Dickens Hard Times - 1535 Words

Dickens’ Hard Times â€Å"Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life.† (Dickens, 1854, p.1) With these beginning sentences of the novel â€Å"Hard Times†, Charles Dickens has made readers doubt whether it is true that facts alone are wanted in life. This question leads to the main theme of the story, fact against fancy, that author has never been written this kind of plot in his other stories before. In fact, Hard Times is considered as the unlike-the-rest of Dickens’ works (Collins, 1992, p.xi) because the plot is not involved the social problems in Victorian Age such as poverty or child labor, but it is an abstract that exalts instinct above reason. (Collins, 1992, p.xiii)†¦show more content†¦In order to help his son, Mr. Gradgrind eventually has to ask Sleary’s circus, who he never favour because they teaches children with imagination, for help and he comes to realize that his philosophy he has been teaching all along for his children is a failure. The story also contains many subplot stories such as an impossible love between Louisa and Mr . Harthouse, a secret life of Mr. Bounderby and a social class love. With his sharp and sarcastic writing skill, Hard Times receives impressive critiques from many admirers. The outstanding critique is one from Dr F. R. Leavis in 1948 that saysâ€Å"†¦ of all Dickens’ works the one that has all the strength of his genius, together with a strength no other of them can show—that of a completely serious work of art†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Collin, 1992, p.xii). These three facts of this novel even make it more astonishing. A good novel not only gives reader an appreciation but also provides some points that need to be analyzed through critical thinking process. So does the Hard Times, it is a valuable novel that I favor and have critical reflections on the Dickens’ satire, the well-rounded characters and the comparison on the different abstract ideas. I was hooked by this novel right from the first three sentences, claimed at the beginning of the essay, because it pro vokes readers’ brain to think until we find the answer that it is wrong to lean on facts alone in life and that is the first satire in a story. There is the usingShow MoreRelatedCharles Dickens Hard Times For These Times1074 Words   |  5 Pagesthe course without straying from it. If you do, you are considered broken. Yet, what exactly is the point of mindlessly walking the same path as everyone else, only to constantly find yourself memorizing empty facts over and over again? In Hard Times for these Times, Charles Dickens embodies the consequences of an absolutely factual world: blindness, imbalance, and nonfulfillment. Through the convoluted stories of the opposite worlds, Sissy’s journey to becoming a jewel of balance, Louisa’s tragic fightRead MoreSummary Of Hard Times By Charles Dickens2062 Words   |  9 PagesUtilitarianism in Hard Times During the Victorian Era, many philosophers focused on utilitarian philosophy and ways of thinking, choosing the best decisions and actions for their own self-interest. In his novel, Hard Times, Charles Dickens satirizes the English educational system, society, and economics, but most importantly, through them, he criticizes the many abuses of utilitarianism. Many writers such as Bornali Nath Dowerah and Ali Taghizadeh have done research on Dicken’s work mostly focusingRead More Charles Dickens Hard Times Essay1102 Words   |  5 PagesCharles Dickens Hard Times There are a huge variety of characters in Hard Times, ranging from the good to the unnaturally cruel. The novel is full of extremity in its characterisation; cruel, bitter and selfish characters such as Mrs. Sparsit contrast dramatically with characters such as Stephen Blackpool and Rachael, who are benevolent and altruistic. Among the cruellest and most villainous characters in the novel is James Harthouse, who is completely ammoral, and therefore renderedRead MoreComedic Relief in the Bleek Novel, Hard Times by Charles Dickens542 Words   |  2 PagesIn every bleak novel there is one character who is always there for comedic relief; in Hard Times, that character is Mrs. Sparsit. Mrs. Sparsit is the housekeeper for Mr. Bounderby. Essentially she does all the work that a wife would do except she has a lower status than a wife, but higher than a servant. Here in lies the problem that she cannot deal with. Mrs. Sparsit came from a well-to-do family, but slipped in the social rankings. To regain her pride, she attempts to sabotage Mr. Bounderby’sRead MoreHard Times Depiction of the Position of Young Women in Victorian England Society1200 Words   |  5 Pagesadvancements made in Victorian England socially, politically and technologically resulted in the questioning of how to grow and keep up with the times while still maintaining the core traditions that the Victorians idealised. One of the main debates in Victorian England was the discussion around the proper place and characteristics of women. Writers during the time period incorporated their personal opinions and outlooks on where women should be placed in society. Two writers and their pieces which willRead MoreGeorge Dickens s Hard Times1183 Words   |  5 Pagessuggests limiting a person to a singular task turns them into robots of efficiency only serving the system, effectively dehumanizing them. Dickens views the results as dehumanizing because of its emotional and creative repression. Through his novel, Hard Times, Dickens satirizes the negative effects of Utilitarianism on society, within the setting of Coketown. Victorian industrialization particularly oppresses women by confining them to a life of work or a housewife. Dickens designates women as the moralRead MoreFor many decades, many have tried to obtain a perfect mixture of a healthy state of mind in1800 Words   |  8 Pagesconsequences. As a result, a balance needs to be met. When displaying too many hard core views, the mixture of a healthy mind and a healthy body disappears. Therefore, it is very important to obtain a balance with strict rules along with some imagination. When looking at facts, it is always one sided, but when using an imagination, the possibilities become endless and can be looked upon as positive. In the novel Hard Times, there are characters that display a strict view on facts rather than imaginationRead MoreSocial Class Of The Victorian Era1282 Words   |  6 Pagesen titlement that lead them to judge the mistreat members of the lower classes. From this harsh and strict social system emerged a group of social reformers. These reformers came in the form of writers, journalists, photographers, etc. and they worked hard to expose the social class system for what it was. One of the most important social reformers during the Victorian Era was Charles Dickens. Growing up in a poor, working class family, Dickens knew about the harsh realities that spawned from the socialRead MoreFeminist Criticism Of Great Expectations1190 Words   |  5 Pagesmen. In this case, Dickens alienated the female characters by writing them with characteristics that imply a negative connotation to the readers. Negative characteristics are still important for the development of a character, of course, but the Dicken’s depiction submits that women victimize Pip. The patriarchy and power in relationships are contrasted by the powerful female characters. Furthermore, the differences between men and women in Great Expectations are connected to social constructs ratherRead MoreEffective Images of People and Places Created by Dickens1384 Words   |  6 PagesPortsmouth. Dickens childhood was not particularly happy one, and many of the events he endured and people he met inspired his books. The second child of a clerk in the navy pay-office, Dickens moved to London with his family when he was two years old. His father was often in debt, and finally in 1824 was sent to debtors prison with the rest of the family in Marshalsea. Dickens, on the other hand was put o work at a shoe-blacking warehouse. Memories of this time haunted him