I think the theme of the victim is a very interesting one in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. There are many different opposing representations of the victim. Lisbeth Salander is a contradiction as she has the appearance of a victim, and is viewed as a victim or the perfect candidate for a victim by Armansky and Bjurman, however, she refuses to be victimized or allow herself to be characterized as a victim; her behavior is often that of a hero. Even when she is sexually assaulted by Bjurman, "Advokat Bjurman had chosen her as a victim," she refuses to play the role of one (277). She knows that she has to rescue herself, so she is her own rescuer, her own hero. However, Salander does not just rescue herself but also Blomkvist when he is being strangled by Martin. She rejects the role of the victim.
This is in contrast to the behavior of Harriet Vanger. She is the victim of the sexual abuse of both her brother and her father and instead of gaining revenge like Salander, she allows this victimization to define her. She is so conditioned to the role of the victim that the only we she can escape is to change her identity, she can't fight back.
Wennerstrom and his corporation play the role of the victim when Mikael publishes his initial story about them because it allows them to be viewed in a sympathetic light. Mikael, however, is the true, unsung victim of the company's deceit. He is forced to go to jail for writing a story that Wennerstrom had set up, for falling into the trap.
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