The 19th Century was a time of social and psychological change for many, especially the inhabitants of a quickly changing England. The Industrial Revolution was changing lives through advances in technology; the English Church was losing followers due to doubts in faith, and barriers between classes were being broken. These concepts, among others, will be explored through analysis of the prescribed visual text, and in this, proof will be given of how these concepts are true in North and South.
The visual text shows a snapshot of life in the 19th century. Improvements in technology are shown through the contrast of horse drawn carts alongside automobiles. This demonstrates a transitional phase, where technologies have been employed, but are not widely used, due either to financial restrictions, unavailability in the market, or a resistance to change. In North and South, This is seen in the mills, as some have technologies such as fans to keep the air clean, and some do not, mainly because of a lack of funds.
This contrast of the horse drawn cart and automobile is also an allegory for the contrast between Helstone and Milton, the former representing the agrarian society of the South of England, and the latter representing the industrial North. Many changes are happening in the North, while most have not yet reached the South. For instance, Margaret Hale has grown up in the South with the concept of “Noblesse Oblige”, which is a French term translating into “Nobility Obliges”. This term is generally used to imply that with wealth, power or prestige, comes responsibility. Even though this style of thought is no longer in the North, Margret tries to ask Bessie Higgins if she could “…bring a basket”, which generally would have been filled with food for poorer people, but Bessie states, “A basket? But we have naught to put in it.” This shows how some in the North have no idea of these customs.
In the BBC adaption of the novel, Margaret often travels in a black...