Elizabeth Gaskell's Ruth is a social novel, also know as "problem novel" that deals with the old Victorian views about legitimacy and sinful behaviors. Gaskell portrays an outcast, "a fallen woman" in a very compassionate way.
It is demonstrated how the society would act towards a mother who conceived a child out of a marriage and how the main character, Ruth, is viewed as an evil and sinful person, despite the fact that she is actually good from what we can see. A proof of that would be the fact that she was willing to act as a nurse for typhus victims. She even treated Bellingham who was responsible for her ruin.
It is also interesting to note that she was not treated as a bad person or unwanted person by the townspeople who actually appreciated her nursing care. She also did not speak down to them. She recognized their needs and they were thankful for that.
