Character Clues

Character Analysis

Actions

To do or not to do that is certainly a question… well, except in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Characters that choose to act make the right decisions, while those who do nothing—or worse, choose to talk in a time of necessary action—are shown to be in the wrong. At the very least, they become a roadblock to proper action, which may actually be worse than being wrong.

Take Mannie and Wright's short but bitter relationship. When Mannie acts and starts Operation Hard Rock, Wright is outraged and has several questions he wants answered. Mannie responds, "Tired of this nonsense! Was told to do job, did it. Get this yammerheard off my back!" (26.106). Notice how yammerhead (read: one whose head is full of talk) is used as an insult. Also notice the end results: Mannie saves Luna and defends its independence while Wright is quietly disposed of so as not to hinder Mannie's efforts.

But what about Prof? That guy talks so much you wonder if he gets paid by the word. That's a fair point. Sometimes it seems as though half the book is him yammering on about something, right?

Well, Prof is a character who both acts and talks. Pay attention to his lectures and speeches, and you'll notice that most of his dialogue is explanation of how he will act or why he acted the way he did. Prof, for all his talk-talk, is a man of action through and through.

Occupation

One's job can determine characterization, too, by drawing the lines between those who will side with the revolution's ideals and those who will not.

People who perform more labor-intensive jobs mostly swing with the revolutionaries. Mannie is a computer technician and former driller, and he obviously sides with the revolution. Judge Brody, another former driller, and Finn Nielson do as well. Farmers also side with the revolution ideals. During the Sons of Revolution rally, several of the speakers are farmers complaining about how unfair life is under the Authority's rule (2.55).

As for the Authority, its members are police officers, soldiers, and politicians. The Warden and Chairman (more on them over in the "Characters" section) are perfect examples of this. Also notice that these types of occupations draw salaries from, you guessed it, the Authority.

The oddballs out for this characterization are, of course, the Luna Congress. Some members of the Congress side with the revolution's rational anarchist ideals, while others, such as the congresswoman who wants to instate blue laws on Luna (14.138), misinterpret the purpose of the revolution. Granted, this doesn't mean the Congress sides with the Authority, but it also doesn't mean they are siding with the revolution's true intentions either.

When it comes to the Luna Congress, all bets are off. Best listen to their ideas to determine characterization rather than relying on occupation.

Speech and Dialogue

The novel's emphasis on action and occupation doesn't mean there is no room to consider speech, and it proves a key factor in determining characterization. Let's consider how our three main characters talk:

• Mannie speaks in a chipped manner with a lot of slang. For example, "Wyoh, don't borrow trouble. Haven't even settled how we leave this pooka without being nabbed" (7.45). 
• Prof, on the other hand, verbalizes with longer sentences and uses more academic sounding words: "A rational anarchist believes that concepts such as 'state' and 'society' and 'government' have no existence save as physically exemplified in the acts of self-responsible individuals" (6.43).
• Finally, Wyoh's dialogue tends to have more exclamation points and words in emphasis italics than the others: "But… what we don't have is a free market. We must get rid of the Authority!" (2.64).

How each of these characters speaks informs us of their personalities. Mannie's slang-heavy dialogue tells us he's a man who has spent his time on the street, working blue-collar jobs and being amongst the ordinary people. Conversely, Prof's use of longer sentences and larger words clues us into his intelligence and education. And Wyoh is a passionate person, something her dialogue tells us well before Mannie gets around to knowing her.

As for Mike, well, just listen to him: "Luna's mass to three significant figures is seven point three six times ten to the nineteenth power tonnes" (6.173). Any guy who speaks like that has to be a computer.