Gaskell's take on unions seems to come to this. The unions, if they force men to join, are guilty of the same sort of tyranny as owners. Our strong union man (Higgins) is made to seem somewhat responsible for the suicide of a fellow worker who didn't want to join the union but was forced to.
This "freedom first" sounds good, but Gaskell downplays the power of $$$. If management has the money and there is no union or a weak union, freedom won't feed the stomach.
Plot now revolves more around Frederick than anything else. Lennox returns as a lawyer who might represent him in his attempt to get his name cleared. Thornton continues to (sort of) suspect that pure Margaret has a hidden lover. Margaret, who lied to the police about being at the train station when Frederick pushed his potential Judas down and sort of caused his death, is humiliated by her lie. She has lost Thornton's good will and she has betrayed her own principles.
It's all entertaining but it also seems contrived. Thornton and Margaret are headed to the altar once all the misunderstandings are cleared up. Not sure that Frederick will ever by cleared--does the English Navy ever forgive mutiny? Also suspect that Lennox will do some sort of dirty dealing with Frederick that disappoints Margaret, thereby clearing the stage for Thornton.
Like the first half far more than the second.
This "freedom first" sounds good, but Gaskell downplays the power of $$$. If management has the money and there is no union or a weak union, freedom won't feed the stomach.
Plot now revolves more around Frederick than anything else. Lennox returns as a lawyer who might represent him in his attempt to get his name cleared. Thornton continues to (sort of) suspect that pure Margaret has a hidden lover. Margaret, who lied to the police about being at the train station when Frederick pushed his potential Judas down and sort of caused his death, is humiliated by her lie. She has lost Thornton's good will and she has betrayed her own principles.
It's all entertaining but it also seems contrived. Thornton and Margaret are headed to the altar once all the misunderstandings are cleared up. Not sure that Frederick will ever by cleared--does the English Navy ever forgive mutiny? Also suspect that Lennox will do some sort of dirty dealing with Frederick that disappoints Margaret, thereby clearing the stage for Thornton.
Like the first half far more than the second.
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