| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立成功大學 === 外國語文學系 === 103 === In North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell presents various social problems, such as poverty, class conflicts, and antagonism between workers and masters, in order to arouse the middle-class’s compassion for the working class. In addition to social issues, Gaskell also describes family relationships concerning people from different social strata. With the focus on family relationships, this paper aims to discuss the potential solution provided by Gaskell to the social problems associated largely with the Industrial Revolution. The study begins with Victorian family ideology and the widely accepted views about parental duties. With the Hales and the Thorntons as examples, the paper points out Gaskell’s ideas regarding parental roles and influences on their children, both material and spiritual, as well as her belief in the maintenance and stability of society through family. The research then investigates the novelist’s “metaphorical family,” consisting of Thornton as the father, Margaret as the mother, and the working class as children in Milton-Northern. In this metaphorical family, Margaret mediates between Master Thornton and the workers, and finally manages to reconcile the two parties thanks to her moral influences. Affected by Margaret, Mr. Thornton, as the father figure, eventually forsakes his habitual despotism, and readily enters into sincere communication with his workers, eventually reaching a mutual understanding with them. Using family as a metaphor, Gaskell reveals the crucial role family plays in society. To conclude, Gaskell considers a well-functioning family, in which all members communicate, respect one another, and willingly compromise with one another when necessary, is a workable solution to social problems, in particular class conflicts.
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