"He never tramp'd the weary round"

            Reading Vaughn alongside Engels and Glaskell illuminates the way the city serves as a place for intellect and innovation while at the same time being a place where even vermin would probably avoid. The physical and mental exhaustion of digesting Engels’ “The Great Towns” emphasizes the severity of the too-long-ignored poverty within the city. Engels points out that the city arrangement is designed to hide this malnourished, overworked population from the eyes of the wealthy. Glaskell’s novel aggressively addresses   the reader’s ignorance of the real city life when asking: “Errands of mercy—errands of sin—did you ever think where all the thousands of people daily meet are bound?” (43). We also hear the dismissal of these impoverished workers when Mr. Carson expresses that he “doesn’t pretend to know the names of the men” he “employ[s]” (48). While he may consciously chose to ignore the livelihood of his workers (as we would assume many would), he does provide Mr. Wilson with the “out patient’s order” and Mr. Carson Jr. shows his concern by providing him with “five shillings out of his pocket.” The Carsons’ surprising generosity suggests that the workers’ poor state may not be entirely due to the greed of individual factory owners, but perhaps a result of a system that fails to protect the working class.

While Simmel tells us that the population of the city is too overwhelming that we cannot possibly take the time to care for every individual we meet, Glaskell’s novel presents selfless characters that strive to help the well-being of others. We meet Alice Wilson who willingly runs to be the sick-nurse of almost everyone in need. Mr. Wilson and Mr. Barton also rush to the needs of their fellow worker, and Jem risks his life saving others. Margret also selflessly devotes herself to her grandfather’s well-being, while Job’s long story of finding Margret reveals how he found hope after a loss and was blessed by the generosity of strangers.

While these generous, selfless characters exist within Mary’s world, she does not completely share their attitudes. When Alice expresses the pleasure she finds in “helping others,” Mary “was glad she had not gone into service” (22). Mary, instead, is aware of the value of her beauty and speculates on how it will allow her to have upward mobility through Mr. Carson Jr. While Mr. Barton despises the idea of his daughter being a part of that class, he also does not want his daughter to be a meager factory girl. Mary’s “ambit[ion]” and Mr. Barton’s restlessness display how they both cannot be content within their present economic state (54). From a young age Mary found “power” when performing a monetary transaction (13). Her “fond[ness]” of “money-spending” is perhaps why she dreams of being Mr. Carson Jr.’s wife who can make dress orders instead of taking them (13,55).

Now that we are about a third into the novel, I am interested in Mary and her father’s relationship in contrast with Margret and her grandfather’s relationship. As readers, it seems that we are drawn to the warmness between Margret and her grandfather. I am suspicious of our likeness towards the pair because I assume our perceptions and desires would be more similar to Mary’s. And if so, what is Glaskell suggesting about her readers?