Paper No:104 Literature of the Victorians

This blog is part of an assignment for Sem 1 Paper No.104 Literature of the Victorians assigned by Dilip Barad sir, Department of English, MKBU.

Personal Information :-

Name: Khushi Rajeshbhai Rathod

Batch:- M.A. (2023-2025)

Roll No: 18

Enrollment No: 5108230039

Semester: 1st 

E-mail: khushirathod1863@gmail.com

Assignment Details :-

Paper No:104

Paper Code: 22395

Paper Name: Literature of the Victorians

Topic: Thematic Study of 'Hard Times'

Submitted to: Smt.S.B.Gardi, Department of English,MKBU

Que :- Thematic Study of 'Hard Times'.

Ans.

Table of Contents :-

• Introduction
• About the Charles Dickens
• About the Novel 'Hard Times'
• Thematic Study of 'Hard Times :-

1. The Mechanization of Human Beings
2. The Opposition between Fact and Fancy
3. The Importance of Femininity
4. Education
5. Love and Marriage
6. Morality and Ethics
7. Dehumanizing effects of industrialisation

• Conclusion
• Reference

🌺 Introduction :-

Hard Times: For These Times (commonly known as Hard 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.

🌺 Charles Dickens :-

Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist and social critic who created some of the world's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime and, by the 20th century, critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories are widely read today.

His Works :-

• A Tale of Two Cities
• David Copperfield
• Oliver Twist
• Bleak House

🌺 Hard Times :-

In Charles Dickens's novel "Hard Times," set in the industrial town of Coketown, the narrative revolves around a group of individuals whose lives are intertwined amidst the harsh realities of the era. Thomas Gradgrind, a staunch advocate of utilitarianism, believes in facts and logic, suppressing imagination and emotion in his educational philosophy. His children, Tom and Louisa, are raised under this rigid system, shaping their perspectives and influencing their future.Josiah Bounderby, a wealthy factory owner, embodies the self-made man archetype, boasting about his humble origins while exploiting his workers. His marriage to Louisa, a union driven by practicality rather than love, proves to be a source of unhappiness for both.

Stephen Blackpool, a factory worker, struggles with his unfaithful wife and his inability to escape his matrimonial obligations, seeking solace in the companionship of Rachael, a compassionate and understanding woman. The novel explores the themes of utilitarianism's limitations, the dehumanizing effects of industrialization, and the importance of human connection and compassion. As the characters grapple with their choices and face the consequences, they discover the value of empathy, imagination, and the power of love.

🌺 Thematic Study of Hard Times :-

Some Major Themes :-

• The Mechanization of Human Beings
• The Opposition between Fact and Fancy
• The Importance of Femininity
• Education
• Love and Marriage
• Morality and Ethics
• Dehumanizing effects of industrialisation

Let's see in details :-

1) The Mechanization of Human Beings :-

Hard Times suggests that nineteenth-century England’s overzealous adoption of industrialization threatens to turn human beings into machines by thwarting the development of their emotions and imaginations. This suggestion comes forth largely through the actions of Gradgrind and his follower, Bounderby: as the former educates the young children of his family and his school in the ways of fact, the latter treats the workers in his factory as emotionless objects that are easily exploited for his own self-interest. Both lead monotonous, uniform existences, untouched by pleasure. Consequently, their fantasies and feelings are dulled, and they become almost mechanical themselves. Mr. Gradgrind believes that human nature can be measured, quantified, and governed entirely by rational rules.

Dickens’s primary goal in Hard Times is to illustrate the dangers of allowing humans to become like machines, suggesting that without compassion and imagination, life would be unbearable.

2) The Opposition between Fact and Fancy :-

While Mr. Gradgrind insists that his children should always stick to the facts,Hard Times not only suggests that fancy is as important as fact, but it continually calls into question the difference between fact and fancy. Dickens Suggests that what constitutes so-called fact is a matter of perspective or opinion.These sets of facts cannot be reconciled because they depend upon perspective.While Bounderby declares that “Taste is only another name for Fact,”Dickens

implies that fact is a question of taste or personal belief. As a novelist, Dickens is naturally interested in illustrating that fiction cannot be excluded from fact-filled,mechanical society. Gradgrind’s children, however, grew up in an environment where all flights of fancy are discouraged, and they end up with serious social dysfunctions as a result. Tom becomes a hedonist who has little regard for others, while Louisa remains unable to connect with others even though she has the desire to do so. On the other hand, Sissy, who grew up with the circus, constantly indulges in the fancy. Just as fiction cannot be excluded from fact, fact is also necessary for a balanced life.

3) The Importance of Femininity :-

During the Victorian era, women were commonly associated with supposedly feminine traits like compassion, moral purity, and emotional sensitivity. Hard Times suggests that because they possess these traits, women can counteract the mechanizing effects of industrialization. For instance, when Stephen feels depressed about the monotony of his life as a factory worker, Rachael’s gentle fortitude

inspires him to keep going. He sums up her virtues by referring to her as his guiding angel. Similarly, Sissy introduces love into the Gradgrind household,ultimately teaching Louisa how to recognize her emotions. Indeed, Dickens suggests

that Mr. Gradgrind’s philosophy of self -interesting and calculating rationality has prevented Louisa from developing her natural feminine traits. Perhaps Mrs.Gradgrind’s inability to exercise her femininity allows Gradgrind to over emphasize the importance of fact in the rearing of his children. Through the various female characters in the novel, Dickens suggests that feminine compassion is necessary to restore social harmony.

 4) Education :-

There is a strong case made in Hard Times that education is not simply the classroom experience of memorizing facts. The novel expresses the view that having an emotional component to our education is crucial. It's also shown in the novel that this kind of learning can happen at any time in life. Learning about the way other people live is the groundwork for valuing them as fellow creatures; learning about them only in terms of their productivity is a recipe for class warfare. If this proper ground work is not laid, then a perverted kind of learning can take its place, full of cynicism and misanthropy. In the novel, learning is not a lifelong process. Whatever You don't master at a young age can never be taught in adulthood.

5) Love and Marriage :-

In Hard Times, love itself can be a positive or negative emotion, regardless of whether it occurs between romantic partners or parents and children. There are examples of socially sanctioned and nurturing domestic love. There's also spiritually uplifting love that inspires better behavior and the improvement of the self. And finally there's disturbed love that overreaches the normal boundaries of the relationship. In Hard Times , the lower classes are emotionally more capable of loving and being loved, because they do not have the same kinds of distractions and opportunities that the upper classes enjoy.

There are no happy marriages in Hard Times . In Stephen's case, it focuses instead on a missed opportunity for true companionship. In the case of the Gradgrinds, you've got an entirely intellectually unequal match where spouses are indifferent to each other. Then there's a loveless disaster where husband and wife grow to hate each other in the case of Louisa and Bounderby. The novel demonstrates the conflict between two ways of thinking about marriage: as aromantic partnership versus as primarily financial arrangement. It argues that it isa relationship that is meant to last forever.

6) Morality and Ethics :-

In Hard Times , the key moral attributes that the villains lack are empathy,generosity, and altruism. For Dickens, these are the foundation of human relationships. There is no getting around them with any other quality, however positive. Those who possess these qualities are much better equipped to handle the world, however hostile it may be. Those who lack these basic ways to connect to other people are doomed to a lonely and miserable existence.In the novel, the propensity toward moral behavior is inborn. It can neither be taught to someone who was not born with it, nor can it be untaught if it is already present in a person.

7) Dehumanizing effects of industrialisation :-

Charles Dickens' novel warns that the rapid rise of the Industrial Revolution would have an adverse effect on society. In Hard Times, industrialisation threatens to dehumanize the community, from the laborers in the factory to the industrialists themselves.

This theme is exemplified in the actions and philosophy of Thomas Gradgrind. Gradgrind believes in rationality and facts, and he raises his children with little frivolity or joy. This causes the Gradgrind children to grow incapable of feeling for and with their fellow humans. Louisa feels her life is hollow, and she marries Bounderby without any romantic feelings towards him. Tom is emotionally detached and robs Bounderby's bank, framing Stephen Blackpool while doing so.

Josiah Bounderby, a disciple of Thomas Gradgrind and factory owner, further illustrates these fears. Bounderby regards his workers much like the machines in his factory and exploits them as such. The workers in Bounderby's factory lead dull lives with little joy, their existence almost resembling a production line.

Gradgrind's school follows his own thoughts on education, preferring reason to imaginative thought. Gradgrind has an unerring belief in fact, and he wishes to instill this in the pupils of his school, making it resemble Bounderby's factory as a result. The only character not to be affected by the rise of industrialisation is Sissy Jupe, who was raised by circus performers.

🌺 Conclusion :-

"Hard Times" presents a scathing critique of the dehumanizing effects of industrialization and the narrow-minded utilitarian philosophy that dominated the Victorian era. The novel highlights the importance of imagination, compassion, and emotional connection, while simultaneously exposing the dangers of suppressing these qualities in the pursuit of profit and efficiency. Through its compelling characters and thought-provoking themes, "Hard Times" serves as a timeless reminder of the need for balance and empathy in a world driven by material progress and rigid ideology.

Reference :-

Collins, Philip. “Charles Dickens | Biography, Books, Characters, Facts, & Analysis.” Britannica, 20 November 2023, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Dickens-British-novelist. Accessed 25 November 2023.

“Hard Times: Charles Dickens, Novel & Characters.” StudySmarter, https://www.studysmarter.co.uk/explanations/english-literature/novelists/hard-times/. Accessed 25 November 2023.

“Themes in Hard Times | PDF | Human Nature | Psychological Concepts.” Scribd, https://www.scribd.com/document/517649074/Themes-in-Hard-Times. Accessed 25 November 2023.

Words :- 1757

Images :- 8