Hard Times Assignment

First of all, when it comes to economics, Dickens does not fully understand how economic growth works.
His distrust of enterprise and capitalism, and at the same time, his condemnation of the striking workers,
illustrate his unfamiliarity with these ideologies, rather than suggesting an alternative method that could
be applied. The industrial revolution talks money, and money in this Novel means that you’ll get respect,
power Hard Times certainly has a specific impression of riches. In this book, the inequality gap is
immense and cannot be crossed, notwithstanding the illusion of the privileged that the poor will rise their
slack. Those who rise do so at the detriment of others, and even then their success is sluggish, painful, and
does not go much further from where they began – and everyone who says otherwise tells self-serving
lies. Through riches come choices and opportunities for all sorts of abnormal and deviant actions. For
example, Mr. Bounderby was used by becoming Gradgrind's family business. Then, Dickens presents a
tale that illustrates another issue of the Victorian period, such as the class divide that occurred during that
period. Although it was published after the new Poor Law 1834, which was meant to reduce the cost of
looking after the poor there still were some class divisions. Dickens had an interest in social ties and
issues. The gap between the three social classes, the upper, middle and working classes, is visible in a
variety of categories. For example, language. The language and dialects used can define character's
classes. Also, education is a sign. For example, Mr. Harthhouse, and Mr. Bounderby belonged to the
upper class and are educated. However, Mr. Stephen of the working class is not able to read. Finally, the
character's living conditions represent their classes. For instance, Mr. Stephen lives in a small room.
However, Mr. Bounderby and Mr. Harthhouse live in a house that contains several rooms. Moreover, the
industrialization of England made numbers and facts more important than humans and logic, emotions or
common sense. So, workers in factories and schools in Coketown were treated like machines, and people
would be called “hands” showing how objectified people were.

The theme of curse is a big word with many meanings. It might be a bad word or using supernatural
power to cause harm, the state of mind, or even the family and life in general. Hard times by Charles
Dickens, every character has something that’s like a curse. Mr. Gradgrind believes that imagination and
fantasy are a curse because he only believes facts. Also, Mrs. Gradgrind warns Louisa never to wonder
because it contradicts the philosophy of fact which her husband almost warship, and that makes her (Mrs.
Gradgrind) wish she had never been cursed with a family. Besides, Louisa felt like her whole life was a
curse. She told her father "I curse the hour in which I was born to such a destiny." because she felt looted
and robbed of her childhood, sentiments, happiness, and grace. Moreover, she was sold to a man of age to
become his "wife". Besides, Stephen’s marriage turned into a curse due to the mal financial situation of
the poor, which made him unable to get divorced.

Moreover, this novel has another important theme, which is about femininity. This novel seems to give
women some power over the emotional well being of the men in their lives. However, in practice, this
power is weak and/or non-existent – Sissy's father abandons her, Louisa's brother robs a bank, and Mrs.
Gradgrind is never able to tell Gradgrind about the "not an Ology at all" that is missing from the kids'
education.

Finally, this novel was given its name for many reasons. For example, the crises people were going
through, the bad familial relations, poverty, and the mistreatment of the poor and low wages. However, no
matter how bad everything seems in Coketown, there’s still some light shining from the girl whose name
Sissy, or Cecilia. She lived hoping, wondering, fantasizing and dreaming, as well as believing in the good.
Although she’d been through bad times, she held happiness and hope closer. Despite her separation from
her father, she believed that one day he’ll come back and take her from there, and that’d be proud of her,
yet, he was dead. Also, no matter how ugly Gradgrind looked at her because of her lack of book-
smartness, and lack of fact reliance she was still able to fit in doing without obeying nor disrespecting
others’ beliefs and knowledge, and also by doing what she knows and likes remaining positive, optimistic,
light and fun.
Also, things ended up her way making her a winging, energetic, adventurous, smart, and happy character.