North and South · Chapter
Something Wanting explained
Margaret receives news from Milton through Dixon, who brings gossip about the Thorntons and the Higginses.
What happens
Margaret receives news from Milton through Dixon, who brings gossip about the Thorntons and the Higginses. Margaret longs for Mr. Bell to visit Milton to clear up matters with Mr. Thornton, but his letters are brief and melancholic. She finds solace in her nephew and engages in intellectual conversations with Henry Lennox, though their relationship remains distant. A potential trip to Spain with Mr. Bell to visit Frederick offers a glimmer of hope.
Themes in this chapter
Family and Loyalty
Margaret's bond with her nephew and her longing to visit Frederick in Spain underscore her devotion to family.
Moral Integrity and Redemption
Margaret's desire to have the truth explained to Mr. Thornton reflects her commitment to moral clarity and redemption.
Gender Roles and Women's Agency
Margaret's limited agency is evident as she waits passively for Mr. Bell to act, while finding purpose in caring for her nephew.
Characters to notice
- Margaret Hale
Yearns for resolution with Mr. Thornton and finds comfort in her nephew and the prospect of visiting Frederick in Spain.
- Dixon
Returns from Milton with gossip about the Thorntons and Higginses, and expresses reluctance about a potential trip to Spain due to religious concerns.
- Henry Lennox
Frequently visits the household, engaging in intellectual conversation with Margaret, though their relationship remains cool and distant.
- Edith
Reveals Mr. Bell's idea of taking Margaret to Spain, and becomes emotional at the thought of Margaret leaving.
- Mr. Bell
Corresponds with Margaret but writes short, bitter letters; is considering a trip to Spain with Margaret to visit Frederick.
- Nicholas Higgins
Mentioned as having visited the house asking for news of Margaret, and his daughter Mary has gone to work at Thornton's mill.
Key passages
“Experience, like a pale musician, holds A dulcimer of patience in his hand; Whence harmonies we cannot understand, Of God's will in His worlds, the strain unfolds In sad, perplexed minors.”
Life's experiences are like a musician playing a patient instrument, producing melodies that reflect God's mysterious and often sorrowful will.
The epigraph sets a tone of patience and melancholy, mirroring Margaret's waiting and uncertainty.
“Margaret rather agreed with her that the story was incoherent enough to be like a dream.”
Margaret thought the gossip about Mary Higgins was as confusing as a dream.
Highlights Margaret's detachment from Milton life and her reliance on Dixon's unreliable news.
“Those were Margaret's sweetest moments. They gave her a taste of the feeling that she believed would be denied to her forever.”
Caring for her nephew gave Margaret a glimpse of maternal love she thought she would never experience.
Reveals Margaret's deep longing for love and family, a central emotional thread in the chapter.