User:Inwifisdf429---293/Jussi Koskela

Plot
Jussi has becomen a crofter for the same reason as the countless married and intending to be married farm hands before him. The croft offered relative independence and a opportunity to test his strength. Taksvärks to the vicarage are harmful, but Jussi doesn't embitter because he understands that the rent has to be paid in some form. Worst days are "Forced Days", those days still have paychecks, but they usually are at days, where you definately have to take care of your own plantations. The most annoying is work, that Jussi thinks is wasting time. Can't refuse to work on "Forced Days", because otherwise Jussis worst nightmare could happen. Getting kicked out of the croft.

Building the croft and drying the swamp. Jussi had to work before the farms cleared on the swamp produced even modest results. Later he gets awarded the clearance medal from the agricultural society.

Death of the old provost and the new young priest from Helsinki to his farm increased Jussis uncertanity. Lauri Salpakari is open-minded and kind, but under the slipper of the strong-willed and power hungry wife Ellen. Salpakari continues Jussis croft contract "for now" and by the condition of the church council "Unless the goverments benefit doesn't insist otherwise". By Ellen's will and church concils decision a generous third of Koskelas crofts land will be taken back to the vicarage in 1904. Which designates Jussi, like the other crofters to be fully under the mercy of the host. Jussi becomes bitter. But as he is humble in nature he doesn't try to go against them and accepts the reality and grips back to work without worrying about his physical pain.

Jussi Koskela is married to Alma, which she gets three boys with: Akseli, Aleksis and Augusti. The oldest of the boys, Akseli later inherits Koskela. August ”Aku” ja Aleksis were sentenced to be executed in a field trial after the Finnish Civil War. Jussi suffers a stroke during his toilet drip at the middle of a summer day in 1922 and dies in the fall at the age of 68.

Personality
Jussi is snappy and silent but a hard working man. Many unpleasant experiences make his personality even harder, such as continous back pain caused by working, uncertainty about future and later the boys death. Through his whole life he was an honest man, which treats gentlemen respectfully.

According to Nils-Börje Stormbom Under the North Star trilogys name of the Swedish translation of the first part Högt bland Saarijarvis moar. Precisely the same as the original name of the poem Saarijärven Paavo, which was written by Johan Ludvig Runeberg, it wasn't picked randomly and it was intentionally ironic. Saarijärven Paavo and Koskelan Jussi had a common trait, when frost destroyed the grain harvest, they both dig a "Two times bigger ditch". But Jussi doesn't have even a little bit of the Runebergs hero characters bright, overly confident, heroically noble and generous personality traits. It's the other way around, in the book there isnt a worse cheapskate than Jussi, whos stinginess goes over the boundaries of Comedy. If you do a thought experiment and place Jussi at the head of the vicarage, how fretful and demanding host he would be and what the farm hands and crofters would think of him. This is how the same laws control farm owners and landless and are plagued by the same shortcomings.

Edvin Laine directed two films based on the book; Here, Beneath the North Star (1968) ja Akseli and Elina (1970). In both movies Jussi Koskela was portrayed by Risto Taulo. In Timo Koivusalos Täällä Pohjantähden alla (2009) ja Täällä Pohjantähden alla II (2010) movies Jussi Koskela was portrayed by Risto Tuorila.