Margaret befriends a local mill worker, Nicholas Higgins, and his family. For his part, Thornton falls instantly in love with Margaret. Though he is handsome and interesting, Margaret does not view him as a gentleman and disagrees with many of his views about the mill master’s authoritative power over the workers. A part of the nouveau riche, Thornton owns Marlborough Mill and holds distinction in Milton and abroad for the success of his factory. Margaret becomes intrigued by her new home when she meets her father’s primary pupil, John Thornton. She spends most of her days in bed complaining about the foul air and longing for the family’s idyllic pastoral life in Helstone. Maria’s health begins to falter soon after the family’s arrival in Milton because she finds the town so unpleasant. Margaret and her mother have different reactions to the move. The Hales feel out of place as they try to adjust to the disparate landscape and the peculiar social structure that is at odds with all they know about class and manners. The constant whir and grind of machinery fill their ears, and the townspeople move about quickly, interacting little with each other. Smog, created by industrial waste emissions and leached from the smokestacks of the mills, pollutes the air.
After packing their home and selling many belongings, the Hales, along with Maria’s maid, Dixon, begin their journey north.Įvery aspect of Milton shocks the Hales. Margaret’s parents, often indecisive and apathetic, leave Margaret to make all the arrangements for their move. News of the move upsets Margaret’s mother, Maria, and Margaret is devastated to leave the quaint pastoral landscape she adores. Margaret’s father, Richard Hale, becomes disenchanted with the church, resigns his position as vicar, and announces they must move north to an industrial town called Milton, where he will become a tutor to the uneducated mill owners. Shortly after her return, she refuses a marriage proposal from Lennox, her friend and Edith’s brother-in-law. After Edith’s marriage to Captain Lennox, Margaret returns to Helstone, the quiet town where her father is the village vicar. Protagonist Margaret Hale is 18 and lives in London with her wealthy Aunt Shaw and cousin, Edith.
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