Synopsis

Ruth Hilton is a 15-year-old orphan girl. She works in a sweatshop for Mrs. Mason, who is very busy and overworked. Ruth is chosen to go to a ball to fix torn dresses. At the ball, she meets Henry Bellingham, a 23-year-old man from a wealthy family. He is immediately interested in her. They meet again by chance and become friends in secret. During an outing, they are seen by Mrs. Mason, who is worried about the reputation of her shop. She fires Ruth.

Without a home, Ruth is taken to London by Bellingham. It is suggested that she becomes someone who is not respected in society. They travel to Wales together. While walking in the countryside, Ruth meets Mr. Thurstan Benson, a kind man who has a disability. Bellingham becomes very sick with a fever. A hotel calls for his mother, who arrives and is angry that her son has lived with Ruth in a way that is not acceptable. His mother convinces him to leave Ruth in Wales and gives her some money.

Ruth tries to take her own life but is found by Mr. Benson. He comforts her. When he learns about her past and that she is alone, he takes her to his hometown, where he is a religious leader. He and his kind but strong-willed sister, Faith, decide to lie to the town and say Ruth is a widow named Mrs. Denbigh. This is to protect her from being treated badly by society.

Ruth has a baby boy named Leonard. She becomes calm and pure again, like a Madonna figure. A rich businessman named Mr. Bradshaw admires Ruth and hires her as a governess for his children, including his oldest daughter, Jemima, who admires Ruth greatly.

Ruth travels with the Bradshaws to a seaside house while one of Mr. Bradshaw’s children is recovering from an illness. Mr. Bradshaw brings Mr. Donne, a man he is helping become a local leader, to the seaside to impress him. Ruth recognizes Mr. Donne as Henry Bellingham. They argue on the beach. Bellingham offers to marry Ruth, saying he still loves her and wants to protect their child. Ruth refuses, saying she will not let Leonard be close to a man like him.

Jemima learns about Ruth’s past through gossip, though she does not know that Mr. Donne is Leonard’s father. Jemima is stubborn and jealous that her suitor, Mr. Farquhar, seems to admire Ruth more than her. Mr. Farquhar is actually upset by Jemima’s unpredictable behavior, which is caused by her father’s actions. Jemima decides to keep Ruth’s past a secret, torn between her jealousy and her admiration for Ruth.

Mr. Bradshaw also learns about Ruth’s past through gossip. Despite Jemima’s strong defense of Ruth, Ruth is forced to leave the house and lose her job. Ruth returns home and tells Leonard the truth: he is not the son of a married couple. He is deeply hurt and ashamed. Mr. Bradshaw argues with Mr. Benson, blaming him for allowing Ruth to live in their homes and for the lie.

Jemima and Mr. Farquhar marry and have a child. They become friends with Ruth and Leonard but remain on the edges of society. Ruth works as a nurse for the poor and earns respect, making Leonard proud of her again and restoring their relationship. Mr. Bradshaw’s son is discovered to have stolen money from the company, and Mr. Bradshaw disowns him. Later, when his son is in an accident, Mr. Bradshaw feels guilty and realizes his strict morals may have been too harsh. His son recovers, and Mr. Bradshaw begins to change his life.

During a typhus outbreak, Ruth cares for the sick with great dedication, earning admiration from everyone. A local doctor offers to help Leonard attend a good school, and the Farquhars suggest a holiday with Ruth and Leonard. Before Ruth decides, she learns Mr. Donne is very ill. She tells the doctor the truth about Mr. Donne’s identity and goes to care for him. He is too sick to recognize her but recovers with her help.

Ruth becomes sick and dies from the illness. At her funeral, many poor people who she helped praise her, and the chapel is full of people who loved her, even though she was once seen as someone who was not respected. Mr. Donne visits Mr. Benson’s home and sees Ruth’s body. He offers money to Mr. Benson for Leonard, admitting he is Leonard’s father. Mr. Benson refuses and tells him to leave.

The story ends with Mr. Bradshaw finding Leonard crying at Ruth’s grave. He takes Leonard home to Mr. Benson, restoring his friendship with him. Mr. Bradshaw realizes that as someone who once helped exclude Ruth from society, he is partly responsible for her death.

Theme

The book is a social novel that discusses Victorian ideas about sin and children born out of wedlock. It presents a kind and understanding description of a "fallen woman," a person usually shunned by society. The story explores the judgment faced by those with children born outside marriage. Ruth later finds a respected job as a governess and nurse, and the novel considers whether people who have made mistakes can be accepted back into society. Christianity is an important part of the story, and Ruth must prove her worth through suffering and showing regret to achieve forgiveness.

Characters

• Ruth Hilton – The main character of the story, a 15-year-old girl who is later called Mrs. Denbigh.
• Henry Bellingham – Ruth’s romantic partner. He is 23 years old and later changes his name to Mr. Donne.
• Leonard Denbigh – Ruth’s son, who was born out of wedlock.
• Mr. Thurstan Benson – A minister who provides shelter and support to Ruth.
• Miss Faith Benson – The sister of Mr. Benson.
• Mr. Richard Bradshaw – Ruth’s employer and a local businessman.
• Jemima Bradshaw – A friend of Ruth. She is the daughter of Mr. Bradshaw.
• Mr. William Farquhar – A business partner of Mr. Bradshaw. He later marries Jemima.

Literary significance and reception

Ruth received different opinions from critics. The book openly discussed topics like seduction and having a child out of wedlock, which caused some people to argue about it. Gaskell said the book was not allowed in her own home, that friends were sad about its publication, and that two people burned their copies. However, some reviewers thought Gaskell made Ruth seem too passive, not showing enough about her own feelings. Gaskell included so many reasons that explained Ruth's actions that she did not seem like a typical example of a "fallen woman."

Ruth is one of several 19th-century British and American novels that feature a "fallen woman" with an illegitimate child as the main character. It can be compared to Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter (1850), which was published a few years earlier, and it shares similarities with Thomas Hardy's novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891). Like Tess, Ruth is a working-class girl who stands out from others because of her sensitivity and lack of knowledge about sex. However, Gaskell's portrayal of Ruth differs from Hardy's in that she focuses on Ruth's guilt, sadness, and effort to make up for her mistake, while Hardy does not see Tess as a sinner in the same way.