
Mary Barton
'Mary Barton ' Summary
The novel begins in Manchester, where we are introduced to the Bartons and the Wilsons, two working-class families. John Barton is a questioner of the distribution of wealth and the relations between rich and poor. Soon his wife dies—he blames it on her grief over the disappearance of her sister Esther. Having already lost his son Tom at a young age, Barton is left to raise his daughter, Mary, alone and now falls into depression and begins to involve himself in the Chartist, trade-union movement.
Chapter 1 takes place in the countryside where Greenheys is now.
Mary takes up work at a dressmaker's (her father had objected to her working in a factory) and becomes subject to the affections of hard-working Jem Wilson and Harry Carson, son of a wealthy mill owner. She fondly hopes, by marrying Carson, to secure a comfortable life for herself and her father, but immediately after refusing Jem's offer of marriage she realizes that she truly loves him. She, therefore, decides to evade Carson, planning to show her feelings to Jem in the course of time. Jem believes her decision to be final, though this does not change his feelings for her.
Meanwhile, Esther, a "street-walker," returns to warn John Barton that he must save Mary from becoming like her. He simply pushes her away, however, and she's sent to jail for a month on the charge of vagrancy. Upon her release, she talks to Jem with the same purpose. He promises that he will protect Mary and confronts Carson, eventually entering into a fight with him, which is witnessed by a policeman passing by.
Not long afterward, Carson is shot dead, and Jem is arrested for the crime, his gun having been found at the scene. Esther decides to investigate the matter further and discovers that the wadding for the gun was a piece of paper on which is written Mary's name.
She visits her niece to warn her to save the one she loves, and after she leaves Mary realizes that the murderer is not Jem but her father. She is now faced with having to save her lover without giving away her father. With the help of Job Legh (the intelligent grandfather of her blind friend Margaret), Mary travels to Liverpool to find the only person who could provide an alibi for Jem – Will Wilson, Jem's cousin and a sailor, who was with him on the night of the murder. Unfortunately, Will's ship is already departing, so that, after Mary chases after the ship in a small boat, the only thing Will can do is promise to return in the pilot ship and testify the next day.
Book Details
Authors

Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
England
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell , often referred to as Mrs Gaskell, was an English novelist, biographer and short story writer. Her novels offer a detailed portrait of the lives of many strata of Victorian...
Books by Elizabeth Cleghorn GaskellDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
Related books

העיוורת (The Blind) by יעקב שטיינברג Jacob Steinberg
The Blind is a short story that explores the complexities of love, sacrifice, and the search for truth. Hannah, a young woman who is blind, is arrange...

Anybody But Anne by Carolyn Wells
In this, Wells weaves a thrilling tale of a young woman named Anne who unexpectedly inherits a large fortune from a distant relative. As Anne navigate...

Genius by Theodore Dreiser
Theodore Dreiser's *The Genius* is a sprawling, complex novel that chronicles the life and artistic development of Eugene Witla, a talented but emotio...

The Firm of Nucingen by Honoré de Balzac
Part of the Comedie Humane and a "supplementary" tale to go with Father Goriot and Gobseck. Nucingen is the married family name of one of Father Gorio...

Familie Pfäffling by Agnes Sapper
The novel, 'Familie Pfäffling,' tells the story of a musical family with seven children in early 20th-century Germany. It offers a glimpse into the ev...

Bernice by Susan Glaspell
Bernice, a captivating and larger-than-life woman, tragically dies, leaving behind a profound void in the hearts of those who knew her. The mystery su...

Peter und Alexej by Dmitry Merezhkovsky
"Peter und Alexej" von Dmitry Merezhkovsky ist ein ergreifendes Werk, das die tiefe Verbindung zwischen Peter dem Großen und seinem treuen Gefährten A...

Magistrate by Arthur Wing Pinero
The Magistrate, a Victorian comedy by Arthur Wing Pinero, centers on the intricate web of secrets and lies surrounding a seemingly respectable magistr...

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin Abbott Abbott
The story takes place in a two-dimensional world called Flatland and explores the limitations of perception, social hierarchy, and the nature of reali...

Rover Boys Out West by Arthur M. Winfield
The Rover Boys Out West is a classic children's adventure novel that follows the exploits of the three Rover brothers, Tom, Dick, and Sam. The story b...
Reviews for Mary Barton
No reviews posted or approved, yet...