The story in one page
Mrs. Alving has spent twenty years curating a lie about her late husband’s virtuous character. To seal the facade, she commissions an orphanage in his memory, intending to donate every cent of his inheritance to it. However, the return of her son, Oswald, from a bohemian life in Paris unravels her long-held secret. Oswald arrives suffering from a hereditary, incurable condition that he initially blames on his own reckless lifestyle. As the truth about the elder Alving's depravity emerges, Mrs. Alving must confront the wreckage of her family legacy and a final, agonizing choice for her son's future.
Who's who
- Mrs. Alving
A widow guarding a twenty-year secret about her husband.
- Oswald
A struggling painter returning home with a terminal, inherited condition.
- Pastor Manders
A clergyman obsessed with appearances and social decorum.
- Regina
A young housekeeper seeking a better life away from home.
What it's really about
- Legacy
- The literal and figurative inheritance of parental sins.
- Respectability
- The cost of maintaining a perfect public image.
Why it's memorable
- The sight of the orphanage burning into the night sky.
- Oswald staring into the morning light with empty, glassy eyes.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
Oswald experiences a total mental collapse, leaving him trapped in a catatonic state while repeatedly begging his mother to give him the sun. Mrs. Alving is left frozen in horror, holding the medication he requested to end his suffering.
For your book club
- Why does a mother’s protection eventually become a poison?
- Can a building ever truly cover up a history?