Summary
North and South tells the story of Margaret Hale, a strong-willed and intelligent young woman from the tranquil South of England, who is uprooted when her father, a clergyman, resigns his position on moral grounds. The family relocates to the fictional industrial town of Milton (based on Manchester), in the North, where Margaret is confronted with a starkly different world—one driven by industry, class struggle, and conflict between mill owners and workers.
There, she meets John Thornton, a wealthy but stern cotton mill owner.
Though their ideologies clash—Margaret disapproving of Thornton's business ethics and Thornton misreading Margaret's quiet pride—their interactions slowly evolve from antagonism to mutual respect, and eventually to deep, complex affection.
Alongside the central romance, Gaskell deftly weaves in themes of labor unrest, poverty, gender roles, social justice, and moral responsibility, creating a layered narrative that critiques the harsh realities of industrial capitalism while exploring personal transformation and human empathy.