The Pervasiveness of Sin

A permeating plot device used in The Virgin Spring is the pervasiveness of sin. Each element of Freytag’s pyramid of plot development can be pointed back to an aspect of a specific character’s sin.

Beginning with the exposition, Ingeri is introduced as a rather melancholy individual who is clearly pregnant out of wedlock. The first scenes of the film allow the viewer to understand the agony that this sin has added to her daily life. She seems to simply go through the motions of her workday with little expression and no satisfaction. Tore, Mareta, and Karin are also introduced, but their sin is not yet revealed.

 

The rising action begins with the commencement of Karin and Ingeri’s journey. According to Eliade’s The Sacred and the Profane, Karin can be considered a rather sacred individual. Karin is confident in her mission to successfully deliver the candles to the church, asserting that she has made a commitment to God. This adds to the sacred aspects that surround her aura of innocence. Her purity becomes apparent in her conversations with Ingeri about her sin, and Karin believes she could never be forced to give up her virginity outside of wedlock.

  

However, sin enters the picture of the rising action with the introduction of the herdsmen. Their sexual desires are apparent as soon as they spot innocent Karin riding through the woods, and the viewer can clearly predict that they are looking for a victim. The rape desacralizes Karin’s being as she unwillingly goes from sacred, young, innocent child to victimized, traumatized, and profane fatality. As Eliade emphasizes, we live in a world where the sacred is not as plentiful as it used to be. Karin’s purity and sacredness are ripped from her, as she becomes another addition to the profane aspects of society.

 

Like the distinct sinfulness embodied in Karin’s rape, the climax of the play, Tore’s murder of the three herdsmen, epitomizes the ultimate sin of vengeance. Tore takes his anger to the extreme as he cold-heartedly kills the two rapists. He then slams the third brother against the wall, ignoring the fact that he is merely a child no older than Karin herself. Tore shows no mercy, repaying violence for violence, and Mareta exudes a sinful nature by sitting back and watching these gruesome killings with no second-thought of stopping her husband’s dreadful crime.

The pervasiveness of sin is prevalent in the falling action because the characters come to terms with their violent and sinful acts. Ingeri pleads with Tore to kill her for wishing evil on Karin. In addition, Tore admits his sin of vengeance to God and promises to build a church as penance at the site of Karin’s rape and death.

  

In the denouement, the water that springs forth from Karin’s lifeless body reveals the forgiveness of the sin that entangles this film. Upon their repentance, each character is provided with the comfort of fresh water to purify their souls.

  

The pervasiveness of sin in the film drives the action of each individual involved in the drama. Ingeri’s jealousy of Karin’s innocence roots in Ingeri’s longing for the virginity she has lost. The sin of jealousy drives her to wish and allow the evil of the rape. The herdsmen’s lust drove them to rape Karin, and the fear that accompanied their act led to the swift decision to kill her. Tore’s fury at his daughter’s death drove him to premeditated murder of the two rapists and the violent killing of a child just as innocent as Karin. Although sin is involved in each of these acts, Mareta’s decision not to intervene and save the young boy’s life leads to her guilt. All the sin that permeates this film leads to a very emotional experience for viewers. This reveals how sin easily takes over lives and controls the actions of individuals, even those strongly rooted in their faith.