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| This is my favourite cover. |
ARTICLE WITH SPOILERS
1855 was a very difficult year, I’m talking about women, but even when women had tough times, there are, always, brave women emerging everywhere. Elizabeth Gaskell was one of these women I’m talking about. Her main female character is a brave woman but Mrs. Thornton, John’s mother is braver. There are too many things to talk in this wonderful story based on the revolution industrial in England and with a love story simmering among their pages. (The better ones)
Margaret Hale is a very sweet girl with a huge change in her life. Her gentle gaze never was laid down over awful things like corpses or starving children. Helstone was her perfect bubble and there she was living perfectly. However, Margaret is a very haughty person, normally just in appearance. She tries to put a mask every time she thinks is going to be caught, hurt or sometimes, when she wants to hide some kind of information and too many times these gestures are going along with a super air of disdain.
In the beginning, I think Margaret was very rude to John Thornton and nothing that he could do would be fine or enough to Margaret. Not his friendship with her father, nor the invitation at his house for a luxury dinner, nor those fruit of basket at her sick mother. Not even the carriage for the funeral or the fact that he saved her life with a falsehood as to Leonard's death. However, all of a sudden it seems that she is looking at John Thornton with other eyes… (I can’t help thinking a familiar scene from Pride and Prejudice…)
Margaret was formed for being in the midst of her parents’ problem; between of the mob and Mr. Thornton; between of the poor version people like Higgins and the wealthy ones; between her brother and the jail; between… I mean, she has to solve her problems plus the problems of everyone else. Wow… being a woman in the nineteenth century wasn’t easy.
Margaret says: I have passed out of childhood into old age. I have had no youth - no womanhood.
Another strong woman in this story giving me goosebumps is Mrs. Thornton with no tenderness towards anyone and then, she almost feel happiness through the promise she gave to Margaret’s mother about treating her daughter as her own of telling Margaret cruel truths, like she wanted revenge on what she did at her dear John hurting him. Quite apart from that, Mrs. Thornton is a very strong woman and admirable, she is better than too many men of that century.
What can I say about Mr. Hale? It’s in true, a very weak man and he has a great capacity to leave over her daughter’s shoulder his burden when he is who should do something instead. I think Mr. Hale is a big problem here, thank God that Margaret loves him too much so she can’t see anything of this.
Normally, I don’t find any description about love from the male main character in classic books, I mean, not with this kind of details, so rich and elaborate. This is one of my favourite things about this book. John Thornton’s feelings and how he fell in love with Margaret and how he’s struggling every time he looks at her. I love his feelings, so strong, persistent, wanting to linger them by himself a bit more. I felt pity for him rather than for Margaret.
I almost think that this girl is blamed just for everything John was going through. I mean, everything between John and Margaret is her fault. Why can’t she think faster before the act? She was who created those misunderstanding between them, can’t she think clearer? She should speak out loud more and explain instead of leave this poor boy thinking and thinking while he is frowning all the time.
As a matter of fact, I reckon this story is full of mischance and most of them because of Margaret. Her bad manners of communication make Thornton misunderstand too many things between them.
On the other hand, I saw a very good change and improve in Margaret ways. Talking to Mrs. Thornton, she doubted about her bravery but she was getting more and more of it throughout the story. She is stronger and firm when this story comes at an end. She is the only person in a house with two adult men who are able to carry the burden of her mother’s death, she’s in charge although nobody put her there, however, she has to because none of those men, brother and father were going to do anything good. Margaret does too many bravery things and she will change with those circumstances and more. She even went to her mother’s funeral when, generally, women don’t go but this is what she said at her father:
Let me go with you; said Margaret, impetuously.
You! My dear, women do not generally go;
No: because the can't control themselves. Women of our class don't go, because they have no power over their emotions, and yet are ashamed of showing them. Poor women go and don't care if they are seen overwhelmed with grief. But I promise you, papa, that if you will let me go, I will be no trouble.
See? Wonderful woman. There are not too many women like Margaret. Don't think of today when everything is normal, not, don't do that. You have to close your eyes and fancy you are there where everything was so complicated being a woman, although I have to say in her favour that those troubles, one of them saved her for being a "Lady" when nowadays that wouldn't be an excuse. How Mrs. Thornton described Margaret? I think she said about her:
'My young lady' thought Mrs. Thronton to herself; 'You've a pretty good temper of your own. If John and you had come together,he would have had to keep a tight hand over you,to make you know your place.
Wow! Pretty thing, huh? This Margaret is something.
A short note about the final chapter according to the book is quite different if you watched that miniseries by BBC channel. Be extremely careful, because you're about to see two things completely different. I, personally, loved the final book the most. To me, it was more romantic and more realistic thinking of 1855. But, you have to judge by yourself once you read ir and watch it.
I hope you can read this wonderful book, a very pretty classic and if you have already read it and want to comment below, better than better.
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