Character Clues
Character Analysis
Actions
Folks like Nietzsche were pretty big on the whole "to do is to be" thing… as opposed to "to be is to do" or "do be do be do".
In Nostromo, characters' actions speak louder than words. We get a feel for Colonel Sotillo's (lack of) bravery when he pretends to be sick in bed (er, in hammock) to avoid having to go meet with Pedro Montero. When Montero's messenger is about to come up to fetch him:
The colonel, seizing his head in his hands, turned in his tracks as if struck with vertigo. A flash of craven inspiration suggested to him an expedient not unknown to European statesmen when they wish to delay a difficult negotiation. Booted and spurred, he scrambled into the hammock with undignified haste. (III.9.7)
Pretty cowardly, eh? Not that we blame him… hopefully he knows the ol' thermometer-and-light bulb trick.
Social Status
Social status tells us a lot about the power certain of Nostromo's characters hold over others… and probably in what area of Costaguana they eat lunch.
In discussing Charles Gould with the doctor, the chief engineer of the railway remarks that Gould's status has basically made him like a king in Sulaco:
"Haven't they come to calling him 'El Rey de Sulaco' in Sta. Marta? A nickname may be the best record of a success. That's what I call putting the face of a joke upon the body of a truth. My dear sir, when I first arrived in Sta. Marta I was struck by the way all those journalists, demagogues, members of Congress, and all those generals and judges cringed before a sleepy-eyed advocate without practice simply because he was the plenipotentiary of the Gould Concession. Sir John when he came out was impressed, too." (III.1.30)
So, even though Gould is kind of quiet and "sleepy-eyed," his class status makes him powerful or even scary/cringe-worthy in the eyes of these generals and judges. Just one more way in which being wealthy is awesome.
Thoughts and Opinions
When Martin Decoud is talking to Antonia about their future plans, his cynical and self-serving thoughts definitely tell us a lot about his personality and moral compass:
"I have the greatest tenderness for your father," he began, hurriedly. "But I love you, Antonia! And Moraga has miserably mismanaged this business. Perhaps your father did, too; I don't know. Montero was bribeable. Why, I suppose he only wanted his share of this famous loan for national development. Why didn't the stupid Sta. Marta people give him a mission to Europe, or something? He would have taken five years' salary in advance, and gone on loafing in Paris, this stupid, ferocious Indio!" (II.5.59)
Hmm, where to begin—his willingness to bribe, perhaps? Or perhaps the racial slurs? Any way you slice it, the moment reveals that Decoud's pragmatism comes with some moral squishiness.
Speech and Dialogue
Sometimes characters do a pretty good job just telling us how we should view them—or other characters, for that matter. For an example of the latter, look at what Nostromo has to say about Doctor Monygham when they meet up after Nostromo's adventure with the silver:
"Maledetto! You follow me speaking of the treasure. You have sworn my ruin. You were the last man who looked upon me before I went out with it. And Sidoni the engine-driver says you have an evil eye." (III.9.137)
Here, not only do we learn that Nostromo thinks the doctor is evil, but everyone else does as well. Of course, from the doctor's own thoughts, we know that he's just a boy standing in front of a girl named Mrs. Gould, (silently) asking her to love him…