Character Analysis in The Were-Wolf

Sweyn has realized what Christian knew all along: White Fell was a werewolf, intent on harming the family. Stripped of the conviction and anger that brought him there, Sweyn only finds shelter and “stay”—another word for comfort—with the knowledge of Christian’s loyalty and sacrifice. Because he misread the situation so poorly due to his skepticism of his brother’s intentions, Sweyn seeks forgiveness from Christian, who only ever sought to protect his brother.

Sweyn displays a large amount of misplaced emotion, further intensified by the repetition of various ways he wishes to kill Christian. He is not in a completely sane state of mind, grieving more for White Fell’s death than his loyal brother’s supposed betrayal.

Christian is ruled by his emotions and sense of propriety. Though he is sure that White Fell is a werewolf, he cannot bring himself to be violent against a woman, having already had trouble striking his beloved brother. Now, he waits for midnight, when it is said that a werewolf must change from its human form to its true wolf shape.

In contrast to Sweyn’s insistence that White Fell and Christian will not encounter one another after fleeing the confrontation, Christian is able to figure out White Fell’s path and strives to challenge her. Though Sweyn is the professed rationale twin, Christian displays a greater ability for well-reasoned analytical thinking.

Again, notice how Christian is capable of a much more profound love than his brother. Sweyn, by virtue of his arrogance and thoughtlessness, is unable to comprehend how much he is hurting his twin, for his selfishness prevents the depth of love Christian feels for him.

Because Sweyn is a professed skeptic and Christian gives credence to mysticism, Sweyn and Christian’s conflict is philosophical as well as physical. To Sweyn’s displeasure, Christian’s suspicion has spread to other members of the family. Despite his insistence on rational evidence, Sweyn refuses to consider evidence that may implicate White Fell as anything more than just a beautiful, powerful woman.

That Sweyn thinks himself so skeptical is interesting in light of this line. According to this, he believes what he wants to believe about White Fell, failing to take into account the evidence of her comings and goings.

Sweyn values strength above all else; to see his brother beaten down is not a cause for concern but one for scorn. Sweyn is not entirely coldhearted in his actions since he does have to battle feelings of guilt—another word for “compunction”—over Christian’s condition.

The verb “to allay” means to relieve or diminish and the adjective “imperious” means assuming authority without justification. Because Sweyn is arrogant, he assumes that he can calm the chaos simply be exerting the influence that has always been his. Christian believes he is not being taken seriously by his brother, which pains him greatly.

Contrast Sweyn’s love for White Fell with Christian’s love for Sweyn; because Sweyn is too self-involved, he cannot truly love White Fell, tending toward admiration of her physique instead. Christian, however, has been shown to deeply care for Sweyn—who perhaps doesn’t deserve his love—making his love more selfless and extraordinary.

Notice that Sweyn, the perfect man, has found in White Fell an equally capable woman. As Sweyn is the best of his gender, so is White Fell the best of hers, a blend of feminine beauty and masculine strength.

In contrast to Sweyn’s doubt, Christian is more willing to accept that not everything is as it initially appears. Christian is more religious, seeing a separation between the body and the soul that might allow for a shapeshifting werewolf.

This paragraph explicitly establishes Sweyn as the more skeptical of the two brothers, less likely to believe in supernatural events. He scorns the validity of superstition and things he has not personally witnessed. He represents rationality and an unwillingness to believe in anything outside the realm of his own experience, even when pleaded to by those he trusts.

Notice that “Thing” is capitalized. Because of its capitalization, the word takes on a mystical significance, perhaps suggesting that whatever White Fell is, she is not part of the normal human realm of existence.

The brothers’ dynamic is uneven: Sweyn is obeyed more readily due to his physical superiority and self-centeredness. Although Christian believes he is correct in his accusations against White Fell, he does not continue to bring them up because he doesn’t have definitive proof and doesn’t want to upset his brother, whom he loves dearly.

Notice the sexist way that Sweyn views women. While men need proof before belief, women, he says, tend toward belief without evidence, prioritizing emotion over intellect. This was not an uncommon view during the time; it is made more complicated, however, by Sweyn’s failing to acknowledge the evidence that points toward White Fell’s being a werewolf.

Here the point of view switches for a moment to Sweyn, so readers can understand why he does not believe Christian’s claims about White Fell. This serves to humanize Sweyn’s character and give readers information about Christian—if he’s prone to odd imaginings, it is not unlikely that Sweyn wouldn’t immediately trust Christian’s instincts.

Christian’s love is selfless. Although he could be jealous of Sweyn, he instead finds contentment in Sweyn’s happiness, even though Sweyn doesn’t seem to return Christian’s love as fervently. In this way, Christian is the better of the two twins at brotherly loyalty.

The two brothers are twins, but they are quite different. Sweyn is better in all physical aspects except for Christian’s running speed. Because of Sweyn’s physical superiority, Christian tends to defer to and greatly admire him. In this way and in their worldviews they are quite different, which is important as the story progresses.

Sweyn has come to the conclusion that whatever continues to knock on their door is a supernatural, possibly demonic being. Though he is skeptical of superstition, he is willing to defend his family against whatever approaches their home—whether it’s natural or unnatural.

The woman’s otherworldly nature is established from her movements: rather than walking or stumbling, she glides with grace and poise.

White Fell, with her obvious resilience and power, is unlike any woman the family has ever met. Though Sweyn is an accomplished hunter in his own right, even he is impressed by White Fell’s survival skills—doubly so because she is a woman. In this way, White Fell further reinforces her image as a mysterious, alluring creature: the epitome of both feminine beauty and grace and masculine strength.

The woman’s clothing and mannerisms indicate that she does not follow the customs that dictate how women ought to be meek and averse to activity and conflict. In this way, she is set up as a combination of both sex’s traits: she is beautiful yet strong, powerful yet alluring.

The noun “girdle” refers to a type of clothing, typically worn by women, that encircles the waist. It can be a simple belt or a fuller piece of cloth. While White Fell’s wearing a girdle would not draw any comment, that she carries a weapon in her girdle would—men carried weapons for more often than women. This signals her strength and self-sufficiency.

Notice how much Rol idolizes Sweyn, and how the latter values composure in light of injury. To Rol, Sweyn is the ideal: poised, brave, and strong.