45 pages • 1 hour read
Bess Streeter AldrichA Lantern in Her Hand
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1928A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Abbie Deal
Abbie Deal is the protagonist of A Lantern in Her Hand. She is a hero characterized by self-sacrifice and gives herself up to the American Dream. Abbie is a complex character whose interiority characterizes her as artistic, deeply loving, and compassionate.
Abbie is first introduced through her family legacy. Her background is important because her family establishes the two conflicting influences that shape her worldview as a child. Abbie has “the stout body of the O’Conners and the slender hands of the Mackenzies” (24), representing that she embodies both aristocratic and peasant immigrant qualities. These dueling parts enable Abbie to commit to hard work while maintaining her dreams in her heart. Without her dreams of becoming an artist, Abbie would find the manual labor of her life too demeaning. Without the manual labor of her life, Abbie would find a life devoted to pleasure too frivolous. As she grows, she leaves her dreams of becoming an aristocratic lady behind, devoting herself to The Pioneer Spirit that lets her survive the long, hard years in Nebraska.
Abbie is characterized by the symbol of the lantern. Abbie carries the lantern, making her a guide for herself and others. She emanates love and compassion, which helps guide her children to feel confident and capable of dealing with the world around them. She uses her metaphorical light to ensure that her children are given all of the opportunities to pursue their passions that Abbie was unable to have for herself. Abbie also guides herself with her light; it is the metaphorical lantern that pushes Abbie to keep thinking about the future and endure difficult times.
Abbie is in many ways an ideal woman by the standards of her time. She gives up her dreams of becoming a singer so that she can follow her husband into an unsettled stretch of land in Nebraska, far away from her family in Iowa. Abbie commits herself to Will’s dream because she loves him but also because she is a 19th-century woman, and it is expected of her to follow in the decision-making of the men in her life. Abbie is a blissful mother, another quality that presents her as an archetypal pioneer woman. Before Abbie is a mother, she delights in aesthetic pleasures and material things. She holds onto the legacy of her aristocratic Scottish family as evidence that her future is meant to be fancy, but when she becomes a mother, “[t]he world of romance, of courtly men and lovely ladies was a world of unreality,—and only Will and the little son were worth her thoughts” (65). Abbie is a natural mother; she devotes herself wholeheartedly to her children, who become the center of her world. That Abbie can let go of her superficial dreams to raise children who become successful American businessmen, politicians, educators, and artists means that Abbie’s sacrifices contribute to American society.
Abbie is an American hero because she is a brave pioneer who creates a society where there was none. Abbie is resilient; she manages the stress of poverty, hard work, and the pain of growing crops on unfarmed land. Her mindset is that nothing good can happen if she doesn’t work for it, which is a tenet of the American Dream. Even when Abbie becomes a new mother, “[she] went happily about her work, one baby in her arms and the other at her skirts, courage her lode-star and love her guide” (87). The image of Abbie working the land while holding a baby highlights her pioneer spirit and intense work ethic. Courage is her “lode-star,” which emphasizes her grit. Again, she is characterized as a leader and a guide through the metaphorical parallel with the lantern.
Abbie is more than a mother, wife, and pioneer woman. She is also at her core an artist. Abbie is deeply moved by music and literature. She has depths of emotions that mirror her acute observations of human nature and the world around her. Her mode of self-expression is singing, but she is also well-connected with storylines and words. Her intuition that she can create art is indicative of her identity as an artist. Abbie is a testament to Aldrich’s overarching message that for women, selflessness is more rewarding than pursuing one’s desires. Despite her yearning to create art, Abbie never finishes her book or becomes a singer. Instead, her artistry manifests in helping Isabelle and Laura become artists. Abbie’s self-sacrifice is an important characterization, but it doesn’t negate her identity as an artist waiting to emerge under the right circumstances.
Will Deal
Will Deal is an important secondary character in A Lantern in Her Hand. He is Abbie’s husband and is the one who propels the plot of the novel to pioneering. Will is ambitious because he is eager to escape the control and influence of his family in Iowa. He wants to make his own life and be his own man. Will’s marriage to Abbie helps him achieve his dreams; therefore, as a secondary character, his growth emphasizes Abbie’s heroic characterizations.
As a man, Will has more power in his marriage. He is firm in his decision-making and brings his wife on a journey that is risky, but he has belief in himself and in Abbie. Will’s forward-thinking ideas about creating a community and society in Nebraska are indicative of an American spirit of entrepreneurship, The Pioneer Spirit, hard work, and independence. His pioneer dream is to make a life for himself separate from the privileges he has within his family in Iowa. Will therefore also sacrifices comfort to create something entirely new and wholly his.
Will’s work ethic and belief in the future are a guide for Abbie when times are especially dire. His “eyes, full of the light of hope and courage, looked to the west. But Abbie’s, tear-misted, clung to the east” (71). Will never loses hope that his farm in Nebraska will yield successful crops. He never doubts that the community of pioneers will build a real society. These qualities inspire Abbie and keep them close together when times are tough. Although Abbie gives up her dreams for Will, he doesn’t take her sacrifice for granted. When they are in their poorest season, he refuses to let Abbie sell her beloved pearl necklace. He knows that Abbie will be dehumanized if she loses her most prized possession, and he refuses to let his family succumb to such desperation. Will’s confidence, courage, and steadfastness make him an admirable secondary character who embodies the American Dream.
Will is an important character even in death. Abbie speaks to Will’s spirit as though he were still with her until her own death several decades later. This highlights The Importance of Family and the impact Will had on Abbie’s life. They were soulmates, partners, and lovers. As a secondary character, Will’s impact on the novel is to send the message that love can conquer any challenge.
Laura Deal
Laura Deal is one of Abbie’s granddaughters. She is an important secondary character because she uplifts Abbie, nurtures a close relationship with her, and is poised to carry on Abbie’s legacy through her writing.
Abbie sees herself in Laura, who loves literature and is a burgeoning poet: “Abbie Deal thoroughly enjoyed talking to this grandchild. Any of the rest of the family would have been a little impatient with an old woman’s musings. The others were always so alert, so active, so poised for flight. Of them all, only little Laura Deal wanted to sit and talk and dream” (265). Laura enjoys being carried away by Abbie’s stories. She values her grandmother’s experiences and finds inspiration in her wisdom. Laura’s poetry moves Abbie and is symbolic of Abbie’s impact on Laura’s upbringing, as well as The Power of Art. Laura can find words for the feelings that she and Abbie share in ways that Abbie never could. Therefore, Abbie’s dream of becoming a writer lives on in Laura. Laura is sensitive to Abbie’s feelings, unlike the rest of the family, who are more concerned with Abbie’s physical well-being. Laura honors Abbie’s memory when, after Abbie’s death, Laura is happy for the life Abbie lived.
Ed Matthews
Ed Matthews is a formative secondary character who is important to Abbie’s character development because he teaches her what she does not want from life. Ed is wealthy, seductive, and wants to marry Abbie. But the novel implies that a life with Ed would not be as easy as his wealth suggests because “[t]here were some rumors around about Ed,—something about his drinking at times, and riding at dusk down a by-road which decent people avoided” (48). Abbie is not in love with Ed and ultimately decides to marry the man she does love. Throughout the years, Abbie wonders about this decision, especially when pioneer life in Nebraska is difficult. Ed promised her a glamorous life in the city where she could focus on accomplishing her dream of becoming a singer. That Abbie chooses love over comfort is an important moment in her character development and an important part of the novel’s message. Ed’s presence in the novel proves that marrying for money over love is not a good decision and also that people of Abbie’s generation need to sacrifice their personal goals and build the frontier so that the next generation can pursue careers in the arts.
