Hard Times is one of Dickens explicit novels that majors on the story that turns to the workers of Coke town. This is a group of employees known as “The Hands” with a decent man by the name Stephen Balckbool living among them. The novel focuses on the mechanization of humans which suggests that 19th century-England’s overzealous assumption of global industrialization has threatened to convert human beings into machines by frustrating the advancement of their emotions and imaginations (Dickens, 2016). The novel touches on the theme of opposition between fact and fancy and lastly, it dwells on the importance of femininity. The characters include Thomas Gradgrind, a school superintendent who advocates for an education system that believes purely on facts. Mr. Gradgrind is the main character in the novel whose trait is bold as depicted in the way he espouses rationalism, self interests and hard facts. He is typical to his trait by insisting on practicality in his family as indicated by how he raises his kids. Josiah Bounderby is a factory owner who is arrogant and pompous and always brags for being a self-made entrepreneur who could not settle for less with any one. He has hired persons such as Stephen who is ever poor despite working. Some of the reasons linked to such situations include poor remuneration and unpleasant working environment. Therefore, the novel addresses the woes encountered by humans for being turned machines in working places with regards to the rise of industrialization, a concept that has emerged with a lot of drawbacks than advantages. This has attracted a lot of conflicts and oppositions between fancy and facts in the contemporary society.
Sowing is the first book of Hard Times. It depicts events such as Dickens sowing plant seeds of the novel. In this regard, Dickens is intensively showcasing the important difference existing between fact and fancy. Therefore, he suggests that in whatsoever case, humans get forced to accomplish the same monotonous tasks concurrently, in an uninteresting, unremittingly deafening, and messy environment; and they will automatically end up becoming bored and unproductive (Dickens, 2016). Mr. Grandgrind strongly believes in facts and always works under this principle. He is bold in embracing it especially by teaching children nothing else, but the hard truth. He corrects all the unbecoming behavior of the people that are around him regardless of being his child or an ordinary employee. He condemns the virtue of fancy, and no one should embrace it at a lot (Makhloof, 2020). Sowing leaves one of the best messages that success is achieved through making sacrifices instead of depending on other people. This is true because overdependence is a sign of fancy and should be despised so that to avoid severe consequences like the one encountered by Mr. Grandgrind that ended up costing his life.
Reaping, being the second book of Hard Times, dwells more on the harvest of what has been sown by the characters into their lives. Most of the seeds sown by the characters have been associated with grief and sadness. They include dishonest, fact of fancy and unhappiness. Like in every life situation, there is different harvest for different seeds sown (Makhloof, 2020). The fact that people in every community pose different levels of wealth is responsible for the rise of social stratification, hence, high, middle and the poor classes. Some of the harvests depicted in the Reaping are events of amorality (Makhloof, 2020). It is evidenced by the fact that upon James’ arrival, he immediately shows the desire to seduce Louisa. This ended up forming a union meeting, with the expulsion that was served to Stephen’s by the company as a result of his hands.
Garnering is the last book of Hard Times and depicts the behaviors and whereabouts of the characters after Reaping and assembling all the pieces that scattered around them. On a light note, Garnering validates the end of the story by creating an avenue of accepting the fate of decisions made, be it bad or good (Makhloof, 2020). Sissy Jupe, for instance, is seen putting a lot of efforts in helping them address and cope up with the harvests they made in life. However, the coldness showcased by Tom and Louisa’s character traits had already been planted. Therefore, it is evident that little can be done to rectify such outcomes, especially when it is discovered that the two uneducated figures were seeking happiness. All the dehumanizing experiences have been accumulated, hence, depicted to the encounters of Tom Gradgrind such as robbing a bank, a heinous act that led to the false conviction of Stephen Blackbool (Dickens, 2016). It was a clear calculation and setup that was initiated by Tom to make Stephen, a poor and uneducated man loiter around Bounderby’s bank a night before the heinous act, hence, holding the first suspect.
In summary, all the books in the Hard Times address or rather describe how life looked like in the 19th century in England. Typically, all the four books show that in England, at the stated century, life was full of logic and conformity. For instance, Sowing depicts what it takes to build a new life, the same way a new plant can be sown. All the characters in the books have been labeled different traits and the eventual outcome emerged as surprise because not all expectations were met. This is confirmed during Reaping that whatever an individual sown was definitely reaped and the reverse is certain. However, Garnering talks about how to handle the consequences of the outcomes of reaping what was sown. Considering the fact that not all that is sown will yield the expected outcomes, preparing people on the right ways of collecting themselves, assemble the broken pieces and accept that they are responsible for the decisions they made is what keeps them going.
References
Dickens, C. (2016) Hard times. Jewish Library & University National 3Jerusalem. Web.
Makhloof, S. (2020). Factual mentality vs. emotional make-up: A lexical featural analysis of characters’ dialogue in Charles Dickens’s Hard Times. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 9(4), 49-54.