Ruth

Ruth Hilton is an orphaned young tailor who attracts the attention of gentleman Henry Bellingham, who is fascinated by his simplicity and beauty. When she loses her job and home, she offers her comfort and shelter, but soon leaves her mercilessly. Nearly dead of grief and shame, Ruth offers a chance for a new life among the people who initially give her love and respect, although they initially do not know her secret - an illegitimate child. However, when Henry re-enters her life, Ruth must make an impossible choice between social acceptance and personal pride. Elizabeth Gaskell, who wrote Ruth, defiantly confronted the prevailing views on sin and illegitimacy with her compassionate and honest portrait of a "fallen woman."

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