Character Clues

Character Analysis

Actions

The action pretty much never quits in Sabriel, so it makes sense that action helps define the characters in this book. We get the idea that Sabriel's incredibly brave when we see her set off into the cold, snowy Old Kingdom on her skis, "[…] practically flying up the road, a slim, dark figure against the white of the ground" (3.54). No hesitation, no whining—that's determination right there, for you.

And what could be a better indicator of evil than stealing a newborn baby? Or murdering your family? Come on, Kerrigor, make this a little harder for us. His actions are pure evil from the first pages of the prologue straight through the end, and we never doubt this dude's intentions for so much as a second.

Touchstone, chivalrous to the core, makes an impression by immediately kneeling in front of Sabriel. And later on, he's always quick to defend Sabriel with his sword, which doesn't really come as a surprise—we can tell that this guy is a knight in shining armor, even if he first arrives totally naked.

In this action-packed plot, characters are always on the move, and their decisions reveal a lot about their personalities.

Thoughts and Opinions

From the minute we meet Sabriel, she has a strong sense of her role in the world, and what the Abhorsen is supposed to do. We often see Sabriel's thoughts in contrast to other characters—Horyse, for example, doesn't want her to go into the Old Kingdom alone, as it's his opinion that he wouldn't let his own daughter go. Protective, much? But as much as Horyse's opinion clues us into the fact that he cares about his daughter, it also shows us—by contrast—just how brave Sabriel is for thinking she's up for this challenge.

When Sabriel meets Mogget, the two of them immediately disagree on a plan of action, setting Mogget up as the character who often has opinions contrary to Sabriel's. Sabriel argues in favor of rescuing her dad, saying:

"Father is not yet truly dead […] I felt his presence, though he is trapped beyond many gates. I could bring him back." (8.54)

Mogget disagrees though, and replies:

"You must not […] You are Abhorsen, and must put the dead to rest. Your path is chosen." (8.55)

Yup—these two are definitely not on the same page. Which makes sense, of course, since they're vastly different characters—differences that are repeatedly illuminated as the story unfolds and these two form contrasting assessments of the situations they find themselves in.