Abstract This paper analyzes the themes of courage, natural goodness, bravery and strength in Charles Dickens' novel, "Hard Times". The author discusses the applicability of these themes and their relevance.
From the Paper "Dickens confronts mid- nineteenth century views of workers in industrial England. In Hard Times, certain members of the working class are highlighted as complex, noble and sentimental individuals. The workers struggle to survive against the repressing forces of industrial society obsessed with statistics and fact. Dickens characterizes the working class in order to reveal the abuses of a system obsessed with profit. In his depiction of the lower class, a collection of social disgraces surface. Both Stephen Blackpool and Cecilia Jupe are affected negatively by the system. Stephen Blackpool remains a victim of the unjust society, yet proves that there is hope within the crowd of workers. Cecilia Jupe is also a victim, yet maintains happiness regardless of her inability to assimilate. Cecilia and Stephen are hurt by notions and prejudice of the working class, yet exert the most admirable qualities of the "heart" in Dickens Hard Times."
An analysis of the experiences of Stephen Blackpool as a character whose soul is trapped in sociocultural and political prisons including the Ideas of sociologist Michel Foucault and sophisticated language.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 2 sources, 1993, $ 47.95
From the Paper "The purpose of this research is to examine Charles Dickens' novel Hard Times in respect of Michel Foucault's elaboration of the soul as a function of the social and cultural environment in which its body may find itself. The plan of the research will be to set forth Foucault's estimation of the soul as the entity of tentative or uncomfortable experience in a sociopolitical environment that it is powerless to control, and then to explore how Foucault's modern characterization of human experience finds an analogue in Hard Times. As well, and as appropriate, reference will be made to how Dickens and Foucault see the prospect of hope or another form of positive experience as a possibility for the souls of the great mass of men.
Foucault's discussion of the soul is really an aspect of a larger discussion of the soul's placement in society. Because..."
Abstract This paper analyzes Charles Dickens' novel, "Hard Times", focusing on the concept of industrialization and the effect of this political and cultural change on the characters in "Hard Times". The relationship between the rational and the irrational that is expounded upon with the theme of industrialization is also examined. In addition, the paper shows how Dickens' portrayal of the characteristics of industrialization and of 'fact versus fancy,' seems to be a commentary on the British life at the time when British citizens were struggling to identify themselves and the nation as a whole was trying to reestablish itself as a significant country in the global market.
From the Paper "In the novel Hard Times, by Charles Dickens, there are several themes that work in conjunction with one another, and most especially are manifested in the dialogue and behavior of the main characters. One of the most important themes in the novel is the relationship between the rational and the irrational. This plays out quite significantly with Thomas Gradgrind and Josiah Bounderby. While Gradgrind is concerned with both behaving and raising his children in a manner consistent with the rational though model, Bounderby's seemingly limitless appetite for power and wealth contrasts significantly. These two opposing characters serve to show the extreme differences represented by Dickens in both the novel and of the time period during which he lived."
