The Difference Between the North and South of England

The perceived difference between the north and South of England is the main theme of the novel. Margaret is from the South of England, where her life is easy and free in the countryside of Helstone. When she moves to the industrial town of Milton, she finds people treat her differently because they presume she has had an easy life. This is partly true, but in some characters the dislike of the north is mere prejudice based on no real foundation. This is certainly true of the domineering Mrs. Thornton, whose mistrust of southerners has little foundation as she has never traveled away from the northern regions. At one point Mrs. Thornton states that if Margaret was a Milton girl, she would be the perfect match for her son, but because she is not Mrs. Thornton presumes she does not...