North and South Family Quotes

Mr. Henry Lennox isn't as good-looking as his brother. But he makes up for it by being clever and ambitious. In this case, having a handsome brother his whole life has definitely shaped his personality. 

Margaret is used to having a very calm and happy family life. That's why things go so out of whack when chronic unhappiness enters her home. She's totally unprepared for anything other than family peace, and she more or less spends the rest of the book trying to recover this peace. 

Even though Frederick has been gone from England for years, his parents still keep his bedroom exactly the way it was when he left. It's probably wishful thinking on their part that he might come home, or maybe just flat-out denial of the fact that he's really gone. Either way, it shows us how deeply they feel his absence. 

It's an understatement to say that John Thornton is the apple of his mother's eye. In her mind, the boy can really do no wrong. She knows that she feels this way because she's his mother, but still, she thinks that even on an objective level, her son's the best thing going. 

When Mr. Thornton sees the look of love that Margaret gives to her father, he badly wishes that she could look at him this way, too. One thing that makes it especially compelling is that fact that it's totally natural, and that Margaret does it as if no one is watching. 

Mrs. Thornton and her son aren't afraid to tell it like it is to one another. If anything, this brutal honesty is what makes them so close. You probably wouldn't get this kind of closeness between Margaret and her parents, where harsh truths need to be treated delicately. 

Mrs. Hale's dying wish is to see her son Frederick one last time. Of course that's understandable, but you've also got to wonder whether this obsession with Frederick makes Margaret feel a little taken for granted. 

It's kind of sweet that Mr. Hale looks even more worn out than his wife when she's dying of an illness. But on the other hand, there's part of you that wants to slap Mr. Hale and tell him to show a little more strength and courage in difficult times. All he ever seems to do is worry and wait for his daughter Margaret to fix everything. 

Mrs. Hale knows that she's on the way out. But she still clings to the thought of seeing her son Frederick before it's all over. After all, it only seems fair. 

Mrs. Thornton doesn't just love her son. She sees him as her most prized possession. Maybe that's why she tends to revel in every single one of his successes and criticizes anyone who dares think differently than him. It's a powerful love, but not necessarily a productive one for anyone outside the Thornton family.