Historical Context
Racial Oppression
Weaver Smith is recognized as the first freeborn son in a family of former slaves hailing from Mississippi. His mother is deeply committed to ensuring her son receives an education to thrive in a predominantly white society. However, as Weaver confides to Mattie, "Freedom promises more than it delivers." His dream of becoming a lawyer is hindered by a society that still perceives him as either a "nigger" or a train porter, coupled with an anger that threatens to consume him. At the dawn of the twenty-first century, addressing the power struggles and healing the deep-seated anger from generations of oppression are critical concerns in initiatives for racial reconciliation. Affirmative action and other programs aimed at empowering marginalized groups in the U.S. are also contentious methods for addressing social inequities. Donnelly’s novel personalizes these racial issues through the experiences of Weaver and Mrs. Smith.
Women's Issues
Through the character of poet Emily Baxter, Donnelly explores significant themes of both early and modern feminism: choosing celibacy over marriage, opting for same-sex households, redefining God in feminine terms, and a woman's inherent right to shape her own culture. The novel also delves into enduring challenges faced by women that have remained largely unchanged over the past century, particularly the sexual double standard and the conflict between a woman’s quest for self-fulfillment and the innate biological drive to reproduce and nurture children. The voice of Grace Brown, spanning a century to reach modern readers, is neither quaint nor outdated. Both Grace and Mattie address the ongoing struggle for a woman's integrity.
The Nontraditional Family
In American culture, there is ongoing debate about what truly defines a family. Conservatives argue that the traditional family structure is in crisis due to the erosion of moral values. They believe that society can be saved by reinforcing its fundamental unit through religious initiatives and social programs, as well as tax laws that support traditional family bonds. Conversely, liberals maintain that the family breakdown is a consequence of broader cultural forces beyond individual control, and that fostering healthy human relationships is essential for building a stronger society. They emphasize that families can be formed wherever love strengthens human connections. Donnelly subtly portrays this latter perspective through the nontraditional living arrangements that emerge where necessity and compassion intersect, particularly in the household of Emmie Hubbard and Aleeta Smith.
Literary Style
Voice
In her author's note, Jennifer Donnelly explains that the inspiration for her novel came from Grace Brown's voice, which she encountered through Grace's letters. This same voice moved people to tears during Chester Gillette's murder trial. Donnelly incorporated the trial transcripts in her research and included Grace's actual letters in the narrative, effectively bringing Grace's voice to life for the novel's readers. When Miss Wilcox tells young Mattie that voice is not merely the sound produced by one's throat but the emotions conveyed through one's words, she highlights a crucial aspect of the novel's impact. Mattie Gokey's voice is direct, intimate, and reflective, contrasting with Grace Brown's often desperate and plaintive tone. Alongside the compelling voices of these two central women, the novel features the voices of many characters in Mattie's world. Donnelly gives even minor characters depth and memorable presence through her adept use of dialogue.
Double Narrative
Critics have admired Donnelly's skill in weaving together the novel's two narrative timelines. The story shifts seamlessly between Mattie's overnight vigil with Grace Brown's body and the events leading up to her receiving permission from her father to work at the Glenmore Hotel. Ultimately, the narratives converge at the pivotal moment when Mattie delivers Grace's letters...
(This entire section contains 332 words.)
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to the public and asserts control over her own life. Additionally, the chapters are organized around obscure vocabulary words that Mattie investigates to grasp their meanings. Each word serves as a central theme, connecting images and content from both past and present, providing cohesion to chapters that often shift in time.
Cross-genre
Donnelly's novel defies traditional genre boundaries. It encompasses historical fiction, a coming-of-age story, romance, thriller, mystery, and a journalistic account of a real crime. The book does not easily fit into specific audience categories. Although Donnelly aimed it at adolescent girls, its universal themes have resonated with both young adult and adult readers. In Great Britain, where a separate category for young adult fiction does not exist, the novel is regarded as crossover fiction.
Media Adaptations
- The unabridged audiobook version of A Northern Light was released by Listening Library in March 2003, with narration by Hope Davis.
- Josef Von Sternberg's 1931 film An American Tragedy is an adaptation of Theodore Dreiser's novel depicting the murder of Grace Brown, starring Phillips Holmes and Sylvia Sydney.
- George Stevens' A Place in the Sun (1951) softens the naturalistic elements of the earlier film based on Dreiser's novel. It won six Academy Awards for its remarkable portrayals of Grace Brown (Shelley Winters) and Chester Gillette (Montgomery Clift). Elizabeth Taylor also stars as the woman Chester prefers over Grace.
- "The Ballad of Grace Brown and Chester Gillette" is a folk ballad inspired by the murder. The lyrics are available in Harold W. Thompson's Body, Boots and Britches, published by Syracuse University Press in 1939 and 1967.
Bibliography and Further Reading
Sources
Baker, Dierdre, Review of A Northern Light in Jennifer Donnelly Reviews, (September 20, 2005); initially published in the Toronto Star.
Beil, Karen Magnuson, "Jennifer Donnelly Explores Adirondack History in A Northern Light, Winner of the Printz Honor Award," Children's Literature Connection, www.childrensliteratureconnection.org (May 16, 2005).
"Carnegie Winner Shares Message for Teens," in The Bookseller, Issue 5137, July 16, 2004, p. 30.
Donnelly, Jennifer, A Northern Light, Harcourt, 2003.
Glenn, Wendy J., Review of A Northern Light, in the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, Vol. 47, Issue 3, November 2003, p. 265.
Hall, Dinah, Review of A Northern Light, in Bloomsbury Magazine, (May 30, 2003); originally appeared in the Sunday Telegraph, July 2003.
"Haunted by Grace," CILIP Update Magazine, September 2004, Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, (May 15, 2005).
MacDonald, Sandy, Review of A Northern Light in the New York Times, September 21, 2003, Section 7, Column 4, Page 27.
Odanaka, Barbara J., "'I'm Just Loving Life Right Now': Author Jennifer Donnelly Discusses Her Major Two-Book Deal," in Authorlink, www.authorlink.com (July 2001).
"Murder on Big Moose Lake," in The Bookseller, January 24, 2003, p. 30.
Stiles, Kristina, "The History of Grace Brown," (May 15, 2005).
Williamson, Courtney, Review of A Northern Light," Christian Science Monitor, (July 31, 2001).
Further Reading
Alkalay-Gut, Karen, Alone in the Dawn: The Life of Adelaide Crapsey, University of Georgia Press, 1988.
Donnelly references Adelaide Crapsey in her epigraph, with the poet serving as inspiration for Emily Baxter Wilcox. Crapsey, a 1901 Vassar College alumna from Rochester, New York, studied Classics at the American Academy in Rome, taught at New England prep schools, and passed away young due to tuberculosis. She is renowned for her structured verse, particularly the cinquain, a five-line syllabic poem akin to haiku, crafted to align with her poetic style.
Brandon, Craig, Murder in the Adirondacks: "An American Tragedy" Revisited, North Country Books, 1986.
Brandon, a journalist, meticulously examined the Gillette-Brown murder, focusing on the family backgrounds of Grace and Chester. His book is both an engaging narrative and a valuable source for factual details about the case, the individuals involved, and the setting of the events.
Dreiser, Theodore, An American Tragedy, Signet Classics Reissue edition, 2000.
Dreiser interpreted the 1906 Gillette-Brown murder as a result of the American dream gone awry. His novel, which inspired Jennifer Donnelly to explore the murder from Mattie's perspective, delves into the psychology of Chester Gillette (through the character Clyde Griffiths) and the societal pressures that led him to commit the crime.
Myer, Ruth, A Farm Girl in the Great Depression, Busca, 1998.
Donnelly drew inspiration from this firsthand account by a woman raised on an Upstate New York farm during the Depression for the character of Mattie Gokey.