Abstract The paper identifies both the similarities and the differences between the characters of Josiah Bounderby and Thomas Gradgrind in Charles Dickens' novel "Hard Times". The paper analyzes these characters in terms of their morality, inter-personal interaction, and hubris. The paper shows how with Bounderby and Gradgrind, one can look through the lens of Dickens and see how he in fact viewed the onset of industrialization, and what it might mean for both the bourgeois and the common man.
From the Paper "Primarily, in terms of morality, Thomas Gradgrind can be seen as a character of upright moral values and rigid beliefs. He rears his children with a sense of strict and uncompromising obedience, and instills in them a passion for truth, and rational thought and behavior. While compassion is not part of the rearing process, Gradgrind certainly means well for his children, and only hopes that they continue in the path he has created by adhering strictly to the lessons of self-interest and rationality. However, it can be said that at the same time, by laying out this path for his children, he has, in fact done a moral disservice to these characters. By simply relying on these simple truths, his children have actually confused their morals evidenced by his son robbing the bank."
Abstract This essay discusses Charles Dickens? book, "Hard Times", with respect to the industrial elite, such as the factory owners, and their relationship with the working class. More specifically, the author discusses how Social Darwinism, a philosophy that allowed for the mistreatment of the poor, played a major role in the separation of the two classes.
From the Paper:
"Dickens? book, "Hard Times", first came out in 1854, well after evolutionary theory had been introduced to Britain. Bounderby, one of the characters in Hard Times, represents an adherent to a variation on evolutionary theory: Social Darwinism. Social Darwinism is the idea that social policy should allow the weak and unfit to fail and die, and that this is not only good policy but morally righ.t?
Tags: charles, dickens, factories, hard, industrial, times, working
Abstract This paper argues that the stereotypical characters in "Hard Times" by Charles Dickens are part of an overall scheme to develop a theme and message about social classes. The paper argues that while it may seem like the characters are unrealistic, they play a part in something larger and more significant. How realistic they are does not seem so important when one realizes that they serve to teach us something about class structure.
From the Paper "When Gradgrind realizes how he has hurt his two oldest children, he vows to change his ways and be a better person. It is important to notice that the upper-class male thought he knew everything and what was best for everyone, but it is the underprivileged young female that teaches his family what is actually important. Dickens is using this contrast in social classes that begins in the first chapters, to tie to the end of the novel with an important lesson."
Abstract In this article, the writer analyzes Charles Dickens' novel 'Hard Times' and notes that it is constructed around the opposition between fact and fancy. The writer points out that Dickens criticizes the nineteenth century materialist and utilitarian philosophy, which had turned man into a simple cog in the large machine of the society. The writer maintains that the book is, at the same time, a social and a philosophical critique. The writer relates that Dickens denounces the political economy and the law system of the age, which were only concerned with raw facts and statistics, not minding the poverty and the hardships of the working class individual. The writer concludes that Dickens completely demolishes the materialist and reductionist philosophy of his age, showing the absurdity of cultivating nothing but the totally inhuman ideas connected with fact and palpable reality.
From the Paper "The emphasis on the name is significant, as the character sees himself as a sort of epitome for the mechanic philosophy. He is constructed as being directly related to the philosophy he represents. Gradgrind shapes himself thus as to fit perfectly in the general mechanism of the world. Personality, no less than life itself, is based entirely on facts. Everything, including a human being, has a precise definition according to Gradgrind, who seems to imply that "Thomas Gradgrind" is only another name for definitions, calculations and demonstrations."
"There are many metaphors in the novel that support Dickens' characterization of Gradgrind."
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."
