North & South discussion

What are your thoughts and ideas about this character?

Our opinions will follow :)

Definitely a family man, one who would do anything for his family and it burdened him that striking would harm his family.

I admire Mr. Higgins. His drive, his determination to achieve his goal and the guts to stay on that path calls for my respect. An ideal man for unions (caring representation).

While I certainly like Mr. Higgins very much, and all the qualities Marren described, there is one part of his character I did not appreciate. As Marren says, Higgins was a family man and was burdened by the fact that striking would bring his children harm. I simply wish that his anger had not clouded his ability to empathise with the difficulties faced by people like Boucher, who had less strength of character and more people in a family to support.

Of course Higgins redeemed himself in my eyes by taking care of Boucher's children, and I know he felt bad for how he treated Boucher, but I have to admit there were a few occasions where I was not well inclined towards Mr. Higgins.

I like Mr. Higgins very much because he shows that not all poor working people are sheep to be led and he managed to do something for his fellow workers in the end (the kitchen at the factory). Ok, he could be a bit rough but I always favored strong characters who fought to stay alive. Boucher just gave up and whined and the killed himself and left his sick wife and little children to fend for themselves :/

I confess to being more than a little in love with the series Higgins, and it clouds my judgement of the book Higgins. Being a staunch union supporter myself, I think Gaskell's more ambivalent view led her to make the character less sympathetic. I understand his unforgiving attitude towards Boucher because I have indeed seen that one weak link in a union dispute can break the whole chain or worse drag a dispute out interminably to ultimately reach the same end. And Higgins is a very strong man, he doesn't see that Boucher can't help his weakness, that not everyone can be as brave as Higgins has been and will be. He has little patience with the short-sighted, which Boucher certainly is. I love that Nicholas is thoughtful and speaks eloquently and from his heart.

And oh, Brendan Coyle's little sideways smile, be still my beating heart! It's the perfect Higgins understanding, caring, but not patronizing look. Takes people as they are, provided they do their best, and doesn't suffer fools or suffer from false modesty,
He's maybe my favorite character, though I love them all.

Samanta wrote: "I like Mr. Higgins very much because he shows that not all poor working people are sheep to be led and he managed to do something for his fellow workers in the end (the kitchen at the factory). Ok,..."

I admit Boucher whining and killing himself and leaving his family behind was not great (to put it mildly). One thing that really pissed me off about that; he was so concerned about his starving children during the strike, and then he goes and kills himself? How the hell is that going to help his kids? But despite all that, I can never help feeling a little sorry for him - I can understand both his and Higgin's points of view.

Becca, do you think that Gaskell had any knowledge of depression as a driver of suicide? You're right, it is logically inconsistent for Boucher to kill himself, although if his presence was keeping others from helping his wife and children perhaps it makes more sense. From a story viewpoint Boucher needs to show the cruelties of an industrialized society and the viciousness possible by humanity in collective action (how's that for twenty-five-cent words?). But The portrait of desperation Gaskell shoes seems to me pretty careful to include the signs of depression. Maybe I am reading too much into it though.

Before I answer your question, Kate, once again I just have to point out that I am seriously impressed by your vocabulary. :D

Now, to the point... From a story point of view I certainly understand Boucher's death. As to whether Gaskell had any knowledge of depression as a driver of suicide, I don't have much knowledge of Elizabeth Gaskell, but if she did know about depression as a driver for suicide I would say it was largely intuitive, rather than (for the most part) specific personal knowledge of depression.

That's the problem with these deep stories, isn't it? You never know if you're reading in too much.

I agree about Brendan Cole as Higgins - brilliant!! I just couldn't but admire him when he takes on Boucher's children, as he feels responsible for Boucher killing himself. And then for him to put his pride behind him and try and get a job with Thornton.