Hard Times novel by Charles Dickens
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Introduction
Hard Times is a novel written by Charles Dickens in 1854. The novel depicts life in England during the nineteenth century. It captures the poverty and misery experienced by the working class during this time. It also mirrors the social flux and complexities of the Victorian Era. The book addresses the predominant issues of that era through three recurring themes namely education, utilitarianism, and industrialization (Dickens, 1854). The following sections look at the themes that have been addressed in the book and also explore how the three sections of the novel bring out the fundamental message about wisdom and logic in England during the nineteenth century.
Themes
The theme of education is expertly addressed in the novel. In the first book, Thomas Gradgrind is a man given to astounding skepticism and who operates a school of hard facts. He is so inflexible and only believes in facts. He detests emotions, faith, charity, hope, and other values. Tom and Louisa who are his children are brought up strictly along these dicta. Gradgrind frowns upon things that are considered fanciful (Dickens, 1854).
In the second book, children who are solely educated on hard facts turn out to be unsuccessful and unhappy adults. Sissy Jupe is considered to be a bad influence due to her involvement in the circus but she ends up a happy woman. Tom turns out to be a gambler who gets involved in a bank robbery and eventually escapes capture to lead a dreary life and die in misery. The irony is that the escape of Tom is to a town where a circus is being held. His escape is aided by Sissy. Louisa ends up in an unhappy marriage. She finally escapes the marriage and goes to her father who recognizes that her unhappiness is due to the education he gave her and apologizes to her. Grandgrind is eventually forced to abandon his demands and becomes an ardent proponent of other values such as charity, hope, and faith. The moral of the story is that education that is based on hard facts and rational logic only is not good and may end up doing more harm than good. The emotional development of children should also be promoted (Dickens, 1854).
With regard to the sectional arrangement of the novel, Grandgrind plants or sows the seeds of education in his children in the first book. The consequences of this education become apparent in the second book. The third book shows the lessons, losses, and rewards gained by each character (Dickens, 1854).
The arrangement of the book has a finality to it that bespeaks the consequences resulting from choices made. There is no ambiguity whatsoever about the fate of man. The life of man is not predetermined and every choice has its consequence. This school of philosophy is known as utilitarianism. Utilitarianism calls on individuals to factor in the interests of others before selecting a particular course of action. Utilitarianism acknowledges that pleasure and pain are critical components of human life and presupposes that actions that bring pleasure should be chosen over those that bring pain. In short, individuals should only act in a manner that will bring the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people (Mill & Sher, 2002). This narrative comes out clearly in the three sections. In the first section, hard facts are planted or sowed into characters such as Tom, Louisa, and Sissy. In the second book, the consequences of these hard facts on their lives become apparent while in the third section lessons on the effects of hard facts are gathered (Dickens, 1854).
Another aspect of utilitarianism relates to the prevailing economic model promoted by economists such as Adam Smith, Malthus, and Jeremy Bentham (Canterbery, 2011). It is worth noting that two of Grandgrind’s children are named Adam and Malthus. In line with this philosophy of utilitarianism, the economy of England was based on the laws of supply and demand. The consequence of this was that the rich grew richer while the vast majority who were the poor became even poorer (Canterbery, 2011). In a sense therefore, Dickens depicts the consequences that arise out of such unbridled laws. Consequences include a rise in crime as portrayed by Tom’s robbery and the suffering of the working class as portrayed by Stephen Blackpool (Dickens, 1854).
Industrialization is a theme that runs the entire course of the story. Hard Times is a bitter remonstration against the prevailing economic circumstances so definitive of the Victorian era. It cleverly brings out the voracity of the industrial society, enunciating with amazing clarity the self-indulgence so ingrained in the psyche of the industrial nabobs. It champions the cause of the downtrodden lot who slave in the industries to no end while pointing an accusing finger against the captains of industry, the ruling class, and the slanted moral fabric. Many of the occurrences take place in Coketown which is an industrial city (Dickens, 1854).
During this period, wages were low, living conditions were dreadful, cities were overcrowded, and diseases were rampant. Introduction of the power loom rendered many people jobless, reduced wages further, caused a glut in the labour market, and enhanced child employment. Workers were housed in workhouses which had inhumane living conditions (Canterbery, 2011). The title “Hard Times” is thus an appropriate moniker that depicts the state of affairs in England at that particular time.
Bounderby is the character who epitomizes all that is bad. He owns a mill and is also a banker. Bounderby arrogantly refuses to help his worker, Stephen Blackpool, seek for divorce from his wife who is a drunkard unless he has money. Meanwhile, he boasts of being a self-made man while his old mother lives abandoned in the streets. Whereas Bounderby subscribes to the school of thought espoused by Grandgrind, he has no problem abandoning this philosophy when it suits him best. For instance, he asks for a kiss from Louisa and gives himself up to fancies in her presence. The unjust working conditions during this period are vividly brought home by the life of Stephen Blackpool who works in Bounderby’s mill as a weaver. Blackpool gets shunned and dismissed from work after declining to join the workers union. Section one of the book also shows that the working class are subjected to demeaning, repetitive tasks which render them unfeeling. In section two the effects of this “dehumanization” are felt (Dickens, 1854).
Conclusion
In summary, Hard Times is a novel that addresses the problems facing England in the nineteenth century. It is divided into three books and has three themes which are education, utilitarianism, and industrialization. The first book, sowing, illustrates the actions made by its characters while the second and third books show the consequences of these actions. The novel shows that education should be wholesome and must not be based only on hard facts. Virtues such as faith, charity, and hope are also important and should form an integral part in the upbringing of children. It also shows the negative effect of utilitarianism on the lives of people. The book also illustrates some of the negative effects of industrialization especially on the lives of the poor in society and talks against the exploitation of workers.