Mrs Hale is originally from the lifestyle of luxury that her sister, Mrs Shaw continues to live out. However, that came to an end when she married for love and not for money, and she hasn’t stopped complaining since. She is incredibly unsatisfied with her life in Helstone, longing for more things and feeling isolated from her old life in the South. She is conscious that she has little, and chooses not to attend her niece’s wedding because, essentially, her clothes aren’t grand enough. All hell breaks loose when she learns that she is moving to a manufacturing town (insert a splutter of disbelief), and suddenly, Helstone becomes the most beautiful place in the world. Mrs Hale has always been victim to poor health (in other words, she gets sick whenever she has to do something), and like Mr Hale, has always depended upon Margaret to take over her responsibilities. She requires constant reassurance from her daughter, and becomes overwhelmed by the smallest of things. Once the family move to Milton, Mrs Hale’s health declines steadily until she is close to death. In her illness, she loses her self-entitlement and grows docile. Her last wish before she dies is to see her most beloved son, Frederick, and she passes away almost immediately after she does.
