Metaphor for Hypocrisy
Royal Loomis’s family is wealthy and upstanding, and is respected by the rest of their community. However, his father is having an affair with Emmie Hubbard, a poor woman with lots of children, even though he is married. Frank Loomis is a metaphor for hypocrisy, and how people who are perceived to be upstanding and reputable are often anything but.
Metaphor for Victim Blaming
Emmie Hubbard’s family is extremely poor, and she and her children are forced to beg for money. They are viewed with disgust by the rest of the community, and instead of trying to help them, most people in the town look down on them and judge Emmie for begging and for sleeping with men. Rather than judge the men who sleep with her (who are often married), or try to help her out of poverty, they blame her exclusively for her situation. Her family is a metaphor for how poor people and other victims of circumstance are blamed for their situations.
Metaphor for the Roadblocks That Oppressed People Experience
At the end of A Northern Light, Weaver’s house burns down and his college money is stolen, meaning that the chance of him not being able to go to college is a very real possibility. This incident is a metaphor for the obstacles that pop up throughout the lives of oppressed people: even when they work hard, even when they go farther in life, prejudiced people still manage to intervene and ruin things.
Metaphor for the Silencing of Women’s Voices
Grace Brown’s letters are a metaphor for how women’s voices are silenced by a society that does not value them. Her death is not thoroughly investigated by local police, and as Mattie reads the letters Grace left behind, she realizes that she was murdered by the father of her illegitimate child. Her voice and story are lost to the world, because her society does not care about the fates of women who have made mistakes in their lives, or women who have been brutalized by men. Her story will never be told to anyone besides Mattie, because the society she lives in will never see her as worthy of having a story.
Metaphor for Youth
Mattie is determined to leave home and go to college, but when she meets Royal Loomis, her desire to do so wavers. She’s distracted by a crush, as plenty of teenagers are when they first experience romantic feelings. Her plans to leave for college are put, temporarily, to the side, as she contemplates what a life with Royal would be like. Her actions and feelings are a metaphor for youth, when teenagers are easily swayed by their feelings, and may question ideas they’ve had for years for the sake of new relationships.
