Dicken’s Hard Times Essay

â€Å"Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life.† (Dickens, 1854, p.1) With these beginning sentences of the novel â€Å"Hard Times†, Charles Dickens has made readers doubt whether it is true that facts alone are wanted in life. This question leads to the main theme of the story, fact against fancy, that author has never been written this kind of plot in his other stories before. In fact, Hard Times is considered as â€Å"the unlike-the-rest of Dickens’ works† (Collins, 1992, p.xi) because the plot is not involved the social problems in Victorian Age such as poverty or child labor, but it is â€Å"an abstract that exalts instinct above reason.† (Collins, 1992, p.xiii) Although it is not Dickensian, author still put his cliff-hanger characteristic on his work which makes the story enjoyable and worth reading for all-age-readers. Due to many interesting factors, this novel has been chosen to be the topic of this essay consisting of three parts that are the historical backgrounds, the facts about this novel and my critical refle ctions. To gain the comprehensive perspective of the story, we need to look back on historical backgrounds of the age that this novel took place which can be seen in three ways that are the economy, the social class and the education. Victorian Age is the period of economic progress that Industrial Revolution played important part in the British society. As a result, there were many factories located in town and it is imaginary described in a story that industrial Coketown is â€Å"where the piston of the steam-engine worked monotonously up and down, like the head of an elephant in a state of melancholy madness.† (Dickens, 1854, p.20). So, it shows that Hard Times is â€Å"a realistic novel that author voiced a radically dissident attitude on Industrial Revolution in his story.† (Lowy 2007 218) According to the growth of economy, there was the distinction found in social classes especially between labor and management (Cliffnote, n.d.) in this story that can be seen at Mr. Boun derby, a wealthy manufacturer, considers himself as self-made man and later found that he is not, who is in upper class and has predominant power over Blackpool – a hard working labor in Mr. Bounderby’s factory. However, the social class distinction is not raised as a serious problem in the story. Also, this economic progress has a great impact on the education system in which the schools are dominated with the Utilitarian spirit. From the plot, it shows that Dickens held a strong vision against the Utilitarianism, a theory that considers self-interest is maximum utility and denies on imagination (Diniejko, n.d.), that he ends the story with the tragic event caused by failure of the Utilitarian education system that teaches students only fact, but he oppositely admired hospitality of the Sleary’s circus that teaches the children with imagination. These are historical backgrounds that influenced the story and make it more understandable. As it is claimed at first that this novel is not like the other Dickens’ stories, it is contained some facts that makes the novel interesting which are its background, cliff-hanger plot and impressive critiques. Unlike Dickens’ â€Å"usual shilling monthly numbers, Hard Times was a part in his two penny weekly edited magazine† (Collin, 1992, p.xi), Household Words, which â€Å"faced a shrinking circulation and falling profits† (Enote editor, n.d.). Therefore, the story was written in form of â€Å"serialization and finally titled Hard Times For These Times when it was gathered into fuller version.† (Collin, 1992, p.xi) Although it is not a notably work, it has a Dickens’ famous cliff-hanger plot. The main theme is the conflict between fact and fancy in which Mr. Gradgrind teaches his students and his children to believe in fact, but the story turns out unexpected that two of his children have to live in misery; Louisa has a loveless marriage with Mr. Bounderby – a friend of her father and a bank owner. Tom, Louisa’s brother, becomes a bank robber who almost cannot escape abroad. In order to help his son, Mr. Gradgrind eventually has to ask Sleary’s circus, who he never favour because they teaches children with imagination, for help and he comes to realize that his philosophy he has been teaching all along for his children is a failure. The story also contains many subplot stories such as an impossible love between Louisa and Mr. Harthouse, a secret life of Mr. Bounderby and a social class love. With his sharp and sarcastic writing skill, Hard Times receives impressive critiques from many admirers. The outstanding critique is one from Dr F. R. Leavis in 1948 that saysâ€Å"†¦ of all Dickens’ works the one that has all the strength of his genius, together with a strength no other of them can show—that of a completely serious work of art†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Collin, 1992, p.xii). These three facts of this novel even make it more astonishing. A good novel not only gives reader an appreciation but also provides some points that need to be analyzed through critical thinking process. So does the Hard Times, it is a valuable novel that I favor and have critical reflections on the Dickens’ satire, the well-rounded characters and the comparison on the different abstract ideas. I was hooked by this novel right from the first three sentences, claimed at the beginning of the essay, because it provokes readers’ brain to think until we find the answer that it is wrong to lean on facts alone in life and that is the first satire in a story. There is the using of repeated word to sarcastically equate the teacher and Mr. Gradgrind with the mechanic engine as shown â€Å"Fact, fact, fact!’ said the gentleman. And ‘Fact, fact, fact!’ repeated Thomas Gradgrind† (Dickens, 1854, p.6). Moreover, all the well-rounded characters are formed in satirist way. For example, there is the difference between Lou isa and Sissy which we see the development of these two characters. The first is Louisa who was born and raised in a wealthy family teaching her only facts are wanted in life, but she ends up living in mournful as it says â€Å"†¦any hoarded scrap of which, is a blessing and happiness to the wisest? Did Louisa see this? Such a thing was never to be.† (Dickens, 1854, p.283). On the other hand, the second is Sissy, was born in circus and taught her with imagination, who ends up living with happiness as it says â€Å"trying hard to know her humbler fellow-creatures, and to beautify their lives of machinery and reality with those imaginative graces and delights† (Dickens, 1854, p.283). Lastly, I am very appreciated with the comparison on the different abstract ideas especially one in this example; the different perspectives of horse that the student in Mr. Gradgrind’s school describes in scientific and arithmetic way as shown: â€Å"Quadruped. Graminivorous. Forty teeth, namely twenty-four grinders, four eye teeth, and twelve incisive†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Dickens, 1854, p.4), while the Sleary’s circus people describe it as beautiful imaginary way as shown: â€Å"The public house was the Pegasus’s Arms. The Pegasus’s legs might have been more to the purpose†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Dickens, 1854, p.25). It can be interpreted that students see no abstract from object, they have blunted mind, while circus people, who live in Victorian Era – the golden age of circus, have something that students do not have which are morality and hospitality. These are my critical reflections that makes Hard Times become one of my favorite novels. All of these are the historical backgrounds, the facts about this novel and my critical reflections for the Dickens’ Hard Times. It is a story of wrong philosophy that facts which are actually not the only needful thing in life. This novel gives readers the way to approach history of Victorian A ge, also, an appreciation. And the most importantly, it persuades readers to live their lives happily with imagination and hospitality to everyone that will come into life. References Collins, Philip (1992). Introduction. Charles Dickens Hard Times(p. xi,xii,xiii). Berwick Street, London: The Millennium Library. Dickens, Charles (1854). Hard Times For These Times. Charles Dickens Hard Times(p. 1,4,6,20,25,283). Berwick Street, London: The Millennium Library. Diniejko, Dr Andrzej.Charles Dickens as Social Commentator and Critic. The Victorian Web: An Overview. Retrieved January 10, 2013, from http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/dickens/diniejko.html Hard Times Critical Essay by Charles Dickens. Study Guides, Lesson Plans, Homework Help, Answers & More – enotes.com. Retrieved January 10, 2013, from http://www.enotes.com/hard-times-essays/dickens-charles-hard-times-these-times Hard Times: Critical Essays: Dickens’ Philosophy and Style – CliffsNotes . Get Homework Help with CliffsNotes Study Guides . Retrieved January 10, 2013, from http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/hard-times/critical-essays/dickens- philosophy-style.html Lowy, M. (2007). The Current of Critical Irrealism. A concise companion to realism(p. 218). Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.