The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The pressed flowers symbolize the loss of Harriet’s innocence and the desire to preserve the beauty that she was denied as a child. The flowers are “always beautiful and for the most part rare” (5). Pressed behind glass, they remain safe and represent Harriet’s present feelings of security, contrasted with her past experiences of oppression. Through the flowers, she maintains a connection to Vanger as a person she trusts rather than isolate herself completely from her family. The flowers also initiate and help sustain the novel’s mysterious tone. As Blomkvist uncovers the layers of Harriet’s disappearance and Gottfried’s and Martin’s brutal crimes, the significance of the flowers remains unclear. Only after Blomkvist discovers Harriet’s whereabouts does he confirm that she is the one to send them. Lastly, the flowers also function as an ironic “twist” in the novel. Harriet believes that by sending them to Vanger every year, she is comforting him with evidence that she is alive and safe. In contrast, Vanger views the flowers as a tormenting ritual that affirms her death and the sadistic bravado of her murderer.