North and South The Home Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Volume.Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

[Her] future life in the country parsonage, where her father and mother lived; and where her bright holidays had always been passed, though for the last ten years her aunt Shaw's house had been considered as her home. (1.1.3)

Margaret looks forward to going home to Helstone, even though she's spent the last ten years living in London with her fashionable cousin. She'll always think of Helstone as home, no matter where she goes. 

Quote #2

This marring of the peace of home, by long hours of discontent, was what Margaret was unprepared for. (1.2.6)

Margaret is totally unprepared for any prolonged time of unhappiness in her home. Growing up, she always thought of Helstone as a place of uninterrupted happiness. But now things are different, and Margaret has to cope with the adult world of dissatisfaction and regret. 

Quote #3

[Frederick's] room was kept exactly as he had left it; and was regularly dusted, and put into order by Dixon. (1.2.15)

You can tell that Helstone exists in some sort of time warp for the Hale family. For starters, the village is inhabited by a bunch of villagers who probably still live they way people did a hundred years earlier. On top of that, the Hales try to keep their exiled son's bedroom exactly as it was when he left. On a symbolic level, this suggests that they're not able to move on and let go of the past.