North and South · Chapter
XI: First Impressions explained
Margaret Hale reflects on her first impressions of John Thornton after he confesses his humble beginnings as a shop-boy.
What happens
Margaret Hale reflects on her first impressions of John Thornton after he confesses his humble beginnings as a shop-boy. While she finds him personally unlikable due to his hardness and focus on wealth, she admires his honesty and respect for his mother. Mr. Hale reveals more about Thornton's past, including his father's suicide and Thornton's quiet repayment of debts, which earns Margaret's respect. Meanwhile, Margaret worries about her mother's declining health and the oppressive Milton environment, and she encounters Bessy Higgins, who expresses weariness with life and a longing for death.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Industrial Conflict
Thornton's background as a shop-boy and his rise to manufacturer highlight class tensions and the moral complexities of industrial society.
Pride and Prejudice
Margaret's initial prejudice against Thornton's hardness contrasts with her growing respect for his integrity, reflecting themes of pride and misjudgment.
Family and Loyalty
Thornton's tender respect for his mother and his quiet repayment of his father's debts underscore family loyalty and duty.
Characters to notice
- Margaret Hale
Margaret expresses mixed feelings about Mr. Thornton, admiring his honesty but disliking his hardness. She is anxious about her mother's health and the Milton environment.
- John Thornton
Thornton confesses his past as a shop-boy and his father's suicide, showing simplicity and respect for his mother. Margaret finds him personally unlikable but respects his integrity.
- Mr. Hale
Mr. Hale reveals details of Thornton's background, including his father's suicide and Thornton's quiet repayment of debts. He defends Thornton's character.
- Mrs. Hale
Mrs. Hale appears jaded and unwell, with secret consultations with Dixon. Margaret fears her health is suffering from the Milton life.
- Bessy Higgins
Bessy expresses weariness with life in Milton and a longing for death, revealing her poor health and despair.
Key passages
“Papa, I do think Mr. Thornton a very remarkable man; but personally I don't like him at all.”
Margaret acknowledges Thornton's remarkable qualities but admits she does not like him personally.
This captures Margaret's conflicted first impressions of Thornton.
“I really liked that account of himself better than anything else he said. Everything else revolted me, from its hardness; but he spoke about himself so simply—with so little of the pretence that makes the vulgarity of shop-people, and with such tender respect for his mother, that I was less likely to leave the room then than when he was boasting about Milton.”
Margaret appreciates Thornton's simple and respectful confession about his past, contrasting it with his otherwise hard and boastful demeanor.
This highlights Margaret's nuanced view of Thornton's character.
“That really is fine. What a pity such a nature should be tainted by his position as a Milton manufacturer.”
Margaret admires Thornton's integrity but laments that his industrial role corrupts his nature with a focus on wealth.
This reflects Margaret's critique of industrial values.