" The Jante Laws warns people that they should not try to become individuals and Sandemose's creation of the laws in the novel was done as criticism for the types of societies that produce these kinds of principles that make collective efforts the norm and the only acceptable way to be in society. "The gulf between an individual and his unreachable goal expresses itself in the form of an inferiority complex." Espen's jealousy and consequent murder is symbolic of his own lack of individuality as he sees this other man as being better than he is since he was able to steal something that he loved so dearly. This was Espen's way of making sure that he was not put into a lesser position (subordination) whether it was only for the sake of his ego or other. But while Espen definitely seems to be on a higher plane of awareness than the rest of the inhabitants of Jante, he is still unable to really detach himself from the Jante way of thinking, which may be the warning Sandemose is sending loudly and clearly.

Alfred Adler emphasized the importance of equality in preventing different types of psychopathology. Adler's most famous concept, of course, is the inferiority complex and part of this concept is the idea that every individual has feelings of inferiority that they cannot deny. He posited that those feelings of inferiority are what lead to a striving for superiority. Adler believed that striving for superiority would lead to neurosis and crime and that it drives people into useless directions (Durbin 1986).

Examining Adler's ideas about inferiority complexes is interesting when juxtaposed with Jante Law. While Adler believed that equality was important in preventing types of neurosis in individuals, inferiority complexes work not for...

Understanding this relationship may help bring insight into the subject of Espen and his loathing of Jante.
Did Espen's striving for superiority lead him to neurosis and crime? Was Espen neurotic in thinking that Jante was so horrible when all it meant to create was a place of equality? Was Espen's inferiority complex, nurtured by the town of Jante, the reason he was able to commit murder? These questions are interesting questions to ask when approaching Sandemose's text and the philosophical questions regarding how a boy who comes from a place that nurtures equality can turn into a man who can feel no remorse after murdering an individual. The idea that Espen had an inferiority complex is the most accurate rational for his murdering another person since his blatant jealousy is illustrated in numerous places. Sandemose's novel is one of the most interesting looks into the psyche of an individual -- murderer or not. His creation of Jante and the laws that it possesses is a criticism of societies that try to keep everyone at the same level as it makes for a culture of mediocrity.

Works Cited

Adler, Alfred. Understanding Human Nature: The Psychology of Personality. OneWorld

Publications; Reprint edition, 2009.

Durbin, Paul G. "Alfred Adler's Understanding of Inferiority." The Infinity Institute.

1996. Retrieved on June 19, 2010, from the Web site:

http://www.infinityinst.com/articles/alfred_adler.htm

Sandemose, Aksel. A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks. New York: Knopf, 1936.

Sjavik, Jan. Historical Dictionary of Scandinavian Literature and Theater. The Scarecrow Press, 2006.