Gaskell: Questions for Discussion and Further Research
Elizabeth Gaskell uses Ruth to engage in multiple levels of social critique, much like other “social problem” novelists of her day (such as George Eliot and Charles Dickens). As you reflect on Ruth, take some time to analyze the details.
Discuss:
- What factors shape Ruth’s early life? How much control does she have over them? (Be specific, and cite examples within the text.)
- What types of choices are available to Ruth, once she becomes a mother? How does her experience compare to other women, at the time? Does she have access to every part of “proper” Victorian womanhood or motherhood? Why or why not?
- What is Gaskell using Ruth to say about “fallen women”? What response does the story encourage readers to have? How do you know?
- Victorian England had its share of health and sanitation reformers. What is the role of public health in the novel? How might different support systems or measures have affected the story’s outcome?
- How satisfying is the story’s ending? Does it reinforce or undercut Gaskell’s social message(s)? Explain.
Do further research:
- Elizabeth Gaskell based the novel Ruth on a real-life “fallen woman” she had met: a seamstress who had become pregnant after her love affair with a doctor. Using your college library resources, research this incident. How did Gaskell attempt to help the woman? Whose help did she employ? How do you think this experience shaped Ruth, and what evidence leads you to believe this? (Bolster your answer with evidence from the text and/or your library research.)
