# Bessy Higgins — North and South character guide

> Bessy Higgins in North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Bessy, poor Bessy, Bessy Higgins, Poor Bessy

**First appearance:** 0014-xv-masters-and-men

## Snapshot

A dying mill-worker's daughter whose fierce, unlettered faith and hunger for comfort draw Margaret into the world of Milton's poor.

## Who they are

Bessy Higgins coughs her life away in a Princhester Street cellar, sustained by visions of Revelation and a longing for the heaven her father cannot believe in. She is one of the first Milton people to treat Margaret as a friend rather than a lady, and through her Margaret learns the human cost of the strike and the mill-owners' prosperity. Her death leaves a silence in Margaret's Milton life that nothing else quite fills.

## Relationships

### [Margaret Hale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/characters/margaret_hale)

_friendship_

A tender, tragic friendship where Margaret comforts the dying mill worker Bessy and learns about the harsh realities of industrial life.

### [Margaret Hale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/characters/margaret_hale)

_friendship_

A tender, tragic friendship where Margaret comforts the dying mill worker Bessy and learns about the harsh realities of industrial life.

### [Margaret Hale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/characters/margaret_hale)

_friendship_

A tender, tragic friendship where Margaret comforts the dying mill worker Bessy and learns about the harsh realities of industrial life.

## In the story

### [Home Sickness](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/chapters/viii-home-sickness)

Nicholas's frail daughter, who is resigned to her poor health and speaks of a heavenly afterlife. She accepts Margaret's flowers with gratitude.

### [XI: First Impressions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/chapters/xi-first-impressions)

Bessy expresses weariness with life in Milton and a longing for death, revealing her poor health and despair.

### [XIII: Soft Breeze in a Sultry Place](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/chapters/xiii-soft-breeze-in-a-sultry-place)

Lies ill on a squab, listens to Margaret's descriptions of nature, and asks Margaret to befriend her sister Mary.

### [XVII: What Is a Strike?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/chapters/xvii-what-is-a-strike)

Weary of strikes and conflict, longs for peace and the afterlife; expresses concern for her father.

### [XIX: Angel Visits](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/chapters/xix-angel-visits)

Expresses surprise that Margaret is dining with the Thorntons, noting their wealth and status, and worries about Margaret's appearance.

### [XXIV: Mistakes Cleared Up](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/chapters/xxiv-mistakes-cleared-up)

Margaret plans to visit Bessy later in the day, indicating her ongoing connection to the Higgins family.

### [XXVII: Fruit-Piece](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/chapters/xxvii-fruit-piece)

Has died this morning; her last wish was to be buried in something of Margaret's, and she sent affectionate respects to Margaret.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/characters/bessy_higgins
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/north_and_south_se/characters