ISTJ 1w2 Characters

Alf is somewhat traditional in his thinking—he assumes he and Laura are going to wind up a couple simply because they grew up together and that’s what people do—they marry a girl from the hamlet, settle down, and start a family. He takes his duties and responsibilities as a man seriously in his father’s absence, working hard to support his spendthrift ma and siblings and leaving school to toil in the fields. He loves to work with his hands, and feels excited to keep moving “up” in the world—such as when he gleefully says he intends to beat Robert’s record of clearing the fields in ten days, when he becomes the farm foreman. He also falls prey to some of the superstitions and biases of the community at first, but over time, gradually drifts away from them to embrace his own thinking—such as when he starts courting Nan, a young lady from a neighboring parish that has been at odds with Lark Rise for the last twenty years. He tends to take things at face value, and react to them, such as when he assumes the worst of Nan based on a letter Laura sent to her about her interactions with the farm boy –instead of asking Nan to explain her actions, Alf got upset and left. He also loves simple things, like playing his music and learning new tunes, but it doesn’t occur to him to add lyrics or expound on the songs until one of them gets stuck in the heads of everyone in Lark Rise and upsets them (then he writes a new ending for the gypsy and his wife). Alf is quite straightforward in giving his opinions—he says it’s not his job to look out for his mother’s feelings, any more than it’s his job to look after her children (but he does it out of a sense of duty, and because no one else can do it). He tells Minnie to her face that there will never be anything between them (but later, his feelings toward her change) so that she won’t get up her hopes or have the wrong idea. Alf is quite dependable and focused on providing for his family; he knows they cannot survive without him, so he fights for a decent man’s wage and feels proud to be able to afford to live on his own and not rely on Queenie for assistance anymore. His feelings are often withdrawn and sensitive, but he’s more likely to flounce away than expound on them, to get hurt and make it into a competition (he wants to win Laura away from Fisher for a time). Alf isn’t good at talking about his feelings, or dealing with them, and can sometimes leap to the wrong conclusion.

Enneagram: 1w2

Alf is a clear super ego type; he often denies himself what he wants out of a sense of duty and obligation to his family, including telling Minnie that he cannot court her at one point because there’s no future in it—he has his siblings to take care of. He works hard to support them and is responsible for his mother’s bad debts, but also quite proud to be hard-working and dutiful. He gets angry easily and often offended—saying he is going to kill a man who he believes has forced attentions on the girl he loves, and accusing her of bad behavior because of a letter Laura sent to her. But he also is eager for love and attention, quick to forgive people (after reacting severely to them at first), he writes songs for the girls he loves, and moves toward them when he feels it is right and proper. He often worries about others and takes on guarding them, even though its’ not his place. When Robert is gone, he sees the family as his to protect, and even confronts the local priest for spending too much time with Laura’s mother (this is inappropriate).