What North and South Taught Me About Polarisation

Found in Nina’s suitcase: carbon copy of a letter to Millie (1968)

Greenwich Village, New York

February 12th, 1968

Dear Millie,

We talk a lot about living in a polarized world, but the truth is: it’s not exactly new. If anything, Gaskell’s North and South shows us that we can make sense of today’s human behavior, if only we looked at the patterns of the past... because (no surprise) history keeps repeating itself.

Elizabeth Gaskell’s (underrated) romance novel left me thoughtful during and after reading it. Gaskell describes polarization within Milton, a 19th-century industrial town in the north of England. Her story is about the tensions between two opposing sides, each stuck in their own ways, standing so firmly apart that breakage becomes inevitable.

The magnetic bookmark in the photo is part of Nina's collection! You can find it in my shop.

The book shows it everywhere: old ways vs. modern ways, country life vs. city life, humans vs. machines, locals vs. foreigners, Northerners vs. Southerners, wealth vs. education, and workers vs. masters.

North and South feels (painfully) relevant today. Whether it’s the war, debates around race, identity, and belonging, or the growing political unrest, I feel the same tensions are pulling people apart all over again.

And at the center of it all, there’s the beautiful love story between Margaret Hale (a young, educated woman from the South, in many ways resistant to change) and John Thornton, the self-made mill owner whose business is under threat from the rising tensions with his factory workers.

In this multi-layered tug-of-war, Gaskell gives us a rare opportunity to step into the struggles of the factory workers, organized in (then-fragile) trade unions, and whose members sacrificed immensely (sometimes with their lives) to push for better wages and working conditions. It’s easy to forget today, but many of the rights we take for granted were born from those early struggles. They were earned the hard way... and they’re not set in stone.

For me, the real question the book raises is this: Can two people (or two sides) on opposite ends of a situation learn to see the world through each other’s eyes? Can they find a middle ground?

Through well-developed characters and a powerful writing style, Gaskell doesn’t preach. She presents perspectives from all sides and invites us to see the importance of honest, engaging dialogue.

Ultimately, North and South made me realize that we’re all in the same boat, even if we have different ways of seeing life.

With open dialogue, patience, and real listening, maybe we’d realize that we aren’t as polarized as we think... In the end, most of us want the same things: dignity, respect, and the chance to live a decent life.

In a nutshell: a must, must, must-read.

Love,

Nina

P.S. Off to England. I’m convinced my John Thornton is just terribly lost... and clearly needs my help.