About

Margaret Hale

John Thornton

Mr. Thornton, around thirty years old, is a Milton-born, self-made cotton mill owner. Very tall, and not strikingly handsome (canonically, never mind Mr Armitage!), he has strong work ethics and honest intentions. Through unforeseen misfortunes he was not able to receive the sort of learning that he would have wished, but he is able to pursue this path in his sessions with Mr Hale. He has one sister, Fanny, a frivolous and air-headed girl, but notably, he has a very close and affectionate relationship with his mother, Hannah, and this is sometimes the source of his antagonism and growing interest in Margaret.

Their Story

Margaret and Thornton first meet in one of the prospective Milton properties in which the Hales will live. Although habitually a man of authority, Thornton is quickly taken by Margaret's forthrightness and 'quiet maiden freedom', and is immediately attracted to her. Throughout the novel, there is a sense of Thornton's perceptiveness of Margaret's thoughts and feelings -- he is very aware of her presence, while she remains oblivious.

Margaret opened the door and went in with the straight, fearless, dignified presence habitual to her. She felt no awkwardness; she had too much the habits of society for that. Here was a person come on business to her father; and, as he was one who had shown himself obliging, she was disposed to treat him with a full measure of civility. Mr. Thornton was a good deal more surprised and discomfited than she. Instead of a quiet, middle-aged clergyman, a young lady came forward with frank dignity,--a young lady of a different type to most of those he was in the habit of seeing. Her dress was very plain: a close straw bonnet of the best material and shape, trimmed with white ribbon; a dark silk gown, without any trimming or flounce; a large Indian shawl, which hung about her in long heavy folds, and which she wore as an empress wears her drapery. He did not understand who she was, as he caught the simple, straight, unabashed look, which showed that his being there was of no concern to the beautiful countenance, and called up no flush of surprise to the pale ivory of the complexion. He had heard that Mr. Hale had a daughter, but he had imagined that she was a little girl.

'Mr. Thornton, I believe!' said Margaret, after a half-instant's pause, during which his unready words would not come. 'Will you sit down. My father brought me to the door, not a minute ago, but unfortunately he was not told that you were here, and he has gone away on some business. But he will come back almost directly. I am sorry you have had the trouble of calling twice.'

Mr. Thornton was in habits of authority himself, but she seemed to assume some kind of rule over him at once. He had been getting impatient at the loss of his time on a market-day, the moment before she appeared, yet now he calmly took a seat at her bidding.

When the mob of workers on strike eventually force their way into the mill, Margaret uses her status as an upper class lady to save him from violent attack. Thornton misinteprets this concilatory gesture for romantic feelings and out of his sense of duty he expresses his feelings for her in a marriage proposal, which Margaret vehemently refuses, as she believes she was merely doing what she thought was right.At this point Margaret does not love Thornton.Thornton's pain following her rejection is very palpable; indeed Gaskell's depiction of a man's physical and emotional aspect of love - the anguish and torment, the passion and the revolt - is very impressive for Victorian literature.

In spite of her harsh refusal, Thornton continues to love her in silence. He is as perceptive as ever of her presence. Notably, Margaret also becomes a little more sensitive to his pain. Meanwhile, Margaret's brother, Fred, arrives in England from Spain to see his dying mother. There is the risk that he will be court-martialled following a disastrous mutiny incident at sea, so there is no mention of him to anyone but immediate family. The night when Fred is forced to leave Milton at Outwood station, Margaret accompanies him. By chance Mr Thornton passes the area, and he witnesses the pair, mistaking them as lovers, but says nothing. Another man, Leonards, recognises Fred, antagonises him and tumbles down a stairwell to his death, following a brief brawl.

Margaret suddenly finds herself in hot water as a police inspector, Mason, questions her on her whereabouts the night Leonards died. She is forced to lie, and deny her presence at Outwood station, not knowing if Fred is out of the country or not. Mason is unconvinced and brings the case to one of the local magistrates, which happens to be Mr Thornton. Thornton, knowing her so well as he does, cannot believe that Margaret would blatantly lie about such a thing, but he "would yet do her faithful acts of service" and does not pursue the case further. Margaret becomes aware of this, and suddenly finds herself "at his feet". Although he hates to acknowledge it, Thornton refuses to believe that Margaret has done wrong, despite the circumstances, and in spite of what his mother injects. He is hurt and jealous but fair-minded. Mrs. Thornton, who symbolically reflects society's values, accuses Margaret of degrading herself, but we all this to be untrue; however, Mrs. Thornton's accusation reinforces the fact to Margaret that she was prejudiced in her opinion of Mr. Thornton, and she now believes him to not be in love with her, while her own feelings for him begin to change.

Further sadness and loss ensues with the death of Mr. Hale. Margaret is prostrate with grief; Mr Thornton can only helplessly watch her from the side. There is nothing left for her in Milton. She returns to London, and after a period of mourning, Mr Bell comes on a visit, suggesting a trip to Helstone. Margaret is quite excited at the prospect, but it is after her visit that she realises that Helstone is simply a loved childhood home, and that she can never return to the past as it were; in acknowledging this she embraces the fact that life must lie elsewhere, and this would be Milton.

Mr. Bell is quite an interesting character in the way that he's rather saucy but very perceptive. He is aware quite early on in the novel of the sexual tension between Thornton and Margaret, and unwittingly leads Thornton to believe that the young man whom Margaret was with is Henry Lennox. Nicholas Higgins is also an intriguing character, and rather perceptive; he is the one who finally relieves Thornton's anxiety over the dubious nature of Margaret's chastity.

A year passes after Margaret's departure from Milton, and circumstances arise so that she and Mr. Thornton meet again in London. At this time Thornton has lost his mill through financial straits. Margaret is quite anxious, not fully knowing what Thornton is thinking, but to Thornton, she has never looked more beautiful, but it seems that he is not certain of her love for him.

Margaret was watching Mr. Thornton's face. He never looked at her; so she might study him unobserved, and note the changes which even this short time had wrought in him. [ ...] his face flashed out into the old look of intense enjoyment; the merry brightness returned to his eyes, the lips just parted to suggest the brilliant smile of former days; and for an instant, his glance instinctively sought hers, as if he wanted her sympathy. But when their eyes met, his whole countenance changed; he was grave and anxious once more; and he resolutely avoided even looking near her again during dinner.

On a particularly warm day, Margaret proposes a business proposition to Thornton, which in more implicit terms suggests that she is ready to place her livelihood in his hands, that there is mutual love and respect between them. Thornton's passionate love for her reignites like a burning flame. Margaret is not used to expressing her feelings in such a way and is very shy and delicate, covering her face in modesty. Thornton does not need to re-propose (poor man) and we can safely and happily assume that she will be coming home with him. Happy ending after all!

[...] her very heart-pulse was arrested by the tone in which Mr. Thornton spoke. His voice was hoarse, and trembling with tender passion, as he said:--

'Margaret!'

For an instant she looked up; and then sought to veil her luminous eyes by dropping her forehead on her hands. Again, stepping nearer, he besought her with another tremulous eager call upon her name.

'Margaret!'

Still lower went the head; more closely hidden was the face, almost resting on the table before her. He came close to her. He knelt by her side, to bring his face to a level with her ear; and whispered-panted out the words:--

'Take care--If you do not speak--I shall claim you as my own in some strange presumptuous way.--Send me away at once, if I must go;--Margaret!--'

At that third call she turned her face, still covered with her small white hands, towards him, and laid it on his shoulder, hiding it even there; and it was too delicious to feel her soft cheek against his, for him to wish to see either deep blushes or loving eyes. He clasped her close. But they both kept silence. At length she murmured in a broken voice:

'Oh, Mr. Thornton, I am not good enough!'

'Not good enough! Don't mock my own deep feeling of unworthiness.'

After a minute or two, he gently disengaged her hands from her face, and laid her arms as they had once before been placed to protect him from the rioters.

'Do you remember, love?' he murmured. 'And how I requited you with my insolence the next day?'

'I remember how wrongly I spoke to you,--that is all.'

It is this wonderful, wonderful portrayal of two resilient, passionate characters growing before our eyes, both coming to the realisation of why they love each other, that makes this story one of the most touching and original stories in English literature (and indeed in period drama).

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