Image via Wikipedia
If you’re an American, the words “North and South” mean only one thing: they are reminders of the great war between the States.
But Elizabeth Gaskell, a Victorian novelist, saw a different war waging in England between the aristocratic “old money” of the south and the working class “new money” of the north. In her novel North and South, Gaskell seeks to find a way to bring together old and new; rich and poor. Gaskell has an optimistic hope for mankind: a hope that we can just “get along.”
To portray this idealistic vision of England, Gaskell follows the life of young Margaret Hale. Like many heroines of the Victorian novel, Margaret cares for the poor, has hope for social reform, and is guided by moral principles. Unfortunately, Margaret’s perfectionism leads her into a kind of snobbery, and threatens the fulfillment of true intimacy. When she and her family relocate from the comfortable south to the industrial north, Margaret must readjust her thinking about what it means to be a proper human being.
England was in the throes of the industrial revolution when Gaskell wrote North and South. The French and American revolutions were still on the minds of all; the need to reconcile the classes was a theme present in much literature of all cultures. The fight for the abolition of slavery was waging. Philosophy and religion were pushing boundaries. Culture was shifting.
Margaret found a way to reconcile two very different worldviews. She found this reconciliation through the development of relationships. She learned to look into the heart and minds of individuals rather than institutions.
We need to learn something about reconciliation from Margaret. As I write this, I’m listening to my children play “nerf-gun war” with new Christmas toys in the next room. Bullets are flying. There is laughing. There are shrieks of frustration and shrieks of joy. They’re waging a pretty good war, because like all human beings, they love to fight. I’m the mom, so it’s no surprise that I’m the one who insisted upon goggles for the fray, and I step in when things get out of control. But who steps in for us when institutions wage war? It’s up to us as individuals to build relationships.
In North and South, Margaret does something completely uncharacteristic of a Victorian lady. She steps in between John Thornton and an angry mob. She shields him, and is bloodied and bruised as a result. But her bloodshed is an essential part of restoration.
I think that reconciliation often involves a fight. Sometimes we’d rather remain comfortably distant, shooting our nerf-gun arrows at one another. They usually don’t hurt, but we can’t be reconciled to each other as long as we’re shooting. The right thing to do is to shield each other from the melee.
Margaret didn’t shield John Thornton because he was her lover. In fact, they were rather at odds. That’s what makes her sacrifice that much more heroic. It’s easy to fight for those we love. It’s harder to fight for those whose opinions, philosophies, or religious beliefs differ from ours.
I find Margaret’s example rather inspiring. I have my own set of prejudices. I think if we’re all honest, we’ll find that we all struggle with some preconceived notions about others. It’s not enough, however, to know in our heart that our desire to disdain is wrong. I think we need to actually step into the battle and take a shot for the enemy.
It’s the right thing to do.
North and South: you deserve a place in my musty study.
Hi Dalene,
You likely don’t remember me- I was at BWC in 90-91 and came across your blog (and subsequently this website) by way of a mutual BWC-friend’s blog. Just wanted to let you know you’ve inspired me to pick up the classics once again. I was an English major way-back-when but years ago lost sight of how much I love classic novels. So thanks for the inspiration…and I love your website!
Christina Shires
Hi Christina!
Good to “see” you again. It’s nice to get visitors . . . even in cyberspace! I’m glad you’re motivated to pick up the classics again, because that’s entirely my goal! Like me, you must have been somewhat insired by Dr. Brown. I loved sitting in her class with a giant Norton Anthology text reading and discussing poetry with English majors; the only thing that would have made it better would have been a huge latte. I miss those days.
Happy Reading!
-Dalene
Brilliance for free; your pratens must be a sweetheart and a certified genius.
[...] Musty Study Dalene wrote a lovely post on North & South and how we can learn from Margaret Hale In North and South, Margaret does something completely uncharacteristic of a Victorian lady. She [...]
Hi Dalene, I enjoyed your post. Glad to come across another N&S reader!
“a different war waging in England between the aristocratic “old money” of the south and the working class “new money” of the north.”
It’s more a broadly cultural divide than an economic one (though economics come into it), and it wasn’t a new thing: there’s documentary evidence of a North-South divide going back to the Tudors, and attempts to identify it way before that.
I’m not sure that Margaret is Mrs G’s way of advancing a message to “just get along”. She’d been jumped on for critiquing industrialism in ‘Mary Barton’, so this was her effort at writing back with an industrialist (Thornton) who could be redeemed (by Margaret). None of the other mill owners get the redemptive treatment, after all.
Bryonny,
Thanks for stopping by! It’s fun to have a few Gaskell enthusiasts along for the ride.
Certainly North and South addresses a broad cultural divide. But we also must consider the economic conditions present in Victorian England during this time. Gaskell was a part of the Dickens/ Thackeray camp; no matter where the “divide” began, or how it is defined, we can see that economic concerns dominated themes for these authors. If it’s not economy, I think humans will find something else to divide them, much like the Tudor divide you discuss.
Margaret DID help me contemplate “getting along.” There was quite a bit of movement between classes and cultures, was there not? Was this Gaskell’s intention? Doubtful. But what makes a novel great to me, is the fact that it is “living.” It speaks to us regardless of the author’s original intent. It makes us think about our own choices as we examine the choices of characters. I do agree with you whole heartedly that she “redeems” Thornton. I hope my evaluation prompts a non-reader to simply give the book a try.
I’ll look forward to stopping by the Gaskell Blog to gain more insight and perspective! I LOVE her work!
Thanks again for the dialogue.
North and South is one of my best favourites of all times and Gaskell one of my favourite writers, so I’ve read your blogpost with extreme interest.
Only I can’t totally agree with your point on Maragaret’s behaviour.
I’ve always thought she only tried to desperately and instinctively ammends for the serious, tragic, dangerous situation she herself had put Mr Thornton in with her words.
Then I’ve read about subconcious (sexual) pulsions she doesn’t recognize in herself but she experiences anyway, in a few words, unconscious attraction towards the man but… I prefer to go on thinking about my “very simple” interepretation. She feels terribly guilty for what she ‘s caused: putting a man at risk of his own life.
She acts impulsively and not very wisely both before and after.
But she will improve later on in the story. We know that.
Thanks for sharing.
MG
Maria-
No question that her behavior was prompted by feelings of guilt. But I think with guilt there is a natural desire to reconcile. You’ve pointed out that there is a subconscious element driving her choices. I couldn’t agree more. At the same time, I think she only begins to understand her feelings when she puts herself in harm’s way. Her instincts were out of character (extremely) for a Victorian lady. As I read literature of this time period, I’m struck with the extreme need for females to reconcile themselves to a new era. I see Margaret and Mr. Thornton as representative of that change. I love them! You know what: just keep reading it however you like! Isn’t that the fun of a book? We all see it with a different pair of eyes.
-Dalene