Introduction:
Hard Times: For These Times (commonly known as Hard Times) is the tenth novel by Charles Dickens, first published in 1854. The book attacks the English society and satirises the social and economic conditions of the era. The book was initially published in serial form in the weekly publication “Household words”. This novel is unusual in many ways compared to the other novels of Dickens. It is not more than quarter of the length of other novels. Neither it has any Illustrations or a preface.the setting of the novel is similar to the industrial town of Manchester and the social evils and abuses are attacked vividly by Dickens.
Educational system: education during the Victorian era was made compulsory and children from upper and middle classes were sent to school to receive the basic education. The novel commences with the theory of education that must be incorporated in teaching. This theory is totally based on facts.:
“Now, What I want is , facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but facts. Facts alone are wanted in life.Plant nothing else and root out everything else.”
The speaker of these lines Mr gradgrind who advocates the incorporation of facts and nothing else. According to this person facts are alone required in life because in the future they provide only service. Fancy andImaginations are worthless and they make one useless. Facts provide us utilities. Gradgrind addresses one of the students girl number 20 to define a horse. She fails in answering the questions. This girl by the name of cecilia jupe was newly admitted this factual school. Bitter, product of this utilitarian school answers that horse is a graminivorous quadruped animal having four teeths and hard hoofs to be shod with iron. The answer is nothing but a chronological order of facts. Gradgrind and the inspector, who comes for school inspection approves the answer. The school inspector inspects the school by asking questions totally based on facts
In a way, they are ready to kill the innocent minds by discharging bullets of facts in their minds. The new school master who trained himself to the popular education theory. gives his first lesson
to the tender minds. The children are helpless in the face of society. They are dragged into the path of total devastation. The most pathetic situation is that both the advocators and recipients of facts are ignorant of the outcome of such type of education.
Utilitarian approach of gradgrind and bounderby:
Gradgrind follows strictly the utilitarian approach of education. It is on this theory that he has brought up his own children and emphasizes that other children should be brought up on this theory. No child of his ever had learnt the silly Jingle twinkle twinkle little star how I wonder what you are. They are restricted to wonder and considered as role models for other children’s. One of them has their respective cabinets in various departments of science and the life was dictated Solely on logic and reason. Gradgrind gets furious at Singh his own metallurgical Loui and mathematical Tom getting deviated from the educational code. Victorian education emphasized the collection of facts and rejected imagination and feelings for their development. Even when gradgrind fixes the marriage of his daughter Louisa to bounderby it is explained as”marriage was a business from first to end”. He does not even bother If the age disparity between bounderby and Louisa. According to gradgrind, age was just a matter of statistics.
Bounderby a rich man banker merchant and a manufacturer made up of coarse material is a” man perfectly devoid of sentiments”. He treated his workers as arithmetical figures calling the “hands”. He is boastful of being a self made man which is actually a big lie and he considers the poor workers of his mill as “pests of earth” . He holds an opinion that the workers just want turtle soup and version to be fed with a golden spoon. He is an overall epitome of ruthlessness, disgusting, bully of humanity and a selfish materialistic man.
Poor condition of workers:
Coketown where the poor workers work is a town of machinery and tall chimneys out of which unending serpents of smoke rose upwards forever and ever. The streets are identical whether small or large with people doing the same kind of work at the same hours. Workers like Stephe , who is an embodiment of honesty, integrity and morality, suffers most under this corrupted system where human virtues are endangered. Moreover, he is outcastes from the town area by his fellow- workers and dismissed by his employer for being true to his morality.
Rigid divorce laws: Stephen who not only suffers from his outside life but also from his domest life. His wife is a heavy drunkard and he desires to divorce her. He seeks the help of bounderby where bounderby shuts the door of help for Stephen. Stephen just desired a simple life with a good wife like Rachel. Rachel is another industrial worker and close friend of Stephen who provides him solace in his “hard times”.
Trade union:
Slackbridge, a shameless agitator incorporated in trade union activities misleads the common masses against Stephen. He is presented as an opportunistic person take Ng the opportunity o
the tender condition of the plight of the workers.these workers who work for long hours, in unhygienic condition at low wages are the main sufferers in the novel.
Tom and Louisa sufferers and ultimate tragedy of gradgrind:
The mechanical inhuman system does not only tortures the workers but also the delicate persons like Louisa and Tom. Louisa is married to a husband ,whom she dislikes with all her heart and Tom at the end becomes a culprit in robbery. The downfall of the children in their lives bring the ultimate tragedy of Gradgrind who used to advocate with all his heart the utilitarian approach of life.
Conclusion:
A society should be the one where people are encouraged to live with harmony and they are not tortured by the upper class. Rigorous suppression of importance sentiments lead to damage of life in the case of Louisa, Stephen and Gradgrind, culprits like Tom, emotionless person like Blitzer and opportunist like Slackbridge.