Mrs. Thornton is a strong woman who is fiercely proud of her son's success as a businessman. She has little patience for what she perceives as weakness of character and so has little use for Mrs. Hale, whom she suspects just fancies herself ill. For that matter, she has a certain contempt for her own daughter's frivolous ways, though this is demonstrated by her being indulgent and placing no demands on Fanny- obviously not expecting much from her. Mrs. Thornton does detect a stronger character in Margaret which would command her grudging respect except for one thing: she suspects John of being enamoured of Margaret and has no desire to see him entangled with the daughter of an impoverished former vicar. Rather contradictorily, sensing that Margaret does not even consider John as a possible suitor, Mrs. Thornton resents her for not seeing his worth and dismisses her as being haughty and above herself.
What is great about North And South is that the characters are not flat and one-sided; they are complex, flawed individuals. This part of the novel doesn't always reflect well on Margaret: she is unjustly prejudiced against the north, and Mr. Thornton in particular. As time goes on and she gains more perspective, her opinions begin to change. Though they remain conflicted, they become based on what she observes rather than what she assumes. This is also something that occurs in North & South- character development. Mrs. Hale, for example: as her illnesses change from fancied ones to actual serious ailments, her attitude changes as well. She becomes more stoic, emotionally stronger, and even reflects that she didn't appreciate what she had in Helstone when she had it. Mr. Hale, often shown to be weak and ineffectual, becomes a good sounding board for both Mr. Thornton and Nicholas Higgins. An unprejudiced and compassionate observer, he listens to both sides with empathy, hoping to foster in each an understanding of the opposing view, or to at least diffuse the virulent resentment festering between them. Nicholas Higgins is a study in contrasts. The fiery union leader is also a loving father. The outspoken agnostic also has a great deal of respect for the thoughts and opinions of Mr. Hale, the former vicar. As the novel progresses and as circumstances demand, we will see him alter his behaviour and modify his opinions even further. Mrs. Thornton is a strong woman who is fiercely proud of her son's success as a businessman. She has little patience for what she perceives as weakness of character and so has little use for Mrs. Hale, whom she suspects just fancies herself ill. For that matter, she has a certain contempt for her own daughter's frivolous ways, though this is demonstrated by her being indulgent and placing no demands on Fanny- obviously not expecting much from her. Mrs. Thornton does detect a stronger character in Margaret which would command her grudging respect except for one thing: she suspects John of being enamoured of Margaret and has no desire to see him entangled with the daughter of an impoverished former vicar. Rather contradictorily, sensing that Margaret does not even consider John as a possible suitor, Mrs. Thornton resents her for not seeing his worth and dismisses her as being haughty and above herself. Mr. Thornton is also an interesting character. In many ways he is more sympathetic through this part of the book than is Margaret. Though sometimes harsh in his opinions- his total disdain for the workers' discontent and unrest, for example- a lot of his points make sense, especially when you take his background and experience into account. Margaret does see some validity in his arguments, but through her friendship with Bessy Higgins she also sees the suffering of many of the millworkers and cannot accept Thornton's blunt dismissal of their concerns. What is obvious however is that, whether in agreement or in conflict, Mr. Thornton and Margaret will never be indifferent to each other.
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