Pages 98-192 Reflection

     In this section of, A Northern Light, the plot continues to thicken as new details about the mysterious letters surface. Not only the plot, but also new themes begin to develop. On of these possible themes involve the potency of hope. Generally hope is regarded as a good thing but this book shows how it can be both good and bad. Mattie’s Aunt Josie has quite a bit of wealth to her name. With the hopes of borrowing some money to go to college, Mattie brings up the scholarship she received to her Aunt. Without hesitation, Aunt Josie chastises Mattie for wanting to leave the farm. Right away, Mattie knows she isn’t going to be getting any financial aid from her Aunt. She says she’s feeling a sin “Worse than all the other ones, which are immediate, violent, and hot. This one sits inside you and eats you from the inside out like the trichina worms the pigs get. It’s the Eighth Deadly Sin. The one God left out. Hope” (114). This example provides a different side of hope that isn’t discussed as often. The hope Mattie is referring to is hope that turns out to be false. She wanted, almost needed her Aunt to help her out and when she found out it wasn’t going to happen, she was devastated. False hope is a powerful force but thankfully, it’s not all bad. Mattie’s Uncle Francis comes to visit and regales the family with tales of his lumberjack adventures. It also becomes apparent that he may have quite a bit of money saved up thanks to his boss who gave him a banker’s draft for $100. At this realization, Mattie is so excited she makes up a new word; “Recouiumphoration.” “Maybe it will get in the dictionary one day, [she] thought. And if it does, everyone will know it’s meaning: to have one’s hope restored” (159). Now, Mattie is very excited and hopeful that her Uncle might be generous enough to help her get out to New York City. The elation she feels when her hope is restored outweighs even the sadness she felt when Aunt Josie denied her request. Though hope can be both good and bad, it seems that the scale is tipped slightly to the good side.

     In my last post, I talked about the stark contrast in terms of life back then and modern day lives, specifically involving finances. In this most recent

section of reading, another prime example of this popped up. Uncle Francis always brings extravagant gifts when he comes to visit the family. This time, Mattie received a pen. You might be thinking, “what the heck is so extravagant about a pen?” Well, Mattie states, “I had never had a pen in my life---only pencils---and I couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to put words onto paper in rich blue ink instead of smudgy lead” (152). It’s remarkable how different times can be. Today, students go through multiple pens in one school year. This shows that people back then were much more appreciative of everything they had because they had so much less. At one point, Mattie is fighting back tears because she is so grateful for the gift. The whole scene is quite eye opening.