Ove is an ordinary man, a man of old fashioned values. He sees his worth, a human being's worth, as being self-reliant, being in control of one's life. His anger erupts when his sovereignty, his liberty, is being attacked. He calls these attackers "white shirts." They are the bureaucrats and officials who attempt to take control of people's lives and affairs. He resists this loss of control by fighting "white shirts" with letters, petitions and fists. He knows this enemy of his sovereignty is difficult to beat, but he tries.
Ove's happiness lies in the personal relationships he has, even when he resists these attempts at friendship. His wife's death, at an early age, has left him bereft and distraught. He tries a number of times and ways of killing himself, but each time something happens to interrupt his attempt and gives him another opportunity at life.
One might think his name suggests an egg which in turn suggests rebirth and that is what his new relationships with his neighbors provides him.
It is not a great stretch to compare Ove's responses to the political season. Many voters felt powerless against bureaucracies that paid their problems little attention. They were looking for a weapon that would strike the heartlessness of the government bureaucracy. Unfortunately the candidate they put their faith in had the wrong answers.
One candidate did have some answers that were like Ove's salvation--that we cannot expect government to save us. We must save ourselves starting with our families, our communities, our churches, our personal relationships.
For Ove, the "white shirts" were the oppressors; his community was his redemption.
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