Although only a few instances of overt racism appear in A Northern Light, race and racial inequality still are profoundly prevalent in the community, especially for Weaver Smith and his mother. (For a more on race during the early 20th century, click on through.) They are first and foremost black people living in a white world, and this impacts both their practical and psychological realities. So though the openly racist interactions are few in number, race courses like an undercurrent through this story.
Questions About Race
- Why might Donnelly have made Weaver, Mattie's best friend, both black and male? Why not some other combination of race and gender?
- What do the instances of open racism Weaver experiences reveal to us about what he values? What do they reveal about the community in which he lives?
- How does Weaver's father's death affect both the actions we see him take in the novel and his dreams for his future?
- What is Weaver's emotional response to the racism he experiences? His mother's emotional response? If these responses are different, why might they be so?
Chew on This
Racism derails Weaver's dreams, and his inability to rally—unlike Mattie—shows that hard as it may be to be a woman in 1906, it's still harder to be a black man.
Weaver is the only character besides Mattie who truly understands what it's like to hold hope for yourself that exceeds the station you are born into.