North and South

Nostalgia is defined as the “a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition” (“Nostalgia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster). For Margaret, Helstone recalls a time that is irrevocably lost. Her home village, an Eden-like bower, protects her from the horrors of the changing world outside. But, like the biblical Adam and Eve, once Margaret’s eyes are opened to the truth, the spell is broken. When she visits Helstone later in the novel, she returns not to the welcoming embrace of home but to an alien land she no longer recognizes. Leaving Helston represents leaving behind her childhood: “I have passed out of childhood into old age” (439). Once she is exposed to the realities of the caste system in which she lives, she recognizes that Helstone is not a utopia. The bucolic splendor of Helstone is created by workers in the field, just as Milton’s wealth is built by workers in the factory.

Helstone emblemizes Margaret’s idealized, naïve identity. She prides herself on being a peacemaker and helping others find unity and contentment. This role is easy to maintain in the pastoral peace of Helstone. As the vicar’s daughter, she moves about the village with ease as she is well-respected and revered for her charitable visits and congenial conversations: “She took pride in her forest.