Hass und Liebe sind zwei Seiten einer Medaille

Hass und Liebe sind zwei Seiten einer Medaille is a family saying that Harry Hole recalls from his father, Olav Hole. Harry gives the image a hopeful extension: hatred need not be a final condition, but may be the beginning of a movement back toward love and different choices.

The Saying and Its Meaning

The saying presents love and hate not as unrelated opposites but as two faces of one coin. In Olav’s version, love comes first and hatred is its reverse side. The metaphor makes hatred inseparable from the feeling it obscures: the possibility of love remains within the same emotional relationship.

Harry’s Reinterpretation

Harry draws a further conclusion from his father’s idea. If love can turn into hate, he reasons, a person might also take the other path, moving from hatred toward love. He frames hatred as a possible starting point for learning, changing, and behaving differently the next time. The saying thus becomes more than an explanation of emotional opposites; in Harry’s hands, it offers a cautious account of moral change.

The Scene’s Counterpoint

The exchange does not present Harry’s optimism as an assured resolution. His companion responds with sarcasm, treating his hope as almost nauseating, and the organ then enters the refrain with a sound described as sharp and shrill, like a circular saw. That harsh interruption counters the gentleness of Harry’s proposition: the possibility of change is voiced, but the scene gives it no easy or triumphant confirmation.