Linus

Linus symbolizes loss and longing for the past. Linus and Håkan travel to America together, but Håkan then accidentally boards a ship heading for California instead of New York. Håkan longs to be reunited with Linus, but Håkan is unable to travel to New York. Instead, at the end of the novel, he decides to return to Sweden, thereby attempting to reclaim the other lost part of his past.

Gigantism

Håkan’s gigantism symbolizes the inevitable growth that he must undergo as a person, both literally and figuratively. Throughput Håkan’s travels, he faces difficult challenges and must grow and change as a person in order to meet them. Additionally, he also grows rapidly due to a medical condition today known as gigantism. However, in many ways, both literal and figurative, Håkan retains his essence as a kind and...