Character Clues
Character Analysis
Actions
A Northern Light might not be on the same level as, say, the Die Hard series when it comes to action, but what the characters do is still important. Just look at what Weaver does when he's told to get a man's bag at the train station:
"Right away, boss!"
Weaver picked up the largest one, a sleek leather suitcase with shiny brass clasps, lifted it over his head, and threw it on the ground. (14.monochromatic.65-66)
Although Weaver acts out of anger and this action gives us insight into just how deep his intolerance of racism runs, the words in the scene are still more important than any action a character takes. It's words that instigate Weaver's behavior, and it's words that calm the man down so that he doesn't act against Weaver.
But then we also have actions that speak louder than words do, like when Mattie realizes how hard her father is working to keep the farm running and the family together. No words are spoken here between the two of them, but his actions mean more than words anyway:
I looked at him. And saw the sweat stains on his shirt. And his big, scarred hands. And his dirty, weary face. I remembered how, lying in my bed a few nights before, I had looked forward to showing him my uncle's money. To telling him I was leaving.
And I was so ashamed. (17.sesquipedalian.51-52)
Pa might not tell his daughters he loves them on the regular, but goodness does he show it by toiling away every day on the farm. Along this line, equally important is what isn't said throughout the novel. Check out how Pa acts when Mattie goes to work at the Glenmore for the first time:
He lifted my bag down, walked me to the kitchen door, and peered inside. I waited for him to hand me the carpetbag, but he didn't. He held it hard against him. "Well, you going in or not?" he asked me.
"I need my bag, Pa."
As he handed it to me, I saw he'd gripped it so tightly his knuckles had turned white. We were not the kissing kind, me and Pa, but I wished that maybe he would at least hug me good-bye. (29.icosahedron.23-25)
They're not the talking kind either, but clearly Pa is going to miss his daughter—the way he holds the suitcase is indication enough. But that's just the nature of some of the characters; their actions speak for them in ways that words can't.
Family Life
In A Northern Light, how people interact with their families lets us into their psyches and shows us what they value. So although Mattie finds her family annoying and her responsibilities great, she still drops everything to help them when they get sick, while Weaver is willing to sacrifice his dream of college to stay and help his mother when she gets hurt (45.leporine). And of course Pa sacrifices his love of working on the river for his wife's happiness and to support his family (16.recouriumphoration).
Even Royal's actions are rooted in familial ties; he tries to push Emmie Hubbard off her land because he wants his mother to regain her pride, in a way (40.ideal). In other words, Shmoopsters, pay attention to how characters treat their families throughout the novel, because it can help you learn what makes them tick.
Thoughts and Opinions
Because of the nature of first person narration, we mostly get to know Mattie and the people around her through her thoughts and opinions. Conversely, we don't actually have insight into other people's thoughts and opinions except through speech and dialogue. Which means we have to accept Mattie's thoughts as inherently biased.
Mattie's thoughts are interspersed throughout the novel, though they pop up most often when she reflects on actions that are happening in the plot, like when Minnie has her babies or when Weaver reacts violently to the racist man at the gas station. All the reflection can make for a slower paced read, but since all of these thoughts and opinions help Mattie progress toward the path she ends up choosing toward her future, we can't really blame her for being so deliberate in her thoughts.
Speech and Dialogue
As sharp as we know Mattie is, she doesn't have a comprehensive view of the world. First person narration is kind of limiting like that, so instead we have to infer what other people think about a character from speech and dialogue. This is especially relevant any time Mattie overhears or eavesdrops on anyone (be sure to check out her write-up in the "Characters" section for more on this):
There was a pause, then Mrs. Mclntyre said, "He wouldn't want Emmie gone, anyway."
Their voices dropped way down low then. I stretched my neck as long as a giraffe's, but I couldn't hear a thing. Only "...disgraceful, Josie..." and "...I wouldn't tolerate it..." and "...fills her belly, all right..." I couldn't sense their meaning but thought they must be talking bad of Emmie like most everyone does. (20.tottlish,frowy,blat,meaching.41-42)
We know exactly what the two women are gossiping about—the relationship between Frank Loomis and Emmie Hubbard—because of their word choice, but Mattie is too sexually inexperienced and innocent to make the same inference. As we read the novel, a lot is revealed to us through the conversations that Mattie overhears, so we should keep an eye out for these instances. People say things when they think she's not around that we might otherwise not be privy to.