North and South Pride Quotes

In just the second paragraph of the entire book, we learn that Margaret isn't willing to talk about how pretty her cousin Edith is, even though everyone else in the world does. Already, we can see her pride coming out in full force.

As we can tell from her appearance, Margaret Hale isn't the kind of woman to say a few polite words and then close her mouth. Instead, we can tell that she will speak her mind whenever she gets the chance, and she won't shy away from conflict just to be nice. 

Mr. Hale isn't so sure about bringing the servant Dixon along with them when the family moves to Milton. He suspects that Dixon is a little too proud and haughty for a servant. But the only reason Dixon seems this way is because she's treated like a member of the family and she's comfortable with speaking her mind. 

In her first meeting with Mr. Thornton, Margaret doesn't do much to disguise the contempt she feels for a businessmen like Mr. Thornton. Her pride makes her completely prejudiced against any man who has ever had to hustle or be a salesperson in order to make money. 

Mrs. Thornton is furious to hear that Margaret Hale has acted haughtily toward her son. In her mind, you're only as worth as much as you have in the bank… and Margaret's family is totally poor. It just goes to show you what happens when two proud people come into contact: they beat each other to a bloody pulp. Naaah. They just get snarky.

Mr. Thornton's first impression of Margaret isn't a great one. He finds her so proud and standoffish that he can't see how anyone would ever like her. That said, he's willing to admit that she's very physically attractive. Ooooh, Mr. Thornton likes a giiiirl.

Mr. Hale can certainly see how proud his own daughter is, since he's not nearly as judgmental toward people like Mr. Thornton as she is. He can also see how Margaret's pride would clash with someone like Mrs. Thornton, who is extremely proud in her own way. 

When she thinks that Margaret wants to marry her son, Mrs. Thornton admits that it must have taken some personal strength for Margaret to overcome her pride. Little does she know that Margaret is totally about to turn down her son's proposal for marriage. And you thought Mrs. Thornton was mad at Margaret before…

Margaret is crushed to find out that Mr. Thornton knows about her lying to the police. She can't bear the thought of seeing him, because now he has the moral high ground over her, and her pride just can't handle it. 

Nicholas Higgins is a proud man. Jeepers, who isn't proud in this book? In any case, Higgins has a tough time swallowing the fact that he'll need to personally ask Mr. Thornton for a job if he plans on keeping his family financially afloat. As he says, he'd sooner fight the guy for money than beg him for work.