In Wives and Daughters, the genre of "novel of manners" constitutes the forces of the plot, and the forces come into conflict or grope for harmony with the counteractive forces to the plot. These two contradicting forces maintain unstable and flexible relations with each other, advancing the story and constructing the meaning. The plot of "Novel of manners" directs to "include" the heroine in the society or community of the novel by realizing the heroine's romantic desire. But the plot intrinsically and paradoxically contains the contradiction of the inclusion of the heroine, and encourages and aggravates the exclusion of women. Gaskell borrows the plot of Mansfield Park and brings the contradiction as well in her novel, but she creates several new elements and represents the vision of female inclusion in their communities and societies. Molly's hero in Wives and Daughters, Roger, a scientist, represents the new perspective and cultural background. Gaskell expects that the scientific development will change the basic structure of society, and will gradually mature the society to the direction of "including" women and giving women equal opportunities and perspectives in their lives. Molly peculiarly does not change her character and attitudes dramatically or drastically, but she grows and matures not by changing her attitudes and manners through test and trials. Her character is characterized by her outspokenness and sexual innocence which guarantee her independence and a new kind of relationship between husbands and wives or male and female lovers. Gaskell shows that the true inclusion of women is based on the independence and new relationship.
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