Paul Milton Perry

The central character in Northern Lights is Paul Milton Perry, known either as Perry or Paul. Born and raised in Sawmill Landing, Perry is thirty years old and processes farm loans for the Department of Agriculture. At the beginning of the novel, he is heavy and thinks often of “sweat[ing] off the fat rolls” (31). While sometimes gruff and quiet, Perry is ultimately kind, thoughtful, and sensitive. He spent much of his childhood in the shadow of his brother, Harvey, who often accompanied their father on camping trips. As a young man, he attended the University of Iowa, where he studied divinity before transferring to the agricultural school. In Iowa, he Grace, his future wife; he admired her “heavy-breasted sympathy” (12). Unlike Harvey, Perry does not serve in the Vietnam War.

At the beginning of Northern Lights, Perry struggles with a sense of dissatisfaction towards his life...