On the surface, the title of North and South isn't a tough one to figure out. The main character (Margaret Hale) travels with her family from the south of England to the north. Then she travels back down south after her parents kick their respective buckets. But the concept of north and south has a much deeper resonance than just one woman's travelling. It actually symbolizes the clash of different cultures that exists between the hub of England's aristocracy (South) and the industrial grit of the North.
Margaret's upbringing in the South has exposed her to traditional English values. You know: keep your pinky out when you drink tea, curtsey just so, and never talk about money. Manners are the ultimate expression of goodness for Margaret. But hey, it's easy not to talk about money when you have money, right?
John Thornton, on the other hand, represents the values of the North: Thornton has pulled himself and his family out of poverty through hard work and sheer will. For that reason, he cares an awful lot about money and is ready to measure the value of just about anything in life with money. After all, his money is a direct reflection of his hard work. But Johnny boy also doesn't have much compassion for the poor, whom he blames for being lazy and/or untalented.
Ultimately, the coming together of Margaret and Mr. Thornton represents a union between the northern and southern parts of England, which also means a union of modern and traditional values. Both have their merits, after all. And Gaskell's novel stresses this union between Margaret and John Thornton as a way of suggesting that an England unified in its beliefs would be a stronger England.
Don't get us wrong, though—North and South isn't just a political parable. It's also a super-cute love story.