Abigail Greenberg Greenberg 1Professor Suzanne GittlemanIntroduction to literatureMarch 10, 2014Mikael Blomkvist and Lisabeth Salander are characters who immediately intrigue you. Mikael Blomkvist is a journalist, editor-in-chief and co-owner of the financial magazine Millennium. Blomkvist's main goal in his career is to show the truth in every case and build a better reputation. Lisabeth Salander is a character with a mysterious and painful past. She is independent, stubborn and intelligent. She is able to use her intelligence to get by with many things and solve various problems that arise. Salander and Blomkvist develop a close personal and professional relationship that develops throughout the story. In The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson, Lisabeth and Mikael change at the end of the novel. Lisabeth is able to grow emotionally and allow herself to become vulnerable with Mikael and the others. Mikael is able to solve problems more effectively because he doesn't worry too much about what's right or wrong, allowing him to achieve his goals romantically and professionally. Lisabeth strongly believes in staying alone, staying safe, and being self-sufficient. She enjoys being alone and likes things to be done alone. She does not maintain long or deep relationships with others and is often distant, making it difficult to break into her shell. “She was perfectly content as long as people left her in peace” (Larsson 430-431). She has always been alone and likes it. Lisabeth had to make many crucial decisions throughout the book. Lisabeth chooses not to live with foster families and not answer to anyone at school. She chooses to be a hacker and work for Milton's security and...... middle of paper...... shows him that she is important and different from everyone's opinion 'She. If one definition of the main character or protagonist is that the character changes over the course of the story, Mikael and Lisabeth show this to be true throughout the story. They both change by the end of the book and we, as readers, feel a strong connection between the two of them that shapes who they become in the future. Mikael and Lisabeth's characters are very relatable to most new relationships that develop and can usually end in heartbreak. Mikael shaped Lisabeth to become more outgoing and social although we wonder about her attitude at the end of the book when she loses trust in Mikael after seeing him with Berger. Even though Mikael left her heartbroken, her journey with him allowed both characters to grow and learn from each other..