In Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell, social injustice is a powerful and prevalent theme. This essay will focus specifically on chapter six, in which John Barton searches for medicine for his equally poor friend, Ben Davenport. This chapter perhaps presents the fact that Gaskell's novel reaches beyond even social injustice to basic human kindness. The phrase “social injustice” suggests that a group in society is being ignored, which, undeniably, the lower class in nineteenth-century England is. However, this focus on Barton's journey to find medicine presents the divide between classes as literally a matter of life and death, irrefutably more serious than simply being ignored. Barton's actions also allude to a larger metaphor regarding the class system. As has been established, the poor are treated as “out of sight, out of mind”; it's a hierarchy so fundamental to their society that not even someone's life is worth breaking. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Gaskell uses an extremely simple metaphor to illustrate this initial contrast between the classes: light and dark. While Barton is traveling in search of medicine, he marvels at the sumptuousness of the "illuminated shops" at night: of all the shops, the apothecary's shop most resembles the fairy tales of our childhood, from Aladdin's garden of enchanted fruits to the charming Rosamund with his purple vase. . The metaphor of light and darkness is used to physically show the social injustice in John Barton's status. The "illuminated shops" give off an almost sacred aspect, as Barton goes on a pilgrimage in search of a miracle. This is in direct contrast to his position in the dark street; the separation between light and dark suggests a barrier between the lower and upper classes, which John will never be able to breach. Furthermore, the imagery of the fictional tale "Aladdin" suggests the unattainable aspect of the upper classes; for John Barton it is possible to experience such richness only by imagining yourself in a fairy tale. This is further emphasized through Barton's mirroring of Aladdin. Just as the street urchin had to walk through the garden of enchanted fruits, Barton too must walk down the street without touching anything. His social status deems him incapable of touching the "display of goods," which seem almost frivolous compared to the humble medicine John seeks. By placing what John seeks – medicine – in a fairy tale, he suggests how unattainable his goal is. Therefore, the only comfort John seems to draw is from tales of his 'childhood'; an imaginary world is certainly much kinder than the social injustice he currently experiences. By placing Barton on this metaphorical and physical pilgrimage, the contrast between poor and rich is extremely palpable. Therefore, the reader almost expects Barton to embody this pious figure, dedicated to helping his own. Instead, we are presented with his internal, contradictory feelings, which allow the reader to witness not only the actions of social injustice, but also the human reactions: Barton's was a mission of mercy; but the thoughts of his heart were touched by sin, by bitter hatred towards the happy, whom he, for the first time, confused with the selfish. Gaskell first uses euphemism to simultaneously present the low importance of the lower classes and Barton's humble attitude; his trip is described as an 'errand', even though it has much higher importance than simply picking up the car, 2012)