Disclaimer: Character and paragraphs in italics belong to the late Stieg Larsson. No profit is being made from this stuff.
The curious case of Ronald Niedermann a.k.a Blondzilla
I wanted to do a character analysis of the Millenium series and I've picked Ronniekins because he stands out and draws the reader's attention with his let's say…peculiarities.
First of all, Niedermann is a very underdeveloped character. Stieg Larsson gives us brief glimpses about how Ronald is, but unlike Lisbeth whom you have the most of three books to understand, if you really want to get a better look at him, you'll have to read the last two books between the lines. Which is sad, because as part of the "Family" he should have gotten more limelight.
If you google his name, "congenital analgesia" will tag along with, which mean most readers do not even perceive him as a character, but a medical condition. I understand his inability to feel the pain is crucial for the plot (his part in the novel would have ended with Miriam's first kick in the temple weren't for it), but it also makes the readers perceive his character in a superficial way. Zalachenko, who is the bad ass supreme of the novels and Slimey Bjurman are at least described as persons and you get the feeling of how their personalities are, but Niedermann is written to be perceived as a genetic oddity his personality is sorely lacking.
Looks.
Ok, there's stressed several times in the books that Ronald looks like the lovechild between Zalachenko and a panzer, though there's a discrepancy between's Niedermann's appearance in the book vs. the movie. IMHO, Micke Spreitz did a fabulous job in playing Niedermann, from facial expressions to silent aggression and ruthlessness. The make-up was an interesting choice; with his white hair, heterochromia and giant scar bisecting his left cheek, the character was even more of an eyesore. The only thing missing was a huge fluorescent saying "inhuman freak" banner hanging over his head!
Stieg Larsson describes him as a blond giant; more than six foot six, with an exceptionally powerful build, like a body builder.
Speaking of his muscular build, it caught my eye Miriam Wu's observation that his muscles are natural and not the result of steroids or hours at fitness like in Monica Figuerola's case. As far as I've read, there is a genetic condition called XYY syndrome where a male has two Y chromosomes and they display "uneven cognitive profile, social interaction and communication problems, difficulties with fine and gross motor skills" Also, men with two Ys tend to be taller, stronger, emotionally immature and more aggressive than normal ones. So far this matches Ronald's profile. So XYY syndrome may be the cause of his bodybuilder physique and unusual strength, but not the cause of his congenital analgesia. It is not an inherited disease, which explains why Zalachenko himself has neither of his son genetic advantages. In fact Larsson describes Zala as a short man with black hair and dark colored eyes (he looks more like Lisbeth in appearance), while Son is huge, blond and blue eyed.
It is this second anomaly, his unnatural strength – Paolo Roberto said he has a skeleton made of concrete- that makes Niedermann so dangerous.
Mentally, while Niedermann is not stupid, he doesn't have his father's or sister's intellect either. He does consider himself smart, as stated in the book, but he does a series of mistakes that lead to the unfolding of events as they are. One his mistakes is using his real papers to rent the car, thus giving a lead for Lisbeth to follow. Really, how hard would have been for him to get a false passport? I'm focusing mostly on the book, but his movie counterpart rummages around Bjurman's house for the folder without gloves. Hasn't he heard about fingerprints? Then he sends the 2 morons Lundin and Niemnien to burn the place down instead of doing the job himself!
I think the biggest mistake he does is staying in the country and wait the opportunity to destroy Salander. (and the man-hating-Lisbeth-with-a-passion theme rears its head again, adding Niedermann to the long list of Salander-haters like daddy Zalachenko, Teleborian, Bjurman, Niklas Hedstrom, Hans Faste and so on). Really, if Ronnie wanted to get dear sister buried (for good this time), he should have gone somewhere safe abroad, put his business in order, and hire some professional assassins (not the morons from Svavelsjo MC) to do the job! Instead he hides in the factory and waits without a plan whatsoever.
Background.
There's little known about Ronald's background except he was born in 18.01.1973 (as his ID copy in the movie shows) in Hamburg, Germany and has an older brother who took him to play box for the Dynamic club in same city, when he was 18. He also seem to adhere at the Skinhead culture (again, the theme of racism and anti-immigrant memos in the Trilogy is hinted) And the bit discovered by Paolo Roberto, with the fact he's suffering from congenital analgesia, and was a crappy box player, who "couldn't box for shit". It is not clear whether this is caused by poor motor control and skills or whether his incapacity to follow the coach's directions is a form of mental impairing. Both Zalachenko and Paolo Roberto describe him as being "phenomenally clumsy"
There's another hint in the book that caught my attention: "He lived with violence all his life." Pretty much of Neidemann's behavior can be explained by that sentence. It suggests that his childhood is at least as violent as Lisbeth's.
Another reason I personally think he had grown up in violence is because in him and Lisbeth, Larsson reiterates the motif of the Vanger brothers, Harriet and Martin.
We are not told how his relationships with his mother, brother and step father were (or if he even had a father figure during his first 20 years). It's purely my speculation, but given Zalachenko's preference for easy woman/whores, I doubt Ronald's mother was a respectable lady. My guess is that she neglected him and his brother during the early years of their childhood and had multiple lovers who might have abused the children. While physical blows were not a problem for young Ronald, who could not feel pain, I think it's the violence and psychological abuse that left its mark on him.
It's stated that Niedermann has mental issues like hallucinations, extreme fear of darkness and panic attacks that effectively paralyze his power to think and act. In the third book Zalachenko mused that he had to take initiative while his son lay "curled up in terror". This could be caused by a schizophrenic disorder, but I doubt his genetic make-up is the only reason. Considering his violent childhood, it's likely he was hit in the head several times. Paolo Roberto and Miriam Wu surely do it a lot, albeit with good reason. In Agneta Salander's case, the head blows from her concubine have left her incapacitated, so it's safe to assume that for Ronald they aggravated an already existent pathology. Also it's possible that during his early years he was locked alone, in the dark, pretty much like Lisbeth and Camilla. It is a plausible explanation for his fear of darkness.
Now, while patients with schizophrenia do exhibit hallucinations and bizarre delusions, it's notable that in Ronald's case they are linked with his fear of darkness and he only exhibits them in crepuscular illumination (such as he visits Bjurman's summerhouse in the forest at dusk, or in the poorly lit brickworks) or during acute stress (when he sees the scorpion thingy on the side of the road is stated he hasn't slept for thirty hours). Unlike schizophrenics, who are not aware they're hallucinating, Ronald knew he was imagining things, and yet he still feared them. Also, when he was left alone at Lundin's house he displays an anxiety episode. ("He hated darkness and being alone")
"He had a sinking feeling I his stomach. Something was wrong.
He didn't like being alone in this house. He didn't feel at home here. There was a draft in his room upstairs, and there were always strange noises. He tried to shake off his uneasiness. It was foolish, he knew, but he had never liked being alone. He was not in the least afraid of flesh-and-blood people, but empty houses in the country he thought were indescribably horrible. The noises got his imagination working. He couldn't shed the sense that something dark and evil was watching him through the crack in the door. Something he believed he could hear breathing." TGWPWF
So far Niedermann's symptoms fit more into PSTD (post traumatic stress disorder) than actual schizophrenia. Patients with PSTD react with intense fear, helplessness or horror in a stressful situation especially one similar with the circumstances of the original trauma. Hallucinations, nightmares, acute and unpredictable episodes of anger, fear and hyper vigilance are also symptoms of PSTD, which fit Niedermann's case. All this supports my theory that he was abused during his childhood, probably sexually as well and locked in dark spaces.
On the other side there are also schizophrenia symptoms Ronnie shows throughout the book, such as:
- poverty of speech (alogia) – he is the quiet type, barely speaking few phrases in the whole novels.
- lack of desire to form relationships (asociality) – apart from his business contacts and daddy, you don't see him socializing a lot. And no, meting out punishments does not count.
- lack of motivation (avolition) – Zalachenoko describes as indecisive and lacking leader instinct.
- inability to experience pleasure (anhedonia) – it's implied he's asexual, and this could be one of the causes.
It's highly possible he has the genetic make-up for schizophrenia and the traumas in his childhood triggered/aggravated it. There seem to be corroborated factors in his case.
Now let's have a better look at the asexuality thing.
"Although Ronald doesn't have sex with girls. He's not a fairy. He just doesn't have sex." Zalchenko, TGWPWF.
Given the fact sex is one of the main themes of the novels, this little detail has to be significant. If you squint, a great number of the characters are defined by their sexuality. And here dear Ronniekins has none, which adds at his list of curiosities. If you consider he runs a sex trade business, this is just quiz. It's like being a confectioner and don't like sweets.
Throughout the book we see that Niedermann shows no romantic interest concerning the opposite sex, or even other men. In TGWKTHN, Ronald himself admits "he was not the least bit interested in having sex".
At this point I have a number of theories. I have discarded the one that it was his training by Zala to be the cause of him refraining from sex. You see, Zala is a sexual predator, with a long sexual history himself. It would have been the height of hypocrisy from him to teach his son not to do it because it's bad for business, when he had affairs and illegitimate children all over the Europe. And given the fact he considers Ronald to be "the perfect specimen" and has chosen him as his heir to the family crime business he might want the boy to pass on his genes. Again it's pure speculation, but Zalachenko seems to be the type who'd want to instate a crime business dynasty, and well, he's too old and crippled to sire more offspring and considers Ronald the only of his spawn to "live up to the Zalachenko genes." I can even picture him shoving Son towards a whore and cheering "C'mon boy, give it your best!" while disgusted Ronald pouts: "No dad! It has cooties!"
Also, he threatens Lisbeth to have her half brother rape her, which implies Ronald must have some sort of sexual experience, because you have to know "the mechanics" in order to be able to rape someone.
My second theory is that his supposed asexuality stems from his genetic abnormality, and is somewhat linked to his congenital analgesia (CA). It's a real life pathology that involves a mutation in the SCN9A gene, which provides instructions for making the alpha unit of the sodium channels NaV1.7. The result is nonfunctional alpha units that form altered NaV1.7 sodium channels in the neural membrane, thus the neural synapses are unable to transmit the pain stimulus further to the brain. Also, patients suffering of congenital analgesia are said to completely lack the sense of smell (anosmia) because olfactory sensory neurons have the same non functional sodium channels. As stated in the third book, he stayed in the same factory with two decomposing corpses for months. That must have stunk bad enough to convince a normal individual leave the lair or cut his nose off.
Oh, and as a curiosity, there's a link between sexual attraction and sense of smell, and some studies stated that anosmia can lead to asexuality because one cannot sense and respond to a potential partner's pheromones.
So, besides his inability to feel pain (and probably smell), Niedermann displays poor proprioception sense, which is one's ability to sense the relative position of neighboring parts of the body and strength of effort being employed in movement. This is supported by the fact he is unable to learn box, shows poor motor coordination, and has slow reflexes ("he telegraphed his punches months in advance" Paolo Roberto, TGWPWF) .His punches seem to do more damage than intended, suggested by the fact he would seriously injure his sparring mates at box in his teens.( "He didn't understand his own strength." Paolo Roberto )
In TGWKTHN he thinks: "He always had to move slowly and methodically and he had spent a lifetime mastering his body". Definitely a case of poor proprioception.
So far we know for sure he has two peripheral nervous system anomalies involving his receptors. It could be possible that there are further receptor anomalies and he poses an altered way of perceiving what normal people call pleasure.
Scientists have discovered that parts of the neural pathways for the two perceptions, pain and pleasure overlap and modulation of both sensations originates from neurons in the same locations, including the amygdala, the pallidum, and the nucleus accumbens. If Niedermann has an altered perception of pain, high chances are he also has an altered way of responding to pleasant stimulus. My theory is that he's equally indifferent to them. Now, sex is a lot about getting pleasure. If Niedermann cannot feel this sensation, there's no point for him in engaging in such activity. In medical terms, this is a form of anhedonia. Théodule-Armand Ribot, a French psychologist, pairs off anhedonia with analgesia. Interesting so far. Anhedonia is also considered a predictor for the schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, of which we have enough evidence Ronald suffers from.
Third theory about why Ronnie isn't doing it involves childhood sexual abuse (another theme often found in Larsson's books). With an implied violent childhood, this is very probable. It's not directly stated he was a victim of (sexual) abuse, but the way he killed Bjurman gives some clues. First, he admits hating Bjurman. Which, given the fact the lawyer was a business partner is just odd. He didn't know Bjurman for a long time, and the slimeball did no wronging to Ronald. So despising or pitying him is understandable, but hatred? Another interesting thing is that he has Bjurman undressed and forced to his knees before killing him. A waste of time when he could just have shot him on the spot. With Stieg Larsson's attention to the details this must have some significance. Now, psychologically speaking, both undressing and forcing to kneel are acts of both humiliation and disempowerment. Ronnie is showing Bjurman who's the boss. It's also quite a strong way to show someone you hate him. Another character that did this to Bjurman is Lisbeth, after he raped her and as a form of revenge for said act. I assume Bjurman told Zalachenko about him raping Lisbeth as the reason he wanted the CD, without knowing she's Zala's daughter.
"Bjurman was a moron. He couldn't believe it when he learned you were my daughter." TGWPWF
It's very likely Zala told Niedermann about Lisbeth's rape at Bjurman's hands. What we don't know is if Ronald knew she was his half-sister at this point and what was his reaction about her rape. Anyway, if he was the victim of a (sexual) abuse himself, Bjurman being a rapist is likely to cause, say, some resent. While Bjurman did not abused Niedermann, it's possible that in Ronnie's mind the lawyer represent his childhood abuser. Now that would trigger hatred and the way he killed Bjurman could be an attempt of revenge for his own abuse.
Theory number four. Niedermann is described as having a soft, childlike face and a high pitched voice. These features contrast sharply with his bodybuilder physique and suggest the reader something is wrong with this character even before we read what happens next. Coincidentally, said features are found in men with low testosterone levels, which is the hormone linked with the sex drive. Little testosterone in the bloodstream, no libido.
My take is that Ronnie is indeed asexual, in the sense he feels no urge to have sex, nor takes any pleasure or relief from the act.
Related characters (not necessarily of blood connexion).
His dad and boss Zala. We know Niedermann met his father when he was 23 and Zala guided (and used him) for the next 12 years. Zala is the one closest to Niedermann, and especially in the third book he's the one to cast some light on Ronald's character.
There are no details about Ronald's life before he met Zala, except the boxing bit and hanging around with the Skinhead gang. When Lisbeth accuses Zalachenko of having turned his son into a murderer, he replies that Niedermann had the ability to kill long before they met and he just helped him to realize his potential.
We are not told about how they met, except that it happened in the 90's, in Spain, while the old rat was convalescing after Lisbeth set him on fire. Still, it curious how Zalachenko figured out he stumbled across one of his spawn or why he decided to enlighten Ronald of his true parentage. The books don't reveal anything about this.
"The blond giant considered himself smart, but he had an enormous respect for Zala's almost uncanny strategic gifts. They had been working together for nearly twelve years. It had been a successful decade and he looked up to Zala with reverence. He could listen for hours as Zala explained human nature and its weaknesses and how one could profit from them."
This paragraph pretty much summarizes the relationship between the two of them. It's obvious Ronald considers Zala his mentor and respects him a lot. Could be just my imagination, but Niedermann seems proud, even honored he was chosen to carry on the family business. He also seems to crave his father's praise. During the family reunion, Ronald does exactly as told, never questioning his father's orders once.
It's probable that Zala was the one who initiated him in the crime business and taught him the trick of a successful trade. Also, Ronald seems to have ample knowledge about guns and it's likely it was also daddy who taught him.
So far, I can picture the way things worked between them. With Zala being an emaciated, handicapped old crone, he needed somebody trusty to the legwork for him.
So then, what Zala's opinion about Son? The book says:
"He did not want Niedermann to die. Niedermann was his son…" Awww, so touching, I almost thought he gives a damn for Son. And then "But regrettable as it was , Niedermann must not be captured alive..it would be a good thing if he were killed by the police." Dear Zala, ever the selfish pig. It's obvious that his "care" for Ronald stems from his concern over a useful tool – that's how he regards his son and not an ounce of paternal interest.
From Zala's monologue we are reasserted the Ronald indeed has mental issues. "He knew that something was not quite right in Niedermann's head, he saw visions, ghosts, even."
There's also another trait that Larsson has credited his character with. Niedermann is supposed to be an excellent organizer. He believes this about himself and Zalachenko confirms it. Given the fact he smuggled drugs, whores and weapons in Sweden for a decade, he must have some organizational skills. Now that would contradict his schizophrenia diagnosis. Schizoid people have a disorganized thinking and behavior and memory lapses. In these conditions, it could not been possible for him to be a drug dealer and avoid police's detection for so long.
I personally consider Ronald suffers of PSTD and some form of psychosis (he might be like his sister, a functional psychopath), but isn't actually schizophrenic. The symptoms of these mental disorders would have rendered him incapable to be Zala's efficient right hand for so long.
Little sister Salander.
Just as she noted, the two of them are diametrically opposite in speed and size. I wouldn't say intellect because Ronnie does some smart moves of his own, such as taking Dag Svensson's laptop from the crime scene and burning down the evidence of Miriam Wu's kidnapping . Larsson wrote them in counterpoint. Therefore Niedermann isn't any more strange a character than she is, because for every oddity he has, she displays one of her own. He is abnormally tall and strong, while she is unusual short and lacks muscle power. In regard to his congenital analgesia, Lisbeth has her photographic memory, which is just as unusual. I notice that while most would consider these traits an advantage for the characters, having them did both a disservice. In Ronald's case, his CA ultimately led to his defeat at his sister's hands and subsequent death, while for Lisbeth not being able to forget prevents her from getting over her childhood trauma. In the first book she regards her photographic memory as a curse.
In typical Zalachenko family fashion, the siblings share a strong mutual hatred after nearly killing each other. Ronald's hatred for her stems from his defeating him at his own game, something no one managed to do before. He's also wary of her because she's Zalachenko's daughter. It seems that in his mind Lisbeth gets the proportions of a supernatural foe, replacing his older phantoms. His illogical desire to destroy her could be somewhat cathartical.
Unlike Lisbeth, he does not seem to think about the consequences, which in case is explainable by being extremely strong and unable to feel pain. For Niedermann, physical coercion is out of the question. Also because of these traits he seems to consider himself above other men.
Ronald and Martin-who-hates-women-Vanger.
The two of them seem to have some things in common like abusive childhoods, evil fathers, and nasty sisters. However, unlike Martin, Ronald does not hate women. There's no evidence in the books he's a misogynist or that he treats women differently because of their gender. While Martin raped and killed women because he was a sadistic pig and enjoyed every moment, Ronald will dispose a female victim with sheer indifference and only if he has reason to do so. It's likely he killed the prostitute Irina Petrova, but he was motivated by her going to police and press and blowing up Zala's sex trade.
Also, the fact he left Anita Kaspersson alive when could have easily killed her excludes him from the circle of woman haters. Aside from stuffing her in the trunk and tying her up he did no other harm to her.
His interaction with the Russian girls at the brick house was also noteworthy. Zalachenko or Martin would have killed them on the spot, but Ronald feed them and even considered driving them to Kapellskar and sending them back home. In the end, he had no other alternative to killing them without risking exposure and before doing the deed he asks forgiveness. This is not what a man-hater like Martin or Zala would have done. Perhaps until some point in his life he was capable of feeling compassion, but Zala's training certainly drilled it out of him.
Another suggested thing is that in his mind woman does not equal whore. While he is largely indifferent to the opposite gender he doesn't like whores.
"He did not liked the trade in whores, through. He did not liked them at all, their make-up plastered faces, and shrill, drunken laughter. They were unclean." TGWPWF
It's obvious he runs the sex trade because of Zala's orders and not of his own volition. Also, Valentina's offer to give him sex for her life turned her into a whore in his eyes. He seem think a whore is less than a woman, an idea surely learned from Zala along with "All women were whores".
Re-reading the pages centered on his character, I have reason to believe Ronald's aggressive behavior is a result of the environment he grew up in and the way he was conditioned by Zala and not an inherent trait. First he takes no pleasure in killing other people. While characters like Zala and Martin thrive hurting women, Ronald does it as a necessity, or following orders. He killed only one of the two cops trying to escape and my guess is the he tortured Goransson to get the money he needed and the girlfriend was an unwanted witness.
He appears fond the "carrot and stick" method in interacting with his business partners. It's a basic form of punishment-reward learning system, and possibly Ronald himself was subjected to it throughout his life.
Likely for him violence is the only way he was taught to deal things with and while he uses it both to solve a problem and to reach a goal, he does not take any pleasure in hurting people. If you look closely, he is prone to beat somebody to death (on his own initiative and not at Zala's orders) especially under pressure, like when he is chased by the police. Also, given the mistakes he does and the panic he feels when the situations get out of his control, to say he has poor stress management is an understatement.
Another reason I think Niedermann does not posses an innate aggressive nature, is because he has no criminal record. Really, with his fantastic strength and no Sapo to cover up his mess, if he were prone to get in bar fights like daddy he'd have ended in prison for violence long ago.
To sum it up, Ronald Niedermann is a victim of circumstances, where abuse and conditioning corroborated in making him the man he is in the novels. Unlike Lisbeth, whom besides the long list of abusers has some people like Holger Palmgren, Dragan Armanski and Blomkvist that supported her, it's likely that throughout his life Niedermann had no positive examples or somebody to correct his ways. Zalachenko surely was not the model role he needed.
He is not a flat, one dimensional character, and does not fit into the misogynist man stereotype so often found in Larsson's work. Instead, Niedermann seems to be the physical embodiment of the power in the wrong hands, another common theme in the novels. It's sad that Larsson uses Niedermann more like a literary eccentricity instead of developing him more as a character. It's a pity he only lasted two books, he could have been a useful plot device, but then again the author didn't lived much longer either.
As a trivia fact, Niedermann is a common German name that comes from "nieder" meaning low, primitive, down and "mann" meaning man.