# Helge Gram — Jenny character guide > Helge Gram in Jenny by Sigrid Undset. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Helge, Gram **First appearance:** 0000-part-i-i ## Snapshot A young Norwegian newly arrived in Rome, Helge Gram falls for Jenny Winge with an ardor that outruns his understanding of her or of himself. ## Who they are Helge enters the artists' circle as a newcomer, eager and uncertain, and quickly becomes the center of Jenny's emotional life. He loves her sincerely but cannot see past his own needs, and his conventional assumptions about women and marriage press against her hard-won independence. His father Gert complicates the picture, and Helge's inability to grasp what Jenny is really asking of him shapes the novel's painful middle. ## Relationships ### [Mother](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/characters/mother) _family_ Helge has a close, dependent relationship with his mother, who enables his obsessive behavior toward Jenny. ### [Gunnar Heggen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/characters/gunnar_heggen) _rivalry_ Gunnar and Helge are rivals for Jenny's affection, with mutual resentment and jealousy. ### [Miss Jahrman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/characters/miss_jahrman) _social_ Helge knows Miss Jahrman as Cesca's relative, maintaining a distant, formal acquaintance. ### [Father](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/characters/father) _family_ Father disapproves of Helge as a son-in-law, seeing him as weak and unsuitable for Jenny. ### [Mr. Gram](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/characters/mr_gram) _family_ Helge and Mr. Gram have a strained father-son relationship, with Mr. Gram critical of Helge's choices. ### [Mother](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/characters/mother) _family_ Helge has a close, dependent relationship with his mother, who enables his obsessive behavior toward Jenny. ### [Father](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/characters/father) _family_ Father disapproves of Helge as a son-in-law, seeing him as weak and unsuitable for Jenny. ### [Gunnar Heggen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/characters/gunnar_heggen) _rivalry_ Gunnar and Helge are rivals for Jenny's affection, with mutual resentment and jealousy. ### [Miss Jahrman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/characters/miss_jahrman) _social_ Helge knows Miss Jahrman as Cesca's relative, maintaining a distant, formal acquaintance. ### [Miss Jahrman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/characters/miss_jahrman) _social_ Helge knows Miss Jahrman as Cesca's relative, maintaining a distant, formal acquaintance. ### [Mr. Gram](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/characters/mr_gram) _family_ Helge and Mr. Gram have a strained father-son relationship, with Mr. Gram critical of Helge's choices. ### [Gunnar Heggen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/characters/gunnar_heggen) _rivalry_ Gunnar and Helge are rivals for Jenny's affection, with mutual resentment and jealousy. ## In the story ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/chapters/part-i-i) Arrives in Rome, feels lonely and excited, explores the city, and meets Jenny and Cesca. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/chapters/part-i-ii) Feels like an outsider among the artists, reflecting on his struggles and newfound freedom in Rome. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/chapters/part-i-iii) Reveals his father's unfulfilled artistic ambitions and his own conflict between family expectations and his desire for scientific work. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/chapters/part-i-v) Helge is in Rome, struggling to find affordable rooms and feeling isolated. He is drawn to Francesca and begins to develop romantic feelings for her. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/chapters/part-i-vi) Nervous and awkward around Francesca, finds it easier to talk seriously with Jenny. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/chapters/part-i-vii) Confesses his love for Jenny during the birthday outing, expressing his feelings openly and asking for a kiss. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/chapters/part-i-ix) Visits Jenny for tea, shares his past engagement and views on marriage, and shows tenderness towards her. ### [The Slow Growth of Love](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/chapters/part-i-x) Shows affection and desire for Jenny, but also displays a certain immaturity and need for reassurance. He is seen as less strong and independent than Jenny, which raises concerns among others. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/chapters/part-i-xi) Carves their initials, expresses doubts about the future, and struggles with the impending separation. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/chapters/part-ii-i) Jenny's lover, who remains in Italy. She writes him a letter full of yearning and thinks of him constantly. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/chapters/part-ii-ii) Absent but central; Jenny reads his letters and visits his parents on his behalf. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/chapters/part-ii-iii) Discussed at length by Jenny and his father; his relationship with Jenny and his family dynamics are central to the conversation. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/chapters/part-ii-iv) Surprises Jenny in Kristiania, having told his family he is in Berlin. Becomes jealous and upset about Jenny's interactions with his father, and expresses hatred for his home. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/chapters/part-ii-v) Torn between his love for Jenny and his loyalty to his troubled family. He confides in Jenny about his parents' unhappy marriage and his own childhood suffering. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/chapters/part-ii-vi) Returns home and argues with Jenny about her coming home with his father. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/chapters/part-ii-vii) Confronts Jenny, expressing his deep-seated jealousy and fear of losing her. He believes he is inherently jealous like his mother and feels estranged from Jenny, leading him to leave when she cannot give him the absolute reassurance he demands. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/chapters/part-ii-viii) Mentioned as having left for Kongsberg, his absence prompting the conversation. ### [X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/chapters/part-ii-x) Though not present, he is a central topic of conversation. Jenny asks about him, and Gert reports that he is working on his doctorate essay and is not writing to his mother. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/chapters/part-iii-xi) Visits Jenny in Rome, revealing his parents' divorce and his own troubled past. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/chapters/part-iii-xi) Mentioned as the man who was with Jenny when she died. Gunnar considers him a casual stranger and feels no vengeance, only a distant pity. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/characters/helge_gram - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jenny_se/characters