Exploring the viewpoint that North and South is more centred around romance than industry. The reality is that Gaskell intertwines the romance plot with her industrial focus throughout the novel. I look at Chapter 10, where John and Margaret first clash in their ideologies about the ethics of industry, and where Gaskell lays the ground for their future relationship as the conflict between them is established. I look at the strike mob in Chapter 22, where Margaret defends John - forming an important midpoint in the novel's structure and combining both the romance and industrial focus. After this, John feels obligated to propose, but how will Gaskell resolve the tensions in the novel? A Level English Literature, Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South.