Book Review: North & South, by Elizabeth Gaskell

[olde_fashioned]

Title: North & South
Written by: Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
Genre: Classic Literature, Fiction, 19th C. Brit Lit

Despite the somber undertones of hardship, strife, and death, this was quite an enjoyable story, and the characters really seem to jump off the page. Margaret, in particular, is very likeable, and is closely seconded by John Thornton. Both are strangers to the other’s way of life, and consequently many misunderstandings ensue! Add a dash of romance and you have a classic love story, that had me turning pages so fast I managed to finish the book in four and a half days straight. I loved it, and would highly recommend it to anybody!

The copy I read was borrowed from the library, and someone had stuck a small yellow post-it-note on one of the last pages. They wrote a note saying, "watch the movie with Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-Ashe -- it's wonderful!" I thought that was really cute, and she's right -- watch the movie!! ;-)

Warning! Spoilers for both the book and the mini-series follow!


North & South is both a social drama and a love story. Set in the smokey, industrial metropolis of Milton, (which is supposedly based on real-life Manchester), Margaret Hale has been uprooted from her beloved childhood home, Helstone, by her father, who has abandoned his vicarage and become a private tutor. Once they are settled, Margaret is quite dismayed and horror-stricken at both the conditions of life in the north and the norther manners. Her delicate southern sensibilities create more than one akward situation, and then there’s her unstinting sense of morality, and her compassion towards the working class.

Enter hero John Thornton! ;-) Along with falling almost instantly in love with Margaret, the daughter of his tutor and friend, he provides the opposite side of the equation of the North versus the South, as well as a foil to Margaret’s idealism. His harsh master’s outlook clashes delightfully with the sometimes naïve Margaret. Her sympathies for the workers and personal dislike of Mr. Thornton leads her to cause his placing himself in front of a riot, at the mercy of angry workers.

Fearing for both his life and theirs, she tries to urge the starving crowd to go home before the authorities arrive. Nobly she tries to bodily put herself between Mr. Thornton and danger, and she ends up getting herself hurt. It takes this blow (haha, pun intended!) to make Mr. Thornton realize that he loves Margaret in spite of his attempts not to, but upon proposing to her (against his mother’s wishes) he is astonished to find himself refused and rejected. Add a couple of other men into Margaret’s life (one of them is her brother, but John doesn’t know this) and you have some good old fashioned misunderstandings.

The rest of the book is spent with the two leads basically undergoing a thorough change and reversal of positions, and both are brought down from their own self-imposed pedestals of pride. John Thornton is ruined financially by the worker’s strike and Margaret eventually becomes an heiress, but how exactly things are resolved between them I won’t say, because you’ll have to read the book for yourself to find out! ;-) (or at least watch the movie!)

Postitive Elements:

~ Always a point-winner with me, is a strong underlying Christian worldview. Margaret comes from a Christian family, and despite her father’s backslide in his faith that led to the removal to Milton in the first place, the family continues to evoke the name of God and pray together. Margaret especially expresses a desire to do what is right, and she constantly exhibits a conscious effort to live her life as a Christian woman. She routinely practices charity to the poor, patience and long-suffering in dealing with her sickly mother, and self-denial in looking after others before herself, usually at her own expense. Her only sin is a lie, committed in a desire to protect her family, and even then she sincerely repents of it and calls it a lack of faith on her part.

~ Self-denial could be considered a sub-theme in this novel. Both Margaret and Mr. Thornton routinely practice it, and Mr. Thornton credits his mother as having instilled it in him as a child. The lack of self-denial and greed of the working class leads to the strike for higher wages, despite the failing market prices. The strike is the root of many evils in the story, including poverty and death.

~ Kindness is another common virtue practiced in the book. Margaret is kind to the poor, and befriends a sickly working girl and her family. John Thornton -- the day after his rejected marriage proposal -- procedes to buy some fruit for Margaret’s ailing mother. (I also loved the fact that he was responsible for the change of wallpapers in the Hale’s new house. He hadn’t even met them yet and he was already doing them a favour behind the scene)

~ Can a wonderful love story count as a positive element? ;-)

Negative Elements:

~ Both Mr. Hale and Higgins express some spiritual doubts. The former leaves the church and uproots his family, while the latter seems to improve in his faith.

~ Margaret’s mother is from a wealthier family than her husband, and she is sometimes dissatisfied with her harder lifestyle. Dixon routinely remarks in the same vein, blaming Mr. Hale for selfishly leaving the church instead of providing for his family. Margaret, however, tells her to keep to her place as a servant and keep her thoughts to herself.


Excerpts and Quotes:

[Margaret, to the mob during the riot]
"'Oh, do not use violence! He is one man, and you are many'..."

"[Margaret has placed herself bodily in front of Mr. Thornton in order to protect him]...Mr. Thornton stood a little on one side; he
had moved away from behind her, as if jealous of anything that
should come between him and danger."

"'Shall them Irish blackguards be packed back again?' asked one
from out the crowd, with fierce threatening in his voice.

'Never, for your bidding!' exclaimed Mr. Thornton. And instantly
the storm broke. The hootings rose and filled the air,--but
Margaret did not hear them. Her eye was on the group of lads who
had armed themselves with their clogs some time before. She saw
their gesture--she knew its meaning,--she read their aim. Another
moment, and Mr. Thornton might be smitten down,--he whom she had
urged and goaded to come to this perilous place. She only thought
how she could save him. She threw her arms around him; she made
her body into a shield from the fierce people beyond. Still, with
his arms folded, he shook her off.

'Go away,' said he, in his deep voice. 'This is no place for
you.'

'It is!' said she. 'You did not see what I saw.' If she thought
her sex would be a protection...she was wrong."

"A sharp pebble flew by her, grazing forehead and cheek, and
drawing a blinding sheet of light before her eyes. She lay like
one dead on Mr. Thornton's shoulder. Then he unfolded his arms,
and held her encircled in one for an instant:

'You do well!' said he. 'You come to oust the innocent stranger
You fall--you hundreds--on one man; and when a woman comes before
you, to ask you for your own sakes to be reasonable creatures,
your cowardly wrath falls upon her! You do well!' They were
silent while he spoke. They were watching, open-eyed and
open-mouthed, the thread of dark-red blood which wakened them up
from their trance of passion. Those nearest the gate stole out
ashamed; there was a movement through all the crowd--a retreating
movement. Only one voice cried out:

'Th' stone were meant for thee; but thou wert sheltered behind a
woman!'

Mr. Thornton quivered with rage."

[a few moments later, after the rioters have run away like cowards once they realized they drew blood]

"'Oh, my Margaret--my Margaret! no one can tell what you are to
me! Dead--cold as you lie there, you are the only woman I ever
loved! Oh, Margaret--Margaret!' Inarticulately as he spoke,
kneeling by her, and rather moaning than saying the words, he
started up, ashamed of himself, as his mother came in. She saw
nothing, but her son a little paler, a little sterner than usual.


I love how each of them is trying to protect the other, even though they are probably ticked off at each other at the same time! Mr. Thornton is disgusted by the very idea that he needs a woman's protection, and she feels it's her fault in danger in the first place!

Again, I absolutely loved this, and you're all gonna be sick of hearing about North & South before I'm done! ;-)
-----
excerpts courtesty of Project Gutenberg

Comments

[sabrinafair2.livejournal.com]

Oh, I meant it weakens my resolve to read the book...since it's so close to the mini-series and I'm not "missing" anything.

[olde-fashioned.livejournal.com]

Oh dear! I fear I've accomplished exactly the opposite of what I set out to do! :-\ I meant to make people want to read the book, not avoid it. *sigh*

There are several changes in the movie, enough IMVHO to warrant reading the book. The riot scene in particular, is better in the book. ;-P