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Chapter 36
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A Man Called Ove, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Memory and Grief
Rules and Order
Love, Family, and Community
Principles, Fairness, and Loyalty
Summary
Analysis
Ove sits at Sonja's grave and apologizes, saying that people have no sense of boundaries. He replaces her flowers. Earlier that morning, Lena had dropped off a copy of the newspaper. Ove was on the front page looking grumpy, and looked just as grumpy when he saw the paper. Lena giggled that she and Anders were going skating, and Ove closed the door on her. He cleaned up junk mail in his kitchen and found the letter from Lena. The letter was from the man Ove saved at the train station. The man included a photograph of himself with his three children. Ove threw the letter away and put the photograph on his fridge next to Nasanin's color drawing of Ove.
Ove is now using photographs (and Nasanin's drawing) to remind himself that community is a positive thing. By saving the man at the train station, Ove allowed the man to remain present for his family and his community, something that Ove has spent the entire novel learning about. Lena is also inserting herself into Ove's community by dating Anders. No matter what Ove has learned, though, he's still grumpy about having to compromise his principles for the newspaper, hence his grumpy photo.
Themes
At the graveyard, Parvaneh, Patrick, Nasanin, the seven-year-old, Jimmy, Adrian, and Mirsad come up behind Ove and greet Sonja. Parvaneh lowers herself down and gives Sonja flowers from herself and more from Anita and Rune. Everyone but Parvaneh heads back to the car. When she joins the group and Ove asks why she stayed, she tells him "girl talk." The group squeezes into Ove's car and into Adrian's new Toyota. Ove had helped Adrian purchase it and saved him from purchasing a Hyundai.
Finally Ove allows his new community to connect with his old one by bringing them all to Sonja's grave. Parvaneh feels a connection to Sonja now that she knows about her and how she affected Ove's life. Ove's principles and beliefs about cars remain strong as ever, as evidenced by his "saving" Adrian from a Hyundai.
Themes
When the group gets back to their street, Amel is standing outside Ove's house. Mirsad mumbles a greeting and Ove has dinner at Parvaneh and Patrick's house while Mirsad and Amel talk in Ove's kitchen. Ove thinks that Sonja would've liked it.
Sonja certainly would've loved being able to facilitate a father and a son making up with each other, and Ove seems to as well. It's what he always hoped Rune and Rune's son would be able to do.
Themes
Before the seven-year-old goes to bed, she gives Ove a handwritten invitation to her birthday party. Ove reads it and confirms that she wants presents. The seven-year-old says she only wants one thing and Mum said it was too expensive. Ove nods, looks around the hall for Parvaneh and Patrick, and leans down. The seven-year-old whispers in Ove's ear that she wants an iPad so she can use special drawing programs.
Now Ove is working on creating a bond with the seven-year-old that has nothing to do with her parents. Indeed, he's willing to at least consider bypassing Parvaneh and Patrick entirely if he's checking to make sure they can't hear. It's implied that these drawing programs will help her draw houses.
Themes
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