Hard Times

 Hard Times 

                     __ Charles Dickens

                 

              ( Charles Dickens  , 1812-1870)

                  Charles John Huffam Dickens FRSA was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best known fictional characters and is regarded by many as  the greatest novelist  of the Victorian era.  He wrote many contemporary works ,among them one of the most famous work is "Hard Times".

                                " Hard Times " is the tenth novel by Charles Dickens, first published in 1854. Full name of the novel is " Hard Times : for these times " but commonly known as ' Hard Times' .

                       Hard times is the tenth novel by Charles Dickens. The novel published in 1854. This novel described society and industrial development in time of Victorian era.

                    

Thinking activity on Hard Times 

1. According to your reading what is more important " Fact or Fiction " ? 

                     

            The Hard Times is Victorian novel. The novel has theme of fact and fiction . In the novel some characters are live base on facts. In the novel Mr. Gradgrind who is teaches his students fact is more important in life. Another character Mr. Bounderby believes that factory owners are lazy and the workers ' hands' are hand working by themselves and exploited by their owners that is the fact.

              

                  The theme of fact and fiction in Hard Times allows Dickens to contrast the harsh realities of Victorian Britain with a more romantic, spiritually richer existence. The world of fact is  epitomized by Mr. Gradgrind and the dark satanic mills of Coketown. And Mr. Gradgrind insists that his children should always stick to the  facts. The world of fiction is explored through Sissy Jupe, whose  imagination gives her an understanding of what really matters in life. Another character Mr. Bounderby believes that factory owners are lazy  and the workers are ' hands ' are hardworking by themselves exploited by their owners that is the fact.

               According to my point of view fact and fiction both are equally important in human life. The fact is unchangeable thing and the fiction is changeable thing. The human has own fictional thinking. Only  fact is not important because fictional things is imagine different world. By fiction people think good and create own imagination.  

               In the novel Mr. Gradgrind always gives importance to the fact. He never gives place to the fiction in human life. He always work on the base of fact. Second example of fact in this novel is that Louisa married with Mr. Bounderby, who is older than Louisa and he is factory owner. Louisa married with him for her brother but at the end Mr. Gradgrind realises that only fact is not more important in life, fiction is also important.

                           So, fact and fiction both have their importance and both are important for being healthy human being. Just fiction is not important, fact is also necessary for a balanced life. 

2. At the end of the story who wins ? ( Fact or Fiction ) 

                The novel has the theme of fact and fiction . The novel begins with industrial coke town. Mr. Gradgrind explain the importance of fact to his students. He gives importance to the fact. He also teaches his children fact is more important in life. But one student of Mr. Gradgrind Sissy Jupe is opposite to him.

                  Mr. Bounderby is factory owner. In his factory many workers did work. He calls his workers as " Hand ". But his workers are not happy from him. Stephen Blackpool is also the worker of Bounderby's factory. He is not happy to his owner like other workers. Even, he also faces the problem of his marriage life. Stephen not happy with his married life and he wants to give divorce to his wife. He tells Mr. Bounderby to help him.

                   Mr. Boundrby tells that he is not able to pay the fees of lawyer and he can't divorce his wife. At that time, Tom tells him to meet at bank. When Stephen stand at the bank, there were police came and caught Stephen because they think that robbery is done by him. But at the end, truth is revealed that bank robbery is done by Tom no Stephen.

                   Thus, At the end of the novel fiction wins . Mr. Gradgrind also realised that life is not only run by fact , but emotions are also important .

3. Do you find any similarities between Louisa and Stephen ? 

                 In the ' Hard Times ' we find some similarities between two characters that are Louisa and Stephen. They both are similar in some situation. They both are lives their life on the based on fact.

                   Louisa married with Mr. Bounderby who is older than her. She married with him only for her brother's great life. And Stephen also live with his drunken wife. Stephen like Rachel but before divorce with his wife he cannot live with Rachel.

                   Other similarity between this two characters is that the both are live with unhappy marriage life. Louisa married with Bounderby not out of love but out of a sense of duty to her brother, Tom , the only person in the world she loves and who wheedles her into saying yes because he works for Bounderby and wants to improve his chances at rising in the world. She is not happy with her marriage life.

                  Same way Stephen Blackpool, is also unhappy in his marriage life. He live with his drunken wife. He wants to divorce from her wife. He likes Rachel, who is work with him in factory but before divorce he can't live with Rachel and he didn't get divorce from her wife. In the robbery case Stephen implication by Tom. And as same with Louisa. Mrs. Sparsity implication her in run away with Mr. Harthouse. But they both are innocent.

                We can see lots of similarities between them and some of contrast also.

4. At the end of the story who survives ? Or who wins ? Louisa ' s father or Sissy Jupe.

                  In the story we can find two characters with two different thoughts fact and fiction. Louisa's father Mr. Gradgrind and Sissy Jupe both has different thoughts. Mr. Gradgrind gives importance to the fact and Sissy Jupe gives importance to the fiction.

               Mr. Gradgrind tells that fact is more important in life than fiction. According to fact he arranged Louisa's marriage with Mr. Boundeby who is older than her. He is factory owner and richman. And after getting marriage with him life of Tom is well on the base of fact. Whereas Sissy Jupe tells that the fiction is important than fact.

             At the end of the story the bank robbery is done by Tom but Mr. Gradgrind hide his son's crime. He not stay on his pan philosophy of fact. And at the end Sissy Mule help him to jode his son. She jode Tom in her father's circus.

              So, At the end if the novel Sissy Jupe is wins and her fictional thinking is wins. At the end Mr. Gradgrind realise that the fiction is as important as fact.

5. This novel talks about marriage law, divorce kaw, why there are different rules for different class ? Why there is no equality in rules and regulations ? 

             "Hard Times" is written during  the Victorian Era when industrial revolution take a place. So, it is a Victorian novel. If we discuss about theme of marriage in this story, we can see the two marriage in this story. First Louisa and second Stephen. Both has same problem of marriage. Their marriage life is unhappy.

            In this industrial development time people has different rules girls of this difficult time not think about own feelings. In the novel the two marriages one is Louisa and second  is Stephen. In Victorian era social class has different rules. In this age Louisa married with Mr. Bounderby on wishes of her father.

              Stephen unhappy with his drunken wife and he like to give divorce his wife. But he cannot give divorce because he belong from lower class. In this industrial society there is no equality in rules and regulations for different classes.

             In the Victorian era girls can not take a decision herself for their marriage. So, Louisa also follow this rules and she married with Mr. Bounderby for wish of her father and also for her brother's life. And second Stephen also unhappy with his drunken wife . But he has no money so he can't do anything and he is lower class person.

                 So,in the Victorian Era, there are differents rules for different class. There is no equality in rules and regulations in all classes. So, we can say that , in Victoria Era, there were no similarities between rules and regulations.

6. Did this title justify this work ? Can you illustrate the title with help of character 's life ? 

    

              Hard Times: For These Times is the tenth novel by Charles Dickens, first published in 1854. The book surveys English society and satirizes the social and economic conditions of the era. 

                The title of Hard Times is significant because people in England, particularly those in the working classes, really were having a hard time....In this novel, even characters belonging to higher social classes experience hard times. 

                  In this novel we can find the characters they experience hard times. For example, Mr. Gradgrind, he is businessman and superintendent who believes that the fact is most important thing in life. Through his character Dickens show us lack of creative and emotional things.

                 The title is apt and significant in so far as it hints at the industrial crisis too. Dickens thesis is that the hard times are man- made. In an industrialized town like Coketown, it is the inhumanity of industrialists like Bounderby who is culpable for the sorry scheme of things. In this time of civilisation every worker is just a 'hand'. And Stephen has another hard time he cannot divorce his wife. 

                  Thus, the present title of the novel is highly appropriate for the novel. We form a concept of the hard times of England through this novel. Social, political and industrial hardness is , however, less important than the hardness that lies in some human minds.

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Thank you......