Mary Barton Study Guide

Mary Barton

Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell

The Victorian novel Mary Barton offers a peek at working class life in Manchester, England. The title character struggles throughout the novel, losing her mother in childbirth, having to work challenging jobs and having to decide between Jem, the man who loves her, and Harry, the wealthy son of the local mill owner. The novel questions the role of women in Victorian society, as the female characters have the option of getting married or living alone, and becoming prostitutes, like Mary's aunt, Esther.

Mary Barton Characters

Table of Contents
  • Mary Barton– The eponymous character, a very beautiful girl.
  • Mrs Mary Barton– Mary's mother, who dies early on.
  • John Barton– Mary's father, a millworker, active member in trade unions.
  • George Wilson– John Barton's best friend, a worker at John Carson's mill.
  • Jane Wilson– George Wilson's wife, short-tempered.
  • Jem Wilson– Son of George and Jane, an engineer and inventor who has loved Mary from his childhood.
  • John Carson– Wealthy owner of a mill in Manchester.
  • Harry Carson– Son of John Carson, attracted to Mary.
  • Alice Wilson– George Wilson's sister, a pious old washerwoman, herbalist, sick-nurse.
  • Margaret Jennings– Neighbour of Alice, blind, a sometime singer, a friend to Mary.
  • Job Legh– Margaret's grandfather, a self-taught naturalist.
  • Ben Sturgis– An old sailor, who looks after Mary during her stay in Liverpool.
  • Will Wilson– Alice's nephew (Jem's cousin), whom she raised after the death of his parents. A sailor, he falls in love with Margaret.
  • Esther (last name unknown)— Sister of Mrs Mary Barton, she is a fallen woman and on the periphery for most of the story.

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