Mary Barton

by Elizabeth Gaskell

Mary Barton, a historical novel written by Elizabeth
Gaskell, focuses on the trials and tribulations of the 19th
century working class. Mary, a hardworking yet dainty young
woman, serves as a looking glass by which the ain and
athos of her time is magnified tenfold. !hrough Mary, the
reader gains an unsurmounted knowledge of social roblems
which resided over everyday life in 19th century England.
"lthough the twisted love story and murder lot sometimes
take center stage, the underlying issues are #uite evident.
$erhas the most imortant issue, which sarks interest not
only in the average individual but in the historian as
well, is the lack of communication between the working and
middle classes.

!his lack of communication surfaces throughout the entirety
of the novel. %n &hater ', George (ilson arrives at
mill)owner &arson*s house in search of an %nfirmary order
for his dying friend, Ben +avenort. (hile standing in the
kitchen, he overhears the servants comlaining of the
carices of the idle rich, and becomes nauseous from the
sight of breakfast since he has not eaten. Gaskell asserts
that, *%f the servants had known this, they would have
willingly given him meat and bread in abundance, but they
were like the rest of us, and not feeling hunger
themselves, forgot it was ossible another might.* &arson
resents him with an out)atient note that can be redeemed
the following Monday. "s (ilson leaves, young &arson
secretly hands him five shillings. -f course +avenort is
dead before the %nfirmary order takes effect. !he ignorance
in this assage is remarkable. !he servants are oblivious
to (ilson*s hunger, while Mr. &arson has never witnessed a
man dying of tyhus.
"lthough Mary Barton is an e.cellent e.amle of historical
literature, it is not without faults. !he greatest weakness
relates to the author*s inability to comletely overcome
her middle class attitudes. $erhas the most rofound
evidence of this can be found in &hater /. !he assage
begins with a vivid descrition of the differences between
the emloyers and the emloyed. Gaskell comments on how
bewildering it is for a oor weaver to see the masters
moving from one house to another which is larger and more
magnificent, while he is *struggling on for bread for his
children*. "nd when business is slow, *large houses are
still occuied, while sinners* and weavers* cottages stand
emty, because the families that once occuied them are
obliged to live in rooms or cellars. &arriages still roll
along the streets...while the workman loiters away his
unemloyed time in watching these things, and thinking of
the ale uncomlaining wife at home, and the wailing
children asking in vain for enough food.* (hile the weaver
adots a *oor me* attitude, Gaskell asserts her feelings
towards the working class. *% know that this is not really
the case, and % know what is the truth in such matters0 but
what % wish to imress is what the workman feels and
thinks. !rue, that with child)like imrovidence, good times
will often dissiate his grumbling, and make him forget all
rudence and foresight.* !his assage is followed by a
disheartening change of events. "fter losing his 1ob,
Barton struggles to survive. %t is during this time eriod
that 2ohn*s ride and 1oy, his only son, develos scarlet
fever. !he doctor tells him that roer nourishment is the
only ossible remedy. (ith this awareness, 2ohn sets out in
search of credit, but is turned down. "fter witnessing Mrs.
3unter leave a sho with urchases for a arty, 2ohn
returns home to find his only son dead. !his event fills
2ohn with e.treme vengeance against the emloyers. Gaskell
is forced to take a closer look at the hardshis of the
oor while setting aside what her middle)class ubringing
has taught her. 4evertheless, Gaskell is at least somewhat
critical of 2ohn Barton, and she continues to ass 1udgment
on him for lacking *rudence* and *foresight*.

(hile reading this novel, one may wonder how 19th century
legislation may have imroved social conditions. $erhas
the *$eole*s &harter* a legislative rogram submitted to
$arliament in 15/6 by the 7ondon (orkingmen*s "ssociation,
would have made a great imact on the lives of the working
class. !he &hartist movement, which the association
sonsored, resulted from widesread dissatisfaction with
the 8eform Bill of 15/9 and the $oor 7aw of 15/:,
legislation that workingmen considered discriminatory. !he
*$eole*s &harter* contained si. secific demands,
including suffrage for all male citizens twenty)one years
of age and over, elections by secret ballot, and annual
$arliamentary elections. (hen these demands were re1ected
by the 3ouse of &ommons, the association launched a
nationwide camaign for its rogram, and about 1,9;<,<<<
individuals signed a etition to $arliament re#uesting that
the charter be enacted into law. (hen $arliament again
re1ected the charter, the &hartists lanned direct action
in the form of a strike. !he strike failed, but a riot
broke out in Monmouthshire in 4ovember, 15/9, and many
&hartist leaders were arrested and imrisoned. &hartism was
in a eriod of decline until 15:5, when another etition
was sent to $arliament. +esite a large ublic
demonstration, the charter was again re1ected because of
insufficient and fictitious signatures. !he &hartist
movement gradually disintegrated thereafter, but all of the
rogram, e.cet the demand for annual $arliamentary
elections, eventually became law.

%n conclusion, Mary Barton successfully reresents the
*hungry forties* in a manner that is both entertaining and
informative. "lthough Gaskell struggles with her
middle)class attitudes, she gives the working class a very
strong voice which stirs symathy in the heart of the
reader. =rom this novel, one gains a first)hand
understanding of 19th century social conditions and the
legislation that surrounded them.