Mary Barton

by

Elizabeth Gaskell

Harry Carson Character Analysis

Harry Carson is son to mill owner Mr. Carson and his wife Mrs. Carson and brother to Sophy Carson, among other sisters. Perhaps because his entire family dotes on him, handsome Harry grows up vain, self-centered, and rather thoughtless. He conducts a flirtation with working-class Mary Barton without intending to marry her—either not knowing or not caring what happens to “ruined” girls in Victorian England. When Mary realizes that she loves Jem Wilson and breaks off her flirtation with Harry, Harry—desperate to possess Mary and unwilling to believe she doesn’t secretly care for him—offers to marry her but admits he’d never considered doing so before. This admission shocks naïve Mary, who hadn’t realized that Harry intended to ruin her. Even after Mary refuses to see Harry, he continues to pester her both in person and through an accomplice, Mary’s coworker Sally Leadbitter. Meanwhile, during a meeting between employers and employees during a strike, Harry draws a rather callous caricature of the ragged, starving workers’ representatives. When the workers discover the abandoned caricature, they are so outraged by Harry’s mockery of their starvation that they decide to murder him to terrify the employer class. Ultimately, John Barton shoots Harry to death with Jem Wilson’s borrowed gun.

Harry Carson Quotes in Mary Barton

The Mary Barton quotes below are all either spoken by Harry Carson or refer to Harry Carson . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Employers vs. Workers Theme Icon
).
Chapter 3 Quotes

So with this consciousness she had early determined that her beauty should make her a lady; the rank she coveted the more for her father’s abuse; the rank at which she firmly believed her lost Aunt Esther had arrived.

Related Characters: Mary Barton, John Barton, Jem (James) Wilson, Harry Carson , Esther
Page Number: 25
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

“Tell me, Margaret,” said Mary, taking her apron down from her eyes, and looking at Margaret with eager anxiety, “what can I do to bring him back to me? Should I write to him?”

“No,” replied her friend, “that would not do. Men are so queer, they like to have a’ the courting to themselves.”

Related Characters: Mary Barton (speaker), Margaret (speaker), Jem (James) Wilson, Harry Carson
Page Number: 134
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10 Quotes

“How can I keep her from being such a one as I am; such a wretched, loathsome creature! She was listening just as I listened, and loving just as I loved, and the end will be just like my end. How shall I save her?”

Related Characters: Esther (speaker), Mary Barton, John Barton, Harry Carson , Mrs. Barton
Page Number: 117
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11 Quotes

What were these hollow vanities to her, now that she had discovered the passionate secret of her soul? She felt as if she almost hated Mr Carson, who had decoyed her with his baubles. […] She had hitherto been walking in grope-light toward a precipice; but in the clear revelation of that past hour she saw her danger, and turned away resolutely and for ever.

Related Characters: Mary Barton, Jem (James) Wilson, Harry Carson , Esther
Page Number: 123
Explanation and Analysis:

For, be it remembered, she had the innocence, or the ignorance, to believe his intentions honourable; and he, feeling that at any price he must have her, only that he would obtain her as cheaply as he could, had never undeceived her[.]

Related Characters: Mary Barton, Jem (James) Wilson, Harry Carson
Page Number: 126
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14 Quotes

To whom shall the outcast prostitute tell her tale? Who will give her help in the day of need? Hers is a leper sin, and all stand aloof dreading to be counted unclean.

Related Characters: Mary Barton, John Barton, Harry Carson , Esther
Page Number: 149
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 16 Quotes

While the men had stood grouped near the door, on their first entrance, Mr Harry Carson had taken out his silver pencil, and had drawn an admirable caricature of them—lank, ragged, dispirited and famine-stricken. Underneath he wrote a hasty quotation from the fat knight’s well-known speech in Henry IV. He passed it to one of his neighbours, who acknowledged the likeness instantly, and by him it was sent round to others, who all smiled and nodded their heads.

Related Characters: Harry Carson
Related Symbols: Caricature
Page Number: 172
Explanation and Analysis:

A number of pieces of paper (from the identical letter on which the caricature had been drawn that very morning) were torn up, and one was marked.

Related Characters: John Barton, Harry Carson
Related Symbols: Caricature
Page Number: 178
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 18 Quotes

To avenge his child’s death, the old man lived on; with the single purpose in his heart of vengeance on the murderer. True, his vengeance was sanctioned by law, but was it the less revenge?

Are ye worshippers of Christ? or of Alecto?

Related Characters: Harry Carson , Mr. Carson
Page Number: 199
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 22 Quotes

The corner of stiff, shining, thick, writing paper she recognised as a part of the sheet on which she had copied Samuel Bamford’s beautiful lines so many months ago—copied (as you perhaps remember) on the blank part of a valentine sent to her by Jem Wilson, in those days when she did not treasure and hoard up everything he had touched, as she would do now.

Related Characters: Mary Barton, John Barton, Jem (James) Wilson, Harry Carson , Esther
Related Symbols: Wadded Shot
Page Number: 227
Explanation and Analysis:

Gentle, reserved, and prudent herself, never exposed to the trial of being admired for her personal appearance […] Margaret had no sympathy with the temptations to which loveliness, vanity, ambition, or the desire of being admired exposes so many; no sympathy with flirting girls, in short. Then, she had no idea of the strength of conflict between will and principle in some who were differently constituted from herself.

Related Characters: Mary Barton, Harry Carson , Margaret
Page Number: 233
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 32 Quotes

I don’t know that he exactly used the term vengeance in his thoughts; he spoke of justice, and probably thought of his desired end as such[.]

Related Characters: Jem (James) Wilson, Harry Carson , Mr. Carson
Page Number: 296
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 34 Quotes

“You’ve set up heroine on your own account, Mary Barton. How did you like standing witness?”

Related Characters: Sally Leadbitter (speaker), Mary Barton, Jem (James) Wilson, Harry Carson
Page Number: 333
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 35 Quotes

The eyes of John Barton grew dim with tears. Rich and poor, masters and men, were then brothers in the deep suffering of the heart; for was not this the very anguish he had felt for little Tom, in years so long gone by that they seemed like another life!

Related Characters: John Barton, Jem (James) Wilson, Harry Carson , Mr. Carson
Page Number: 341
Explanation and Analysis:

“Let my trespasses be unforgiven, so that I may have vengeance for my son’s murder.”

Related Characters: Mr. Carson (speaker), John Barton, Harry Carson , Job Legh
Page Number: 342
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 37 Quotes

“You say our talk has done no good. I say it has. I see the view you take of things from the place where you stand.”

Related Characters: Job Legh (speaker), John Barton, Jem (James) Wilson, Harry Carson , Mr. Carson
Page Number: 360
Explanation and Analysis:

To those who have large capability of loving and suffering, united with great power of firm endurance, there comes a time in their woe when they are lifted out of the contemplation of their individual case into a searching inquiry into the nature of their calamity, and the remedy (if remedy there be) which may prevent its recurrence to others as well as themselves.

Related Characters: Harry Carson , Mr. Carson, Job Legh
Page Number: 361
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Mary Barton LitChart as a printable PDF.
Mary Barton PDF

Harry Carson Quotes in Mary Barton

The Mary Barton quotes below are all either spoken by Harry Carson or refer to Harry Carson . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Employers vs. Workers Theme Icon
).
Chapter 3 Quotes

So with this consciousness she had early determined that her beauty should make her a lady; the rank she coveted the more for her father’s abuse; the rank at which she firmly believed her lost Aunt Esther had arrived.

Related Characters: Mary Barton, John Barton, Jem (James) Wilson, Harry Carson , Esther
Page Number: 25
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

“Tell me, Margaret,” said Mary, taking her apron down from her eyes, and looking at Margaret with eager anxiety, “what can I do to bring him back to me? Should I write to him?”

“No,” replied her friend, “that would not do. Men are so queer, they like to have a’ the courting to themselves.”

Related Characters: Mary Barton (speaker), Margaret (speaker), Jem (James) Wilson, Harry Carson
Page Number: 134
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10 Quotes

“How can I keep her from being such a one as I am; such a wretched, loathsome creature! She was listening just as I listened, and loving just as I loved, and the end will be just like my end. How shall I save her?”

Related Characters: Esther (speaker), Mary Barton, John Barton, Harry Carson , Mrs. Barton
Page Number: 117
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11 Quotes

What were these hollow vanities to her, now that she had discovered the passionate secret of her soul? She felt as if she almost hated Mr Carson, who had decoyed her with his baubles. […] She had hitherto been walking in grope-light toward a precipice; but in the clear revelation of that past hour she saw her danger, and turned away resolutely and for ever.

Related Characters: Mary Barton, Jem (James) Wilson, Harry Carson , Esther
Page Number: 123
Explanation and Analysis:

For, be it remembered, she had the innocence, or the ignorance, to believe his intentions honourable; and he, feeling that at any price he must have her, only that he would obtain her as cheaply as he could, had never undeceived her[.]

Related Characters: Mary Barton, Jem (James) Wilson, Harry Carson
Page Number: 126
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 14 Quotes

To whom shall the outcast prostitute tell her tale? Who will give her help in the day of need? Hers is a leper sin, and all stand aloof dreading to be counted unclean.

Related Characters: Mary Barton, John Barton, Harry Carson , Esther
Page Number: 149
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 16 Quotes

While the men had stood grouped near the door, on their first entrance, Mr Harry Carson had taken out his silver pencil, and had drawn an admirable caricature of them—lank, ragged, dispirited and famine-stricken. Underneath he wrote a hasty quotation from the fat knight’s well-known speech in Henry IV. He passed it to one of his neighbours, who acknowledged the likeness instantly, and by him it was sent round to others, who all smiled and nodded their heads.

Related Characters: Harry Carson
Related Symbols: Caricature
Page Number: 172
Explanation and Analysis:

A number of pieces of paper (from the identical letter on which the caricature had been drawn that very morning) were torn up, and one was marked.

Related Characters: John Barton, Harry Carson
Related Symbols: Caricature
Page Number: 178
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 18 Quotes

To avenge his child’s death, the old man lived on; with the single purpose in his heart of vengeance on the murderer. True, his vengeance was sanctioned by law, but was it the less revenge?

Are ye worshippers of Christ? or of Alecto?

Related Characters: Harry Carson , Mr. Carson
Page Number: 199
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 22 Quotes

The corner of stiff, shining, thick, writing paper she recognised as a part of the sheet on which she had copied Samuel Bamford’s beautiful lines so many months ago—copied (as you perhaps remember) on the blank part of a valentine sent to her by Jem Wilson, in those days when she did not treasure and hoard up everything he had touched, as she would do now.

Related Characters: Mary Barton, John Barton, Jem (James) Wilson, Harry Carson , Esther
Related Symbols: Wadded Shot
Page Number: 227
Explanation and Analysis:

Gentle, reserved, and prudent herself, never exposed to the trial of being admired for her personal appearance […] Margaret had no sympathy with the temptations to which loveliness, vanity, ambition, or the desire of being admired exposes so many; no sympathy with flirting girls, in short. Then, she had no idea of the strength of conflict between will and principle in some who were differently constituted from herself.

Related Characters: Mary Barton, Harry Carson , Margaret
Page Number: 233
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 32 Quotes

I don’t know that he exactly used the term vengeance in his thoughts; he spoke of justice, and probably thought of his desired end as such[.]

Related Characters: Jem (James) Wilson, Harry Carson , Mr. Carson
Page Number: 296
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 34 Quotes

“You’ve set up heroine on your own account, Mary Barton. How did you like standing witness?”

Related Characters: Sally Leadbitter (speaker), Mary Barton, Jem (James) Wilson, Harry Carson
Page Number: 333
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 35 Quotes

The eyes of John Barton grew dim with tears. Rich and poor, masters and men, were then brothers in the deep suffering of the heart; for was not this the very anguish he had felt for little Tom, in years so long gone by that they seemed like another life!

Related Characters: John Barton, Jem (James) Wilson, Harry Carson , Mr. Carson
Page Number: 341
Explanation and Analysis:

“Let my trespasses be unforgiven, so that I may have vengeance for my son’s murder.”

Related Characters: Mr. Carson (speaker), John Barton, Harry Carson , Job Legh
Page Number: 342
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 37 Quotes

“You say our talk has done no good. I say it has. I see the view you take of things from the place where you stand.”

Related Characters: Job Legh (speaker), John Barton, Jem (James) Wilson, Harry Carson , Mr. Carson
Page Number: 360
Explanation and Analysis:

To those who have large capability of loving and suffering, united with great power of firm endurance, there comes a time in their woe when they are lifted out of the contemplation of their individual case into a searching inquiry into the nature of their calamity, and the remedy (if remedy there be) which may prevent its recurrence to others as well as themselves.

Related Characters: Harry Carson , Mr. Carson, Job Legh
Page Number: 361
Explanation and Analysis: