The North and the South by Elizabeth Gaskell is a novel dominated by the struggle of the powerful personalities. The Bildungsroman-style novel explores the coming of age of nineteen-year-old protagonist Margaret Hale and the "struggles" she faces and the concerns with which she "struggles." Alongside Margaret, Gaskell introduces characters including Mr. Thornton, Mr. Hale, and Nicholas Higgins, all of whom, in some sense, have powerful personalities, who are perhaps not "powerful" on the level of authority or physically, but as a character who plays a role. powerful literary role in the context of the novel. Through careful analysis of Gaskell's choice of language, structure, and form, each character's "struggle" can be evaluated through the presentation and exploration of social concerns related to autonomy and class value in the context of England in the 1850s. no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The character of Margaret Hale, as the protagonist, dominates Gaskell's novel. Gaskell's working title for her novel, first published in Dicken's Household Words between 1854 and 1855, was "Margaret Hale", which highlights the importance of her character. However the title changed; North and South, proposed by Dicken himself, suggests that Margaret's personal struggles seem "secondary" to the larger theme of class conflict.[1] The character of Margaret herself struggles with class conflict, and specifically female autonomy, as evidenced by her developing relationship with Bessy Higgins; Margaret considers “with more sadness than Bessy, the contrast between them”. The "contrast" appears to be problematic enough that Gaskell asks Margaret to reflect "sadly" on the differences between the two friends, which, at the time of reflection, reflects Margaret's changing views of the Northerners. Margaret seems to observe the behavior of everyone she comes in contact with, process it, and adopt those elements that will serve to improve her own character. She also uses every uncomfortable or difficult moment to improve her character, both consciously and unconsciously, which illustrates the struggle for her feminine self-determination amidst her relationship with Mr. John Thornton. Margaret does not accept the assumption that women are inferior in any particular area. , and delights in his eloquence and personal strength; which is often evident in its compelling and somewhat provocative tone. For example, Margaret flirtatiously provokes Mr. Thornton into disagreement when she discusses the debated topic of class struggle in Milton, North, "'But,' said Margaret in a low voice," with "what she said only [irritates] him.” Margaret's hushed tone implies that she understands that her rebuttal is controversial and that, contextually, the fact that a woman is speaking out against a man in the patriarchal society that her character struggles to accept highlights the true personality of Margaret. Margaret's real character is one who must deal with her pent-up feelings for John Thornton, a man she considers to be below her social status, thus suggesting that her "powerful personality" confronts the struggles of the conflict of class, which is a problem. recurring theme throughout the novel. The relationship between Margaret Hale and Mr. Thornton personifies the social division between North and South; and the struggle for Margaret to evolve into a less bold and outspoken southerner. “The North in thefiction of the mid-Victorian era is not simply the locus of a figure of capitalist values ​​of which Manchester was often the symbol"[2], illustrates Gaskell's presentation of Thornton's conventional attitude towards the government determining the political economy, and thus, as a sympathetic and multifaceted character, he illustrates how a Northerner need not have his ability to succeed squandered by his social class. Mr. Thornton struggles to justify with Margaret how he believes that "it is one of the greatest beauties of our system, that a workman can rise to the power and position of a master." Although Gaskell suggests to his middle-class readers that Margaret struggles with the affection she feels toward Mr. Thornton, in contrast, Thornton apparently has no difficulty. The literary use of free indirect speech in the omniscient narrative illustrates the continually contradictory opinions that Northerners and Southerners use to justify to their companions, which is useful in observing the evolving relationship between Margaret and Mr. Thornton. Upon meeting Margaret, every detail of her character seems to fascinate Thornton. For example, when having tea at the Hale house, Thornton is presented by Gaskell as being captivated by a bracelet on Margaret's arm, which needed to be "replaced", "until it was replaced". tightened her soft flesh,” Thornton “watched” Margaret struggle with this tiny imperfection in her dress, to the point of suggesting that he observed “with far more attention than he listened to his father.” By examining the couple's relationship, Thornton's character embarks on a transformational journey that poses thought-provoking questions to Gaskell's contemporary readership regarding the struggle for social responsibility and how a responsible society should be run. In contrast, Ms. Hale's characterization suggests that North and South is equally dominated by the struggle of personalities, although not necessarily those of the "powerful." Mrs. Hale, much like her daughter Margaret, struggles with the loss of her idyllic life in Helstone, where Margaret's depiction of both places illustrates the female character's view of their homes, while essentially commenting on their declining social status. Margaret describes Helstone as "like a village in a poem, in one of Tennyson's poems", where the cottages were "covered with roses". The manufacturing town of Milton-Northern couldn't be more different; there was a “lead-colored cloud” hovering above it, and its air “had a faint taste and smell of smoke.” Mrs. Hale's health declines dramatically during the period of moving from the South to the North, and this physical struggle she endures juxtaposes the psychological troubles she describes of herself. A sense of regret in her choice of spouse is evident in Mrs. Hale's character, particularly when compared to the domineering and matriarchal character of Aunt Shaw, where her choice to marry for status was only positive , in relation to Mrs. Hale. marrying for the love she felt for Mr. Hale, which unfortunately led to her moving to the industrialized North. While not a "powerful personality" in Gaskell's novel, one considers what literary purpose the character of Mrs. Hale serves, and arguably her purpose is that of a satirical juxtaposition between the characters in their whole. Whereby her rebuttal and dislike of all things industrialized and "northern" contrast with Margaret's ever-changing opinions on the knowledge she has made; illustrated by Bessy and Mr. Nicholas Higgins. Gaskell is known for writing "in dialect", that is, writing in the way people speak..