Elizabeth Gaskell uses both direct and indirect characterization in her book to help illuminate the themes." For example, Gaskell uses third person narration to show the thought process of Mrs. Thornton that supports the opinions she has of her children:
She had an unconscious contempt for a weak character; and Fanny was weak in the very points in which her mother and brother were strong…she felt instinctively that nothing could strengthen Fanny to endure hardships patiently, or face difficulties bravely; and though she winced as she made this acknowledgment to herself about her daughter, it only gave her a kind of pitying tenderness of manner towards her; much of the same description of demeanour with which mothers are wont to treat their weak and sickly children. (94)
In the diction above, Gaskell uses indirect characterization to show that Mrs. Thornton is a close-minded person. In the same paragraph, we learn that Mrs. Thornton does not love Fanny as much as John because Fanny is neither as independent nor as perseverant as her family. However, this is
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According to Carol T. Christ and Catherine Robson, during the time period of North and South, England had too much institutionalized sexism for it to be socially acceptable for women to be independent. In fact, it was considered to be God’s divine will for women to be eternally dependent on and submissive to men. During the story, Margaret’s world got turned upside down and torn apart. Despite this, she was anything but a damsel; she rejected the proposals of two men, one of them being a rich businessman, maintained a brave face in front of her dad after finding out her mother was dying of an incurable disease, did her best to comfort and help the Higgins, stood up to John during the strike, all