Margaret Hale - daughter of a clergyman. Headstrong, determined, stubborn, and powerful with words. Does not back down easily, and cannot embrace or accept criticism. Sympathetic to the plight of the factory workers. Does everything she can to help them, though not in the upper-class. Opinionated. She takes over the male role in her family by arranging their living situation, maintaining the family's station, and encouraging and supporting her father.
Mrs. Thornton - similar in personality to Margaret. Born wealthy and uses this characteristic against Margaret. A lot of power which she exercises through her son.
Fanny Thornton - Mrs. Thornton's daughter. Materialistic and enjoys spending money. Cannot and will not see the hardships in the factories. She turns a blind-eye when the factory's business goes down, and continues to spend as though nothing had changed.
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In this novel, the roles of feminine vs. masculine come very close together. Margaret, though a woman, has a strong presence in the business dealings of the society around her. When given an opportunity to voice and act on injustices, she does not turn away. Mr. Thornton owns and supervises the factory. When Margaret comes to him, he does not treat her gently or with respect a woman of the time would've expected. He treats her as though she were any other man coming into his world. The division between the individual roles is clear, however. Mr. and Mrs. Thornton do a great job of making sure that Margaret recognizes and accepts her feminine role and remains below the male-dominated powers of the factories and politics.
At the end of the story, the financial and gender roles have reversed. Where John Thornton once had power and financial security, he now has a sort of pastoral view on life. Margaret, in turn, is blessed with financial prosperity and influence. Though she is now placed above John, she goes to him for help in managing the factory....and her life.
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