Hard Times

 

                                           Hard Times

                                                         -  Charles Dickens

                            

                

                                   ( Charles Dickens:- 1812 - 1870 ) 

                           Hard Times : For These Times is the tenth novel by Charles Dickens, which is first published in 1854. The book surveys English society and satirises the social and economical conditions of the era.

                          Hard Times is unusual in several ways. It is by far the shortest of Dicken's novels, barely a quarter of the length of those written immediately before and after it. The novel is a bitter indictment of industrialization, with its dehumanizing effects on workers and communities in mid 19th century England. In this novel we can see two aspects that fact and fiction.

                         

            

                          

              Thinking Activity On Hard Times :- 

    1 )        According to your reading what is  more important " Fact or  Fiction "?

   

          The ' Hard Times  ' is Victorian novel. The novel has theme of fact and fiction. In the novel we can see some characters live with fact and  some character live with fiction. The theme of fact and fiction in Hard Times allows Dickens to contrast the harsh realities of Victorian Britain with a more romantic, spiritually richer existence. The world of fact is  epitomized by Mr. Gradgrind and the dark satanic mills of Coketown. And Mr. Gradgrind insists that his children should always stick to the  facts. The world of fiction is explored through Sissy Jupe, whose  imagination gives her an understanding of what really matters in life. Another character Mr. Bounderby believes that factory owners are lazy  and the workers are ' hands ' are hardworking by themselves exploited by their owners that is the fact.

                             

   

                         According to me fact and fiction both are important. Just fiction cannot be excluded life. Fact proves as true incident whereas fiction is based on imagination. Facts describe details about real people, real incidents and situations whereas fiction involves imaginary characters, situations and incidents. Facts are the proven truths , it can't be considered imaginary thoughts created by the human brain. Fiction is the imaginary stories build up by people. Fact is unchangeable and fiction is changeable in people's mind and imaginations.

                   In the novel Mr. Gradgrind always gives importance to the fact. He never gives place to the fiction in human life. He always work on the base of fact. Second example of fact in this novel is that Louisa married with Mr. Bounderby, who is older than Louisa and he is factory owner. Louisa married with him for her brother but at the end Mr. Gradgrind realises that only fact is not more important in life, fiction is also important.

                           So, fact and fiction both have their importance and both are important for being healthy human being. Just fiction is not important, fact is also necessary for a balanced life. 

      2 )        At the end of the story who wins? ( Fact or Fiction )

                                In the novel Hard Times we can see the theme of Fact and Fiction. Which are the most important. Mr. Grandgrind insists that his children should always stick to the facts. He was a teacher, he also teach his students to fact and he strongly believe in fact. Also Mr. Bounderby believes that factory employees are lazy good for nothing who expect to be fed " from a golden spoon ". The Hands, in contrast see themselves as hardworking and as unfairly exploited by their employers. These sets of facts cannot be reconciled because they depend upon perspective.

                                    Sissy Jupe, the student of Mr. Grandgrind is thoroughly opposite to Mr. Gradgrind. Because she believes in fiction, in short imagination and emotions. Mr. Gradgrind decided to marriage of his daughter with his friend Mr. Bounderby. He is a factory owner and very rich man. But he is equal age Mr. Gradgrind and older than Louisa. Louisa is married with Mr. Bounderby not for he is rich man but for her brother to make his life better.

                           

                             

                               ( At the end of the story fiction is win )

               

                                    Mr. Bounderby is factory owner. In his factory many workers did work. He calls his workers as " Hand ". But his workers are not happy from him. Stephen Blackpool is also the worker of Bounderby's factory. He is not happy to his owner like other workers. Even, he also faces the problem of his marriage life. Stephen not happy with his married life and he wants to give divorce to his wife. He tells Mr. Bounderby to help him.

     

                      Mr. Boundrby tells that he is not able to pay the fees of lawyer and he can't divorce his wife. At that time, Tom tells him to meet at bank. When Stephen stand at the bank, there were police came and caught Stephen because they think that robbery is done by him. But at the end, truth is revealed that bank robbery is done by Tom no Stephen. So, at the end , fiction  tells bank robbery is done by Stephen. So, here fiction is important for Mr. Gradgrind because it saves his son.

                               

      3 )   Do you find any similarities between Louisa and Stephen?

   

      👈     [ Image of Louisa's character   ]

                    

                  

            [ Image of Stephen Blackpool's character ]   👉

                            

                                     In the ' Hard Times ' we find some similarities between two characters that are Louisa and Stephen. They both are similar in some situation. They both are lives their life on the based on fact.

                         

     Other similarity between this two characters is that the both are live with unhappy marriage life. Louisa married with Bounderby not out of love but out of a sense of duty to her brother, Tom , the only person in the world she loves and who wheedles her into saying yes because he works for Bounderby and wants to improve his chances at rising in the world. She is not happy with her marriage life.

  

                            Same way Stephen Blackpool, is also unhappy in his marriage life. He live with his drunken wife. He wants to divorce from her wife. He likes Rachel, who is work with him in factory but before divorce he can't live with Rachel and he didn't get divorce from her wife. In the robbery case Stephen implication by Tom. And as same with Louisa. Mrs. Sparsity implication her in run away with Mr. Harthouse. But they both are innocent.

                         So , we can say that Louisa ans Stephen both have same problem of their unhappy marriage life. But they can't do anything to stay happy.

    4 )       At the end of the story who survives? Or who wins? Louisa's father  or Sissy Jupe.

 

         【  Louisa's father :- Mr. Gradgrind 】

                      

          

             

            【 Sissy Jupe 】

                                        Two characters we see in this novel whom has their own different thoughts. That characters named Louisa's father Mr. Gladheid and Sissy Jupe, student of Mr. Gradgrind. Louisa's father believe in fact and Sissy believes in fiction. The whole story revolves around these two aspects.

                 

                                    Mr. Gradgrind tells that fact is more important in life than fiction. According to fact he arranged Louisa's marriage with Mr. Boundeby who is older than her. He is factory owner and richman. And after getting marriage with him life of Tom is well on the base of fact. Whereas Sissy Jupe tells that the fiction is important than fact.

                                       At the end of the story the bank robbery is done by Tom but Mr. Gradgrind hide his son's crime. He not stay on his pan philosophy of fact. And at the end Sissy Mule help him to jode his son. She jode Tom in her father's circus.

                                  So, at the end of the story Sissy Jupe's thinking on fiction is wins and Mr. Gradgrind realises that fiction is also important in the life as fact.

    5 )       This novel talks about marriage low, divorces low, why there are different rules for different class? Why there is no equality in rules and regulation?

                      Hard Times written during the victorian age. It deals with divorce in an interesting way in relation to its time period. The Victorian era i England gave birth to the first real industrial society the world had ever seen with the rise of industry came large cities, an expanded working class population and the rapid rise of imperialism. There were oppressive alasan working conditions set clear boundaries between classes in England.

                           The most oppressive social and state laws were those regarding to marriages and divorces just as the people of England felt trapped in the unequal social structure of England , the same is true for those trapped in unwanted marital relations. The marriages in Hard Times represent " industrial society " in England during the Victorian era and portray as a seperation of society from religion. Marriage in the victorain era was hardly an example of an equal partnership.

                                         Victorian marriage laws made divorce next to impossible, as it required an act of parliament, something extraordinarily expensive to achieve. So, lower classes people can't pay these high amount and they can't get divorce.

                                   In the Victorian era girls can not take a decision herself for their marriage. So, Louisa also follow this rules and she married with Mr. Bounderby for wish of her father and also for her brother's life. And second Stephen also unhappy with his drunken wife . But he has no money so he can't do anything and he is lower class person.

                            So , in the Victorian era we can see the upper class and lower class and the rules are different for both class. There is industrial society, so we can see class distinctios. Because of it in Victorian era there is different rules and regulations for different class and due to this in novel also no similarities in rules and regulations for different classes.

         6 )          Did this title justify this work? Can you illustrate the title with help of character's life?

                                        The title of Hard Times is significant because it shows exactly that the majority of the people in England, particularly those in the working classes, really were having a hard time. The title refers to the difficulties of life caused by the constraints of rigid , fact - based education that arose along with it in the attempt to increase profits and control life and thought.

                               In this novel we can find the characters they experience hard times. For example, Mr. Gradgrind, he is businessman and superintendent who believes that the fact is most important thing in life. Through his character Dickens show us lack of creative and emotional things.

                            Sissy's father has some how fallen on hard times for his performance is no longer. He has lately seen missing tips, falling short in his tips and found bad in his tumbling.

                                 Stephen Blackpool has also his hard times. He is a persecuted husband who can not divorce his wife given to drink and vile life style. There is cruel and blind criminal law to punish him if he hurts his wife or flees from her or marriage his ' good angel ' Rachael or simply lives with her out marriage in case the divorce is not granted.

                                   Bounderby represents thoughts of hardness , he is a banker and an industrialist. He has no sentiment, nor any emotions except anger and arrogance. He does not value human relationships. He always brags of his own superiority, praises none. Under his ownership, the labourers of his mill are underpaid and they have no shelter. When they demand the minimum necessities of life, Bounderby, who has always stuck to his principle of earning maximum profit from his factory, refuses to consider their demands , and decides to take punitive measures against them.

                            Thus, the present title of the novel is highly appropriate for the novel. We form a concept of the hard times of England through this novel. Social, political and industrial hardness is , however, less important than the hardness that lies in some human minds.