Research
My research included reading Agatha Christie’s book and there were some specific things mentioned in the book about Greta that I use in building my historic and immediate circumstances. There was one circumstance in the book that largely affected where I took the character because it supported what I had pulled from the play was saying that a case such as the Armstrongs “tries one’s faith.” This led me down the path of believing that Greta Ohlsson was not using religion as part of an act but was a religious person whose values and beliefs had been tested by death.
In building my character I relied heavily upon I Go to America by Joy K. Lintelman. This book explores the social, political, and domestic matters that influenced the immigration of Swedish women to America during the 19th and 20th centuries. Joy K. Lintelman has devoted a significant portion of her life to researching Swedish immigration and women’s history. She examined first-hand accounts of Swedish women who were immigrants to America and researched the time period in order to create a full picture of the life of a Swedish woman in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and what their journey and life in America shaped up to be. I bought a physical copy that I annotated heavily and have some specific research notes that I wrote down. However, most of the research I have done can be seen in my exploration of historical circumstances since I was reading this as I was imagining the life of Greta before the time of the play.
I also used the internet to explore a bit about Swedish culture and history before I had found and read I Go to America. Exploring this information allowed me to learn that Sweden has been connected with Protestant Christianity, specifically the Lutheran faith, since the 11th century. This led me to my research into the Lutheran faith and values.
Swedish Culture – Religion — Cultural Atlas (sbs.com.au)
History of Sweden – more than Vikings | Official site of Sweden
My research into Christianity in Sweden and the Lutheran faith began to justify and answer some of the questions I had about Greta’s consistent talk of God and her job as a missionary. Religious freedom was not available until the 20th century for Sweden so the country was heavily tied to Christianity to the point that it was taught in schools. This supported the idea that Greta was truly religious and struggling with her faith rather than playing a role to avoid suspicion. I also researched Christian missionaries which explained that women were part of missionaries and would often have the responsibility of working with and providing services to children and mothers.
In my research of the Lutheran faith, I learned that they believe everyone is born with the ability to sin and break his law, but through devotion to God and faith in his power you can relieve yourself of sin and therefore go to Heaven. The idea of strong devotion to God forgiving one of their sins further supported the idea that Greta is religious and is struggling with and challenging her faith.
Church of Sweden | Lutheranism, History & Beliefs | Britannica
Lutheranism 101 – Living Lutheran
What Is Sin? – The Lutheran Witness (lcms.org)
Christianity – Missions, SE Asia, Pacific | Britannica
The Great Growth Of Christianity in the 20th Century (ligonier.org)
Images and Sensory Research
The following are links to websites with images and research I used to fuel my sensory needs.
Lives on the Railroad | National Museum of American History (si.edu)
20th century train station in europe – Bing
Beograd, Yugoslavia: Climate, Global Warming, and Daylight Charts and Data (climate-charts.com)