going back to Blackeberg.

To me, aside from the tragedy of Eli being tortured and turned by the evil lord, and even more of a tragedy than Oskar being incessantly bullied, the effects of Oskar's decisions to not return home must have broken his mom's heart and spirit.

I hope he writes her sometime, although that wouldn't completely undo the tragedy.
“For drama to deepen, we must see the loneliness of the monster and the cunning of the innocent.”

User avatar
ltroifanatic
Posts: 557
Joined: Mon Sep 14, 2015 1:35 am
Location: Australia

Re: What happened to Oskars mom?

Post by ltroifanatic » Sun Feb 25, 2018 4:17 am

I feel a little ashamed at not thinking more about Oskar's mother.How she must have suffered,not knowing if he was dead or alive.As the case becomes "cold",she'd be alone.Still checking papers for news of him.Double taking when she sees a blonde boy and probably expecting that he'll show up "any day now" , but he never does. :cry:
Please Oskar.Be me for a little while.

User avatar
dongregg
Posts: 3937
Joined: Sun Jul 21, 2013 10:58 pm
Location: Atlanta
Contact:

Re: What happened to Oskars mom?

Post by dongregg » Sun Feb 25, 2018 4:43 am

ltroifanatic wrote:
Sun Feb 25, 2018 4:17 am
...double taking when she sees a blonde boy and probably expecting that he'll show up "any day now" , but he never does. :cry:
Not so fast. There's plenty of time for fan fictions to present what solutions there could be to alleviate the tragedy (somewhat), such as PeteMork's story of Oskar's visit to his dying mother. :cry: but :wub:

How is your fan fiction coming along?
“For drama to deepen, we must see the loneliness of the monster and the cunning of the innocent.”

Post Reply

Return to “Let The Right One In (Novel)”