Source identified1
Image design Rose Studio
Read & copy
“I simply look upon them with contempt for their poorness of character.”
Meaning & context
Thornton distinguishes his response to self-indulgence from hatred, revealing the severe ethic of self-denial through which he judges character.
Source details
North and South, represented by Project Gutenberg #4276. John Thornton speaks this sentence while recounting family hardship and the disciplined habits his mother taught him; it is historically situated fictional characterization, not Gaskell issuing a universal moral ranking.