Which is the most significant fight?

What do you consider to be the most significant fight of the novel?

I actually had not categorized them this way; I will have to go back and think about this as I review the pages that I dog-eared for importance.

I think Ruth's fight at the fair was. It changed George's station, if briefly. It brought Dora to Charlotte's attention. It showed that Tom could fight. I may be wrong, but it's also the only fight told from multiple viewpoints, isn't it? So I guess I thought it was a pivotal scene.

I think the most significant fight was when Charlotte took on her horrible husband and showed him she had had enough! It changed her life and gave her the confidence to take control of her path.

The women boxers' fight in Lansdown (Chapter 19). Charlotte dresses as a "common Judy" and fights for the first time, totally acting outside the boundaries of a Lady. And Ruth and Henry are co-conspirators with her, also stepping outside their station.

This is a difficult question, as can be seen from the differing answers already posted. I agree that each one of the fights listed were important, and I think the reason it is difficult to distinguish one as the "most" important is due to the different points of view the story is told from. I have to agree with kimk in that the most important fight was the fight at the fair for a number of reasons. For Ruth the most important fight was clearly the one that she lost at the fair, because this changed her path in life in a pivotal way. For Charlotte, I think the fight at the fair was also most important for her because it opened her eyes. She had never seen a woman fight or be fierce before that moment in her life, seeing Ruth duking it out with her opponent made Charlotte realize that women can fight back and can stand up for themselves. The story line for all the characters seems to change after the fight at the fair. George realizes that Dryer was going to trick him out of all his money and so he starts going after Dora and pursuing that avenue, which in the end wrecks his life. Tom starts training to be a fighter and ends up losing an eye. The fight at the fair changed the path that almost every character was on up until that point.

I couldn't have said it better than Rebecca L! I totally agree with her answer and thoughtful interpretation.

I felt that the most significant fight was the internal, on-going fight that Charlotte wages throughout the entire story. After the deaths of her family and her own near death and resulting scars from Small Pox, she struggles constantly to regain her confidence and the resulting respect within her family, her marriage, and society. The actual "fighting" skills were literally and symbolically how she over came her weaknesses. As her fighting skills grew so did her confidence in herself.

I liked all the answers above. It brought out things I had not even thought about. It did not occur to me to consider Charlotte's inner battles.

There were many fights in this novel. The fights to make money, the fights to gain power, the fights to gain freedom, the fights that were physical and mental. I love a good fight when good people are rewarded.

I agree that the fight at the fair was pivotal as it led to the changes in the characters' lives.