Margaret is poor, but she thinks she's too good to marry Mr. Thornton, who is rich. That's mostly because Margaret is educated and cultured and Thornton is not. Thornton's mother, though, doesn't want her son marrying a poor woman because Thornton's mom is a snob who thinks that poor people smell.
So yeah, issues of society and class are at play in North and South. It's just not always easy to figure out what game they're playing. That's because people from the south of England live by very different values than people from the north, and questions of social class and status often get confusing in this clash of cultures.
Questions About Society and Class
- Which set of social values do you sympathize with more, Margaret's or Thornton's? Why?
- Does one set of values "win" at the end of this book? Why or why not?
- How do Mr. Thornton's attitudes toward the working class change over the book? Why do they change?
- Who does Nicholas Higgins blame for the poor health of his daughter Bessy? What connection does it have to the issue of social class in this book?
Chew on This
In North and South, we learn that Margaret's views on social class are way too naïve and idealistic to apply to the real world.
North and South is ultimately the story of the greedy Mr. Thornton learning to be more compassionate and understanding toward those who are less fortunate.