North and South - Book Review
North and South - Book Review
North and South - Book Review
Book Report:
Submitted By
: Maliha Khan
Submitted To
: Mr. Imran Saqib
Submission Date
: 6
th
May, 2014
Student ID
: 03216
Course ID
: MGT 411 - MM2 (30535)
Class No.
: 30535
North & South Book Review| 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 2
NORTH & SOUTH: A SUMMARY.............................................................................................. 3
NORTH & SOUTH: WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE BOOK ................................................. 4
NORTH & SOUTH: WHAT I DISLIKED ABOUT THE BOOK .......................................... 5
WHAT I LEARNT REGARDING THE CULTURE ................................................................. 6
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INTRODUCTION
North and South was an English social novel authored by Elizabeth Gaskell. It was published by Chapman and
Hall in 1855. The novel is divided into 3 major plots. The first plot is regarding the Hales family shifting from
the peaceful and quiet Helstone (The South of England) to the polluted, harsh and noisy Milton (The North of
England), and how the family copes up with this change. Milton was based on Gaskells residence in
Manchester, nicknamed at that time as Cottonpolis. The second plot revolves around the after effects of
industrialization hitting England, and the conflicting relations between the workers and their master
industrialists. The third plot is a love story between the protagonists i.e. Margaret Hale, the daughter of the
Hales, and John Thornton, a cotton mill manufacturer in Milton whose unpleasant attitude towards his workers
is despised by Margaret. A clash of prides occurs whenever these two meet; however over the course of the
novel both of them better understand the others perspective. The major themes portrayed in the novel were:
The contrast between North and South
Sexuality
The dangers of pride
Female Self-determination and autonomy
Class struggle
The reality of death
The value of all classes
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NORTH & SOUTH: A SUMMARY
The plot starts at the point of Margaret Hale helping her aunts family with the wedding preparations of her
beloved cousin Edith. There she befriends Ediths to be brother in law, a barrister, Mr. Henry Lennox. However
after the wedding when Margaret returns to her home in Helstone, Henry comes to her to propose, which she
refuses as she feels awkward that she has come of marriageable age. That very same day, her father gives her
the most unpleasant news i.e., they have to leave Milton as Mr. Hale can no longer continue to be a clergyman
as he now has doubts over matters of conscience over the authority of the Church. When the family shifts to
Milton (on the recommendation of Mr. Hales friend, Mr. Bell who owns property there) they have to face
various changes in their lives i.e. the noise, the pollution, the dull house, poverty, strikes (which they never had
in Helstone). Here Margaret meets Mr. John Thornton, who is a pupil of Mr. Hale (a tutor now), is amongst the
first folk of Milton, and is very influential due to his position in the society. They are continuously at conflict
with each other, her disliking him for his unfeelingness, while he thinks her haughty. Over the course of time
Margaret learns that while Milton has it faults, its merits are not something which can be ignored i.e. the hard
working workmen, the energetic lifestyle and she is introduced to these qualities through Nicholas Higgins, the
head of the Workers union of various cotton mills in town, and his daughter Bessy.
A variety of circumstances occur in the novel i.e. Bessys death, the riot at Thorntons mill during which
Margaret gets injured (she was saving John), Margarets rejection of Johns marriage proposal, Mrs. Hales
death, Fredrick Hale (Margarets brother) secretly coming to be with his mother in her last days, and then
running away soon, as he has been wanted for mutiny for quite some time, John seeing Margaret at the train
station with Fredrick and thinks he is her lover, Leonards death (a man who recognized Fredrick and was going
to inform everyone about him but got accidently killed by Fredrick), Mr. Hales death, Nicholas getting a job at
Thorntons mill, the closing down of the mill owing to market fluctuations and the strike, Mr. Bells death and
Margaret acquiring Marlborough Mills and Thorntons House.
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All these circumstances play a major role in ensuring that the protagonists come out of their prejudices and be
more knowledgeable of the realities around them. Margaret ends up noting the faults of the South and the merits
of the North, while John becomes more understanding of the workers perspectives. They both mature in their
thoughts, and are better able to realize each others point of view which aids in them acknowledging their love
for each other, and finally coming together.
NORTH & SOUTH: WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE BOOK
There were several things I appreciated about this novel. The first thing that I like about the book was the
overall plot management. This novel was not purely a love story, or purely a social novel. Each and every plot
was given it due space making the reader better understand each and every storyline of the book. No matter was
rushed into, and each problem was explained in a detailed form. Being a strong Jane Austen, and Charlotte
Bronte fan, I did notice the similar writing styles of the authors, however there was an element of uniqueness in
Gaskells portrayal of the industrialized England. Austen and Bronte were more of romance novelists, whereas
Gaskell wanted to showcase the social issues as well. Her protagonists were more real, in the sense that they
had real life problems in their lives, and their gradual personal developments owing to their circumstances, were
evident in the plots as well. The love story here as well was much more sensible.
Another factor which appealed to me was the character of Margaret Hale. She was not just an epitome of female
elegance, which was very common in heroines of novels at that time. She was a brainy heroine in the sense
that she was more objectively intelligent about her surroundings. Also she doesnt just sit around when
problems come. She is able to take a stand and voice out her perspectives in a neutral manner regarding the
problems as she is able to abstractly think about the various religious, intellectual, economic and social matters.
I consider her a very independent character compared to the damsels shown in that time.
Moreover, it was refreshing to see that the master (John Thornton) was not simply stated as a villain in this
novel due to his methods of managing his people. We were introduced to the masters perspective and we were
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able to understand all the hardships John had to face during his childhood which made him what he is. He
wasnt strict to derive pleasure out of his workmens sufferings. He was strict so that all his hard work in life
does not go down the drain due to someone elses folly.
Lastly, another factor which I liked about the novel was the kind of comparison conducted between both the
cultures. In the earlier part of the novel we saw South through the eyes of Margaret, and hence received a much
idealized picture of it. How it was green, ideal for walks, tranquil, pastoral, idyllic etc. However later on in the
novel Margaret, acknowledges that South indeed has a very dull and slow lifestyle, saying that The hard spade-
work robs their brain of life; the sameness of their toil deadens their imagination. She is also able to leave
aside her prejudices regarding the North and acknowledge it for its pros i.e. its energy, its spirited workers, its
hardworking people, economic autonomy, and its buzzing success.
NORTH & SOUTH: WHAT I DISLIKED ABOUT THE BOOK
In all honesty, there wasnt much to dislike in the book. The plots were exceptionally good and somewhat new.
However, the one thing that my mind wasnt able to register that after so many mishaps in Margaret Hales life,
it was very unrealistic that she became the sole owner of a huge property owing to Mr. Bells will, and with that
very property she resolved all of Thorntons issues as well as acknowledged that she has indeed fallen in love
with him. The whole happily ever after did make the book lose it a bit of its charm. The last few chapters
wrapped up the story too eagerly to showcase its happy ending.
Also the religious reasons due to which Mr. Hale decided to move his entire family were never fully explained,
leaving the readers confused as to why the religion was made the central reason for the change to occur in this
novel. A variety of plots could have been used to be the primary reason for the shift from South to North, but if
religion was made that reason, then it could have been more detailed as to exactly what aspects were Mr. Hale
having conscious-related doubts over.
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WHAT I LEARNT REGARDING THE CULTURE
Considering this books major plot was about the varying cultures between the North and the South, there was a
lot to be learned. Firstly we see the culture of unions in North. We see that how when the workmen were
unsatisfied with the pay, they were able to go on a strike. However not everyone was comfortable with that idea
as they had large families to look after, and that wouldnt be possible by the small pay provided by the union.
Nevertheless, everyone decided to go on strike. Another thing we see is how the people of the South did not
appreciate any form of pity or charity. They believe in hard work, and getting paid for what they rightfully
deserve. It is shown that even the women of the South are very hard working. They are ready to work in those
harsh conditions for the mill, just so that they may provide for their family. They dont bother with how
reputable a family is and for them what matters in the end is how good the pay they receive is. They show how
even the servants over there are not afraid to say what they feel. We also see how the people of South are very
private and do not appreciate others to intrude in their lives, without their permission, regardless of the class
divisions.
When comparing this with Pakistan, I believe, that the power of unions is very high here as well. We see how
much workmen of the similar class are very much united in their thoughts and not many people argue with the
decision of the unions. On the other hand, while the rural South did not appreciate charity, the poor in Pakistan
do. The poor do not really appreciate small jobs and hard work, and prefer to go on roadsides and beg for
money. These people want to be pitied for their conditions and get rewarded, in sense of charity, often. From
my experience, when comparing the servants we see that they are quite diplomatic in Pakistan. They are willing
to do anything to keep their jobs and will agree to anything that the owners of the household say, whether they
personally agree with it or not. Lastly, I believe the private space of people in Pakistan is not very big, as people
are easily able to intrude in each others lives, regardless of permissions.