Mary Barton: Chapter 8 Summary & Analysis

Three weeks later, Jem visits the Bartons’ in his best clothes with a flower in his buttonhole that he hopes Mary will praise so he can give it to her. Mary largely ignores him and soon flees to her bedroom, where she has more luxurious flowers from Harry. Jem is stuck listening to John talk about working conditions: once, when John was sick with fever, he helped the surgeon at the infirmary by copying his paperwork—and learned that most factory accidents occurred during the last two hours of work when workers were exhausted. John drops hints that the workers are going to do something about this. Jem, preoccupied with Mary, asks no questions and soon leaves.

For the past three years, the cost of food has risen while work has gotten scarcer. Many working-class families are slowly starving, which foments hatred of the rich. The workers suspect that Parliament doesn’t know of their misery, so in spring 1839, a massive petition is created about economic conditions in manufacturing areas, and some worker-representatives are selected to bring the petition to Parliament. John is one of the representatives. He’s excited to see London and hopeful Parliament will help.

The night before John leaves for London, many neighbors stop by. Various men ask John to petition Parliament to end starvation or pass a bill mandating shorter workdays. Mrs. Davenport comes and asks whether Parliament could repeal the law against children working in factories: her son Ben is strong and terribly hungry, and she has no money to send him to school, so she’d like him to go work rather than spend his days as a street delinquent. Several other men offer their own petitions for John to bring to Parliament, and John says he’ll do his best, though he intends to focus on the workers’ miserable poverty.

After the visitors have left, John mentions to Mary that Mrs. Wilson has been looking very sickly—though she hasn’t been strong since a factory wheel damaged her hip in an accident as a young woman. Mr. Wilson married her shortly after the accident, though many thought he ought to have jilted her. John worries what will happen to Mr. Wilson if his wife dies.

Mary has decided not to see Harry while John is away, suggesting that she has a guilty conscience, though she tells herself her marriage to Harry will help John. Harry pays one of Mary’s coworkers, the friendly but wholly superficial Sally Leadbitter, to carry messages for him to Mary. One evening, Harry gives Sally a letter begging Mary to reverse her decision and see him. When Sally enters the Bartons’ house in search of Mary, she finds Mary weeping. Sally teases Mary for crying over her love of Harry. Mary, piqued, says she may not love Harry at all; she’s crying over Mr. Wilson, who suddenly died that very day.

Sally gives Mary Harry’s letter. Mary asks Sally to tell Harry she won’t meet him while John’s gone. While Sally is trying to change Mary’s mind, Margaret enters. Sally quickly leaves. Mary, noticing Margaret’s eyes are red, asks whether she’s been crying. Margaret says yes, but for joy, and shows Mary a gold sovereign: she’s had her first professional singing engagement at the Mechanics’ Institute, and she’s been hired to sing there again. Moreover, she finally admitted to her grandfather (Job) that she was going blind. He wept and began moving objects out of her way in case they tripped her, but he took it gently. Margaret, happily, sings a little of the song she is to perform next; Mary cries and laughingly predicts wealth in Margaret’s future.