In what ways does Gaskell negotiate the relationship between classes and individuals in the opening chapters of the novel?

Authors Avatar

In what ways does Gaskell negotiate the relationship between classes and individuals in the opening chapters of the novel?

Throughout North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell portrays the relationships between various characters on either sides of the evident class dichotomy that exists all through the novel. Gaskell uses various individuals to portray different opinions and perspectives of this divide. Thereby presenting similarities and differences through common ground and differing views on the many issues on display within the novel itself. Elizabeth uses the individuals to transmute one another’s perceptions or indeed misconceptions of each other in ways that shall be explained.

One can initially point to Margaret as an individual who is used to negotiate the class divide throughout the opening chapters of North and South. The title itself and the change of title from “Margaret Hale” to “North and South” shows the importance of the heroine, Margaret in breaking the divide between “North and South”. In Chapter One Margaret begins as a member of Shaw household, an upper middle-class family then progresses to the Hales, her true parents who are lower in social status and wealth. This shows the nature of Margaret’s character early on and how she shall in time progress further and negotiate between classes in greater depth. This continues immediately with her new life in Milton, upon where she sees a mill worker “savagely beaten for little conceivable reason.” This highlights Gaskell’s aim in using Elizabeth to create a degree of sympathy for the demonised “militant working-classes” of the industrial era. This can be seen to an even greater extent with the relationship struck up by Margaret with Higgins’ and her resultant friendship with Bessy. Indeed, this is a relationship stuck up by Margaret; showing her empathetic roots and wish to cross the evident class divide.  We see that Margaret asks Bessy “May I go with you” and truly cares about “what kind of life have you [Bessy] led?” This all occurs during the opening chapters, creating a perception of Margaret as a character who wishes to find common ground between classes through relationships forged; thus crossing class boundaries.

Join now!

Mr Thornton is another individual who’s relationships with others and those of other classes are telling and in many ways cross the divide more inherently than Margaret. The reason for this lies within Mr Thornton’s working-class background and his rather meteoric rise to wealth, thus climbing the ladder of social status. Whilst he may be seen by many as a typical mill owner, “treating his workers with a fist of iron”, the importance of his character is evident. He has shown that money can allow one to transcend all notions of class as Mr Thornton now “entertains the Mayor ...

This is a preview of the whole essay