MEMORY AND GRIEF IN BACKMAN’S A MAN CALLED OVE

Abstract

This article investigates the interconnected themes of memory and grief in Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove by examining how these affective cognitive dimensions are constructed through narrative structure, character development and symbolic idiom. The novel within a broader sphere of grief literature and approaches the text through psychoanalytic, trauma studies and narrative identity frameworks, engaging particularly with Sigmund Freud, Paul Ricoeur and Judith Butler. The research explores how Ove’s memories of his deceased spouse Sonja can both be an “operation of pain” as well as a “strategic use of memory”, keeping emotional continuity intact and playing out the idea that a person’s grief is not static rather evolving through interaction with others and everyday life. Current research suggests how Backman shows grief as a lived relation instead of an abstract state. Memory in the novel is subjective and materially grounded, often triggered by objects and places. The study also unlocks the way the novel undermined conventional masculinity by showing with time and effort, emotional vulnerability creates a route to healing. Ultimately, this research proves that this novel offers a rich and humanistic vision of grief as messily intertwined and vital to comprehending the human acts of resilience, love, and healing.