Burial Rites depicts a society in which power and strength are valued more than compassion and love. DiscussWhat values underpin the nineteenth century Icelandic society depicted in the novel? How do these values inform the actions of the various characters? Context: Nineteenth century Iceland Patriarchal society Strength and power are more valued ecause the !"th Century Icelandic society is a patriarchal one# this is re$ected in the structure of their society% politically% socially and morally&' (arxist and )eminist reading oth support the notion that power and strength are more valued that compassion and love& Strength and power are more valued than compassion and love ecause ofthe harsh economic and environmental conditions in Iceland& *ey words: Power and strength of men is valued + 'gnes is punished for her strength and compassion ,he topic suggests that these values are mutually exclusive& Is this always the case? If certain values seem dominant% why?,he nineteenth century Icelandic society represented in -urial .ites does endorse power and strength over compassion and love&Hannah *ent/s historicalnovel -urial .ites depicts the severe% intolerant nature of the law and the class system it serves& 'ssumption of privilege is a given& ,he poor and wea0 are profoundly disadvantaged and women have little power relative to men& 1ven the harsh Icelandic weather reeds a toughness of spirit that does not encouragegentle ehaviour& Nevertheless% while power and strength may dominate in the roader social context% the text also shows the way in which people can e changed y hearing the stories of others% producing empathy and understanding where efore there was harshness& *ent feels that the power of stories can transcend pre2udice% ringing comfort and love to even a rutal world&*ent emphasises that there is little compassion under the law% and violence is used as an instrument of power& ,he characters within the story follow the law of the land closely rather than having allowance of their own experiences e the 2udicial voice& In Nineteenth Century Ireland% the country was never allowed a fully $eshed out 2udicial system with there eing little crime in the country itself& -londal% the 3istrict Commissioner% as the highest authority in Iceland sees his duty as asolute% instilling respect for his position% not allowing anyone to go against his decisions& ,his% comined with his detached use of power to attain what he elieves to e right also serves to further his lac0 of regard for human compassion& ,he decision he ma0es regarding 'gnes/ fate is only to suvert 4political and spiritual emarrassment5& -londal/s view of power in the dealing oflaw is further exempli6ed y his criticism of ,oti/s compassionate approach& ,he 2uxtaposition etween ,oti and -londal can e descried as the di7erence etween performing 2ustice through the heart and y the oo0& 'gnes/ recollection of the treatment she received from the law is not only degrading as it is detaching% ma0ing the murderer lose all meaning of humanity& ,he way in which the treatment is noted is through repetition of the words 8they/ and 8you/ rather than using her name& ,his draws attention to her lac0 of power and compassion& 9ften eing eaten% 'gnes ma0es note of the guards and their power through violence rather than law& ,he words used to descrie her imply her animalistic nature even though she is human% 2ust li0e any other person& ,he compassion is lost upon the law and in place% violence to maintain order is used& Crime is seen as a threat to the social hierarchy and 3istrict Commissioner-l:ndal as the highest authority in Iceland considers it his duty instil respect for authority& -l:ndal/s decisions evince his rutally dispassionate wielding of power% and are calculated to achieve oth emotional and physical pain& -l:ndal is determined to send a message to the community to emphasise his power and political standing y ma0ing an example of 'gnes rather than administering 2ustice& 4It is a political and spiritual emarrassment;5 ? -l:ndal/s criticism of ,oti/s compassionate approach 4@ou must apply the Aord/s word to her as a whip to a hard+mouthed horse5 " repetition of 8they/: 8,hey leave me in the dar0% deny me light;they ind me;,hey refuse to meet my eyes/ .epetition of 8you/: 8@ou% 'gnes (agnusdottir% have een found guilty;@ou% 'gnes& Agnes./ 1mphasises exercise of power and lac0 of humanity& Sigga/s appeal demonstrates vested interest rather than compassion: while prepared to condemn 'gnes% he supports Sigga ecause 4she reminds him of his wife5 as does 'gnes/s conviction E Natan had provided medicine for -londal/s wife& ,hroughout Burial Rites% 3enmar0 is almost exclusively mentioned in relation to punitive and aritrary colonial power& Garious accessories to themurder are transported to and imprisoned in 3enmar0% while the axe used to execute 'gnes and )ridri0 is sent from Copenhagen M>?& 4Ai0e a woman% he said& ,he sea is a nag5 N? 'c0nowledge the signi6cance of the impact of their compassion and love E symolism of thestone,he novel shows there are di7erent 0inds of strength& ,oti has little nominal power ut the strength of character comes from within and is informed y his Christian values: 4He is so 0ind5-urial .ites depicts a harsh society where the strong exercise power over the wea0 and there is little room for 0indness or sympathy& However% this is not to say that these Iualities are asent& ,here are individuals in the text whose compassion and love is awa0ened through the power of 'gnes/s story% in spite of the rutality of the context in which they live& ,his is particularly evident in the contrast etween 'gnes/s treatment when she arrives at *ornsa and the compassionate and loving manner in which they support 'gnes as they accompany her to her execution&