The Ghost Sonata: Analysis of Major Characters

Author: August Strindberg

First published: Spöksonaten, 1907 (English translation, 1916)

Genre: Play

Locale: An apartment house in Sweden

Plot: Expressionism

Time: The early 1900's

Arkenholz (AHR-kehn-hohlts), a student. The unshaven young man's appearance is less an indication of slovenliness than of the fact that he is a man of action. The student was a hero in a disaster, a house collapse, that occurred just before the time of the play. Throughout, his vigorous, life-affirming qualities are in contrast to those of the mostly anemic, old, or quite literally dead characters who appear in this dream play. The “student” aspect of his character is at least as important. As the central character, his chief function is to observe the events around him, contemplate the various intrigues and disclosures of corruption, and thereby learn what life and death truly entail. At the end, he shares his conclusions with the audience.

Hummel (HUHM-mehl), an old man. Hummel has white hair and a white beard, wears glasses, and uses a wheelchair. Rather than the grandfatherly figure his appearance would suggest, Hummel is a sinister character who generally goes by “the old man” rather than his surname. “The old man” may recall “old Nick” and other sobriquets for the devil, an appropriate association because Hummel operates in a context of vampirism and the satanic. He seems to have had a hand in the lives (or deaths) of most of the characters in the play, and he entangled Arkenholz's father in shady dealings in the past. He seems intent on ensnaring Arkenholz as well, at least early in the play. If Arkenholz is the student, Hummel is the teacher; Arkenholz's wisest decision is to reject the teachings of his master.

The Girl, a friend of Arkenholz. Unnamed, like most of the characters, the Girl ostensibly is the daughter of the Colonel, who lives in the imposing house that dominates the setting of the play, but really is the daughter of Hummel. She appears wearing first a riding outfit, then a dress. From their first meeting, Arkenholz and the Girl seem destined for each other. Unlike many of the other characters, she survives long enough to share with Arkenholz some of the secrets of the house and to witness his final illuminating vision. Although spiritually innocent, she is contaminated by the tradition of corruption represented by Hummel and the house itself, and at the end she moves toward death.

The Milkmaid, an apparition. The Milkmaid is seen only by Arkenholz, but she is much feared by Hummel, whom the Milkmaid implicates in her death. She—like most of the characters in the play except for Arkenholz, Hummel, and the Girl—has no personality as such but serves to personify some facet of experience.

The Colonel, the ostensible father of the Girl and husband of the Mummy. As is true for many of the characters, the Colonel's past is more important than what he does or does not do in the play. According to Hummel, the Colonel beat his wife, who left him, then returned to marry him a second time.

The Mummy, the Colonel's wife and mother of the Girl. White and shriveled, she is a sort of walking death, broken not by age so much as by the lies of her life. She lied to her husband about her age when they first met, for example. More important, her daughter was fathered not by her husband but by Hummel. Early in the play, she can hardly speak, only parroting phrases of others. By the end of the penultimate scene, though, she has worked up enough rage to tell everyone the truth about Hummel, thereby causing his death.

The Dead Man, a consul. The Dead Man's corpse awaits burial throughout the play. Sometimes, the Dead Man walks around, generally to check on his funeral arrangements.