Characters
Aunt Josie Aber
Aunt Josie, who is Mattie's mother's sister, is married to Uncle Vernon, a sawmill owner. This connection gives her enough wealth to assist Mattie with her travel costs to Barnard. However, Aunt Josie is a house-proud and frivolous gossip, known for spending lavishly on expensive figurines. She also discourages Mattie from reading anything other than the Bible. When Mattie approaches her aunt for financial assistance, Josie criticizes her for being "on a high horse."
Emily Baxter
See Miss Emily Wilcox
Belinda Becker
Belinda is engaged to Dan Loomis, who is the older brother of Royal Loomis. To Mattie, she embodies the qualities expected of a good wife: a certain giggly, superficial social charm, coupled with limited intelligence.
Grace Brown
The character Grace Brown is inspired by a real woman with the same name, who was murdered by Chester Gillette in 1906 at Big Moose Lake in the Adirondacks. The author incorporates excerpts from genuine letters Grace wrote to Chester after discovering her pregnancy. The novel accurately depicts the circumstances of Grace's death, serving as a cautionary tale for the fictional Mattie Gokey, who is on the verge of her first romantic relationship. Grace entrusts her letters to Mattie the morning before her disappearance and death, asking her to destroy them.
Minnie Compeau
Minnie is Mattie's closest friend and is already married and expecting a child at the novel's start. When Mattie helps deliver Minnie's twins and later observes her struggles with nursing and household duties, she realizes that literature often misrepresents the realities of childbirth and motherhood. Mattie is challenged in several ways by her friend's experiences. Primarily, she understands how challenging, if not impossible, it will be to combine motherhood with a writing career. Additionally, she recognizes the importance of writers conveying even the harsh truths of daily life. Through Minnie, Mattie realizes that marrying Royal might not bring the happiness she desires.
At the Glenmore Hotel, everyone refers to Mrs. Hennessey as Cook. She oversees the kitchen and supervises Mattie and her colleagues working in the dining room. A warm, maternal figure, Cook expresses concern over the girls' casual attitudes toward men and advises them to consider Grace Brown's fate as they navigate their romantic involvements.
Charlie Eckler
Mr. Eckler is the captain of the pickle boat, which operates as a floating grocery store and lending library for the community. He supplies Mattie with novels and fresh composition books for her writing endeavors.
Uncle Fifty is Mattie's uncle and Pa's younger, impulsive brother. After being away for years, he arrives drunk and collapses face-first into the manure pile. Despite his reckless nature, he encourages Mattie to pursue her dream of attending college, offering generous gifts and promising financial support for her to attend Barnard College. Unfortunately, he is a fugitive due to an unspecified crime and leaves town before fulfilling his promise to Mattie.
Francois Pierre Gauthier
See Uncle Fifty
Chester Gillette
The character Chester Gillette is inspired by the real-life figure who murdered Grace Brown. Chester was the impoverished nephew of the wealthy owner of the Gillette Skirt Company in Cortland, New York, where Grace worked as a pattern cutter. Grace was among several women the charming young man pursued, but her unexpected pregnancy threatened both his social ambitions and his quest for a prosperous future. Grace wrote to him, pleading and threatening, hoping he would rescue her from the shame of being an unwed mother. Using the alias Carl Graham, he lured Grace to the Glenmore Hotel, took her rowing, and drowned her. He was found guilty of first-degree murder...
(This entire section contains 1976 words.)
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and executed at Auburn Prison on March 30, 1908.
Abby Gokey
Abby is Mattie's 14-year-old sister and the family peacemaker. Quiet and diligent, she supports Mattie's aspiration to attend college.
Beth Gokey
Beth is Mattie's youngest sister, only five years old, and the baby of the Gokey family.
Ellen Gokey
See Mamma
Lawton Gokey
Lawton is Mattie's older brother who leaves the family shortly after their mother's passing. His disappearance is a significant mystery for Mattie and a burden, complicating her decision to leave her father alone to manage the farm. Throughout the novel, Mattie gains insight into why Lawton abandoned the hardships of farm life, which aids her in making her own choice to leave.
Lou Gokey
Lou is Mattie's 11-year-old tomboy sister. Mattie fears Lou might get into trouble or follow in Lawton's footsteps by running away. Lou shares a close bond with Pa until he becomes distant after Mamma's death.
Lousia Gokey
See Lou Gokey
Mathilda Gokey
See Mattie Gokey
Mattie Gokey
Mattie, a sixteen-year-old, is the narrator and central character of A Northern Light. She is academically gifted and ambitious, facing a pivotal decision when presented with the chance to marry the attractive and hardworking Royal Loomis. Mattie must choose between the perceived security of a traditional marriage and the personal fulfillment she believes she will find by attending college and becoming a writer. The tragic death of Grace Brown, along with Mattie's emotional connection to Grace through her letters, motivates Mattie to pursue the potential that Grace was denied. She finds a path to self-fulfillment and a way to care for the family she must leave behind.
Carl Graham
Carl Graham is the alias Chester Gillette uses when he registers at the Glenmore Hotel with the intent to kill Grace Brown. See Chester Gillette.
Hamlet
Hamlet is the Great Dane that Mattie is tasked with feeding and walking daily at the Glenmore Hotel. The dog plays a crucial role in her and her friends' scheme to stop Mr. Maxwell from sexually harassing the waitresses at the Glenmore.
Mrs. Hennessey
See Cook.
Henry
Henry, also known as Heinrich, works as the assistant chef in the kitchen at the Glenmore Hotel.
Emmie Hubbard
Emmie Hubbard is a mother of seven children who faces losing her home to a public auction due to unpaid back taxes. She is often perceived by others as unstable. Mattie learns that Emmie is a victim of sexual abuse by her future father-in-law, Frank Loomis. Additionally, Royal, Mattie's prospective husband, has filed for the lien on Emmie's property to purchase it cheaply. Royal's lack of empathy for Emmie's plight influences Mattie's choice not to marry him. Mattie collects funds to cover Emmie's back taxes, saving her home. This allows Emmie to offer shelter to Weaver Smith's mother after their family home is destroyed by fire, fostering a supportive and safe environment for Emmie and Mrs. Smith, while enabling Weaver to pursue college.
Tommy Hubbard
Tommy is Emmie Hubbard's eldest son and a frequent guest at the Gokey family dinner table. He eventually takes a job assisting Pa with farm work, which eases Mattie's transition away from the family.
Frank Loomis
Frank Loomis is the father of Royal and owns ninety acres of land next to the Gokey farm. Mattie discovers him assaulting Emmie Hubbard in her kitchen and learns he is the father of three of her seven children. This shocking revelation heightens her awareness that people often aren't who they appear to be.
Royal Loomis
Royal Loomis is Mattie's attractive yet simple-minded suitor. He fails to comprehend Mattie's ambition to attend college and does not appreciate the value of reading. He only values Mattie for what she might become as a wife and for what she can bring as a dowry—her father's land. As the second son in his family, he is not in line to inherit his father's property and believes he needs to marry a woman with financial means. He has chosen Mattie over Reverend Miller's daughter Martha, yet he remains emotionally connected to his former love. His avarice leads him to inform Arn Satterlee of Emmie Hubbard's tax delinquency, hoping to acquire her land at auction to secure his future.
Mamma
Ellen Gokey, mother to Mattie, passes away seven months before the story unfolds. Before her death, she makes Mattie promise to remain on the farm to assist her father and care for her younger sisters. The memory of Mamma looms throughout the narrative. Her proficiency in domestic tasks highlights Mattie's own lack of skills in these areas. Mattie must also determine how binding her vow to her mother truly is. Mamma was the only family member who encouraged Mattie's passion for writing and reading, although the books she shared were traditional Victorian works that emphasized domestic values. Through Mattie's promise to Grace Brown—made shortly before Grace's death—to destroy her letters, Mattie discovers that even promises made on a deathbed can be conditional.
Mr. Maxwell
Mr. Maxwell is a lecherous man who sits alone at table six in the Glenmore Hotel dining room. He exposes himself to young waitresses and deceives them into bending over so he can ogle their breasts. In response, the women devise a plan to trap him, resulting in him falling into dog feces as payback.
Martha Miller
Martha Miller is the daughter of the local Reverend, a man known for living beyond his financial means. She was Royal Loomis's girlfriend before he turned his attention to Mattie. The two were likely a more fitting pair than Royal and Mattie, but Martha's lack of a dowry discouraged Royal from marrying her.
Pa
Michael Gokey, Mattie's father, is a grieving widower who has become sullen and withdrawn following his wife's death and the subsequent departure of his only son, Lawton. He struggles to manage the farm, and his profits are dwindling. He heavily relies on his eldest daughter, placing the burden of family responsibilities on her. His traditional views on a woman's role and his lack of regard for Mattie's talents and aspirations present hurdles to her dreams.
Miss Parrish
Miss Parrish is the predecessor of Miss Wilcox at the Inlet Common School. She embodies the Victorian belief that literature should uplift the spirit and focus on cheerful and inspiring topics. She discourages Mattie's writing, labeling her stories as gloomy and demoralizing.
Arn Satterlee
Arn Satterlee is the tax collector who sends Emmie Hubbard two warnings indicating that her home will be auctioned if she fails to pay her overdue taxes.
Aleeta Smith
Aleeta Smith is the mother of Weaver Smith, and she takes immense pride in her academically gifted and ambitious son. She has labored tirelessly as a laundress and cook for railroad employees to save money for Weaver's college education. After three trappers burn down her house, injure her, and steal her savings, she moves into Emmie Hubbard's residence. Together, the two women create a joyful home for themselves and Emmie's seven children.
Weaver Smith
Weaver Smith is the closest friend and schoolmate of Mattie Gokey. Intelligent, resourceful, and driven, Weaver has secured a scholarship to Columbia University, where he intends to study law. As the first child born free in a family of former slaves, he has the backing of his diligent mother. However, racial prejudice, a devastating fire that destroys his mother's house, and the theft of his college savings threaten his dreams. The friendship between Mattie and Weaver empowers them to discover their true potential and pursue paths to personal fulfillment.
Emily Wilcox
Miss Wilcox teaches at the Inlet Common School and has recognized Mattie's talent as a writer, along with the academic abilities of both Mattie and Weaver. She plays a crucial role in encouraging them to stay in school long enough to graduate and earn scholarships to Barnard College and Columbia University. As a modern woman with some wealth, Miss Wilcox drives a stylish car, smokes cigarettes, and lets her red hair flow in the wind. Throughout the novel, she reveals herself as a rebellious wife and a poet with a controversial reputation, criticized in magazines for her supposed indecency. After losing her job due to her husband revealing her identity, she is forced to escape to Paris to avoid becoming dependent on him again.