A Northern Light Society and Class Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Title.Paragraph)

Quote #4

"It's wonderful here in the woods," Miss Wilcox said, swerving to avoid a squirrel. "Such freedom! You can do whatever you like and no one minds." No, but how they talk! I thought. Glean, my word of the day that day, is a good word. It is old and small, not showy. It has a simple meaning—to gather after the reapers—and then meanings inside the meanings, like images in a prism. It is a farming word, but it fits people other than farmers. Aunt Josie never bent her back in a field one day in her life, but she is a gleaner. She combs other people's leavings—hints, hearsay, dropped words—looking for nuggets of information, trying to gather enough bits together to make a whole story. (22.glean.25-27)

This is the crux of life in a small town: everyone gets all up in your business. Gossip runs rampant, secrets are impossible, and Aunt Josie is the manifestation of all of these meddling traits. Miss Wilcox hasn't yet realized that even though there are striking differences between rural and urban life, social rules and restrictions exist in both of them. And often, these rules and restrictions are far more similar than different.

Quote #5

No one spoke for a few seconds. I could hear the clock ticking and the sound of my own breathing. Then Lou quietly said, "Cripes, Mattie. You oughtn't to talk like that." (22.glean.80)

Mattie feels so passionately about telling the truth in writing and literature that she lets her words get away from her as she explains what literature should be like to Miss Wilcox and Lou. It is important that Lou, as the most rebellious of the Gokey girls, is the one who admonishes Mattie for her beliefs about literature.

For all Lou's rebellion, she still operates within the social boundaries of society, not reaching above or below what people expect of her. But here, Lou realizes that Mattie is much more rebellious than she is; in fact, Lou, who habitually breaks social rules, is the one encouraging Mattie to conform.

Quote #6

My whole life is ruined and in a measure yours is, too. Of course it's worse for me than for you, but the world and you, too, may think I am the one to blame, but somehow I can't—just simply can't think I am, Chester. I said no so many times, dear. Of course the world will not know that but it's true all the same. (24.31)

As Mattie reads one of Grace's letters, she figures out that Grace is pregnant—and the social consequences of pregnancy out of wedlock are pretty awful for the woman. Grace's fatalistic view that society will blame her instead of Chester for becoming pregnant is unfair (especially since it sounds like rape might've been a factor) but absolutely on point for the time.