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A review by dyno8426
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
4.0
It is always refreshing to see strong female characters in their original form and Margaret Hale is likewise a memorable one. Especially in the context of Victorian era, she belongs to the iconic ranks of Elizabeth Bennett and Helen Huntington who inspire us with their courage and depth. Her sensibility and awareness of the world around her to filter out and seek the things that truly matter to her form the core of her character. There is a reverence for the ideologies that she values and a default patience for those which is dissonant with her. Her righteousness is untainted from prejudice or snobbery, something which the genteel images of that period reflexively conjures in our minds. In fact, the sympathy and open-mindedness that Margaret displays in that youthful age makes her both accessible and likeable by even those who don't fully understand her. This softness of her demeanour makes her more rational and integral character graceful to people. Like those sensible characters that inspire us and hold a fictional model in our minds, Margaret becomes any reader's friend in no time and her difficulties become all the more relatable. And one of those difficulties is profound and core to the story - something which stands out as delving into the existence of class distinction and how it affects and is affected by the industrial age in which the story is set. Here, the story gets it balancing component - the North of John Thornton to the South of Margaret Hale.
The industrial revolution led to the flourishing of factories especially in the North (due to certain geographically suitable reasons I believe) and consequently the working class population. This book nicely connects with George Orwell's The Road to Wigan Pier which I was fortunately read recently - so the context is fresh about the origin of class problem as a result of this social tectonic shift - the cultural and identity divide between the North England and the South. The North consisted of mainly working class and business owning people - the labourers and the factory workers - which naturally lived in harsher, uncomfortable conditions due to lack of means and security. The South consisted of more bureaucratic, service folks and middle class businessmen - the more "respectable" and dignified population.Naturally, there arose perceptions and prejudice in each side about the other - the North folks were uncultured, coarse and hardened by nature, and the Southern folks are more coddled, genteel and refined in their needs. This book explores the clash between these two sides through the characters, opinions and discussions between them. Mr. Thornton is a mill owner who is a self-made man of vision and ambition. There is a stubborn, almost uncompromising attitude towards realising the success of his endeavours through all honest and rational means. But he represents one idea among the real lives of so many of his workers that his business employs and is sustained by. Margaret, coming from humble but minimal origins herself, comes face to face with the stark contrast that the social constituents of the North compared to South present to her and also within North itself - in the form of business owners and workers that give real life to the success of anyone's ideas and provides material comfort to everyone else. Their meagre and challenging circumstances captures Margarent sympathy. But her social attachment to Mr. Thornton conflicts her sensibility when confronted with Mr. Thornton's rationale to maintain the demarcation of power and its subjugation, control and its adherence, towards the ulterior and rational goal of maintaining production and business for the benefit of all involved - thus ensuing the Capitalism versus Socialism debate. Margaret naturally comes from the humane aspect of remembering the human lives involved in the transaction that exchanges human effort for capital. Her insight is spot-on with respect to the strangely paradoxical symbiosis nature of this relationship between owners and workers where both will benefit by the same thing but they are constantly standing opposed to each other to maintain an unstable equilibrium of class and expectations. It's not one of those books which take this discussion all the way. Instead it showcases Margaret's perspective and maturity as a woman who challenges the peculiarity of this world around her in own capacity. Her appreciation and attraction towards Mr. Thornton comes from an acquired understanding and an honest sense of respect which to me, basically captures the main strain of the author's intent. The confluence of the two extremes - the harshness and ugliness of the reality of our lives, versus the ideals and a sense of belonging that ennobles us as individuals of humanity - is what exists between us. No matter how much we favour one side or the other, it's hard to stay true to oneself by favouring one without being be fair to the other. Margaret and Mr. Thornton's union is a symbol of that balance and harmony between the good natured forces of either side that is much needed to counter the risks of extremism of any kind. Like any good Victorian era novel, this is a delight to read. The nuances and thoroughness of any expression, observation and reaction is so satisfying and savoury. And I must appreciate on how this one ends - happily as expected and pretty remarkably abrupt in a "modern" manner.
The industrial revolution led to the flourishing of factories especially in the North (due to certain geographically suitable reasons I believe) and consequently the working class population. This book nicely connects with George Orwell's The Road to Wigan Pier which I was fortunately read recently - so the context is fresh about the origin of class problem as a result of this social tectonic shift - the cultural and identity divide between the North England and the South. The North consisted of mainly working class and business owning people - the labourers and the factory workers - which naturally lived in harsher, uncomfortable conditions due to lack of means and security. The South consisted of more bureaucratic, service folks and middle class businessmen - the more "respectable" and dignified population.Naturally, there arose perceptions and prejudice in each side about the other - the North folks were uncultured, coarse and hardened by nature, and the Southern folks are more coddled, genteel and refined in their needs. This book explores the clash between these two sides through the characters, opinions and discussions between them. Mr. Thornton is a mill owner who is a self-made man of vision and ambition. There is a stubborn, almost uncompromising attitude towards realising the success of his endeavours through all honest and rational means. But he represents one idea among the real lives of so many of his workers that his business employs and is sustained by. Margaret, coming from humble but minimal origins herself, comes face to face with the stark contrast that the social constituents of the North compared to South present to her and also within North itself - in the form of business owners and workers that give real life to the success of anyone's ideas and provides material comfort to everyone else. Their meagre and challenging circumstances captures Margarent sympathy. But her social attachment to Mr. Thornton conflicts her sensibility when confronted with Mr. Thornton's rationale to maintain the demarcation of power and its subjugation, control and its adherence, towards the ulterior and rational goal of maintaining production and business for the benefit of all involved - thus ensuing the Capitalism versus Socialism debate. Margaret naturally comes from the humane aspect of remembering the human lives involved in the transaction that exchanges human effort for capital. Her insight is spot-on with respect to the strangely paradoxical symbiosis nature of this relationship between owners and workers where both will benefit by the same thing but they are constantly standing opposed to each other to maintain an unstable equilibrium of class and expectations. It's not one of those books which take this discussion all the way. Instead it showcases Margaret's perspective and maturity as a woman who challenges the peculiarity of this world around her in own capacity. Her appreciation and attraction towards Mr. Thornton comes from an acquired understanding and an honest sense of respect which to me, basically captures the main strain of the author's intent. The confluence of the two extremes - the harshness and ugliness of the reality of our lives, versus the ideals and a sense of belonging that ennobles us as individuals of humanity - is what exists between us. No matter how much we favour one side or the other, it's hard to stay true to oneself by favouring one without being be fair to the other. Margaret and Mr. Thornton's union is a symbol of that balance and harmony between the good natured forces of either side that is much needed to counter the risks of extremism of any kind. Like any good Victorian era novel, this is a delight to read. The nuances and thoroughness of any expression, observation and reaction is so satisfying and savoury. And I must appreciate on how this one ends - happily as expected and pretty remarkably abrupt in a "modern" manner.