Cranford is a story narrated by Mary Smith, who describes how Cranford is a town mainly inhabited by women. The book begins by announcing that men who attempt to settle in there disappear mysteriously. Deborah Jenkyns establishes the values and standards which townspeople must follow. The narrator enquires from Deborah about the goings-on in Cranford. The norms and values of Cranford are put into test by the arrival of Captain Brown with his two daughters. Captain Brown’s good demeanor wows the residents of this female-centered society. Unfortunately, Captain Brown is knocked down and killed by a train while trying to rescue a child.
Nonetheless, the townspeople take care of his daughter. Meanwhile, Deborah also passes on, and the narrator befriends her younger sister, Matilda Jenkyns, to be informing her about the town’s incidents. Matty, as Matilda is commonly known, has had a childhood partner called Thomas Holbrook. However, their dream of getting married was thwarted by Deborah, who cast doubt on Holbrook on whether he can make a good husband. Although the relationship between the two has been revived following the death of Deborah, it does not last long. Holbrook dies, and Matty is left heartbroken.
Generally, the book explores the challenges experienced through the change of values by old-fashioned feminist society to contemporary society. The interaction between the narrator and the older women of Cranford symbolizes the union of new and old values in a matriarchal society. The merger of modern values and ancient traditions represents generational change experienced during industrialism.
