Author: Charles Dickens
Book title: Hard Times
Publisher: Macmillan
Place: England
Date: 1991
No. of Pages: 106
Plot summary:
Thomas Gradgrind, a man of realities, emphasizes the importance of “fact” in human’s life. His family and the school which Gradgrind is running are ruled by his conviction. There is a one student who is in circus, named Sissy Jupe. Gradgrind disliked her unrealistic way of thinking when he saw her at school. After the school, on the way to home, Gradgrind saw the circus which Sissy belonged. He was shocked to see his children, Louisa and Tom there.
Joshiah Bounderby is a banker, merchant and manufacturer, quite rich man. He is a close friend with Gradgrind. Bounderby and Gradgrind tried to Sissy out from school and went her house. However, they found out that Sissy’s father left his daughter and ran away. Bounderby suggested Gradgrind to take care of her. Gradgrind first hesitated about the suggestion, but accepted it.
Stephen Blackpool, a good workman of Bounderby’s mill, wants to get divorce from his wife and wants to marry another woman. His wife is a terrible drinker, who spends everything for drinking. The woman Blackpool fall in love with is Rachel, who is nursing Mrs.Blackpool. Rachel Stooped Mrs.Blackpool from taking poison.
Blackpool asked Bounderby to give him advice but he knew that he is unable to get divorce from his wife under the law.
Bounderby asked Louisa to marry him through Gradgrind. Regardless of Bounderby’s personality and age differences, Louisa accepted this proposal. Mrs Sparist, a housekeeper at Bounderby’s house, was shocked to hear the news that Bounderby was going to marry.
Louisa’s marriage was unhappy. James Harthouse, who has connection with Bounderby about political jobs, got interested in Louisa. He tried to attract Louisa by making use of Tom, Louisa’s brother.
One day, thief broke into Bounderby’s bank. Blackpool was cast doubt on about that incidence, because he was fired from Bounderby’s mill. Louisa suspected his brother of theft. Harthose denied Louisa’s idea, but she didn’t give in. Mrs Sparist spied on Louisa and Harthouse. She knew the two were trying to meet by themselves in another place, and heard the voice which Harthouse was flirting Louisa. Louisa went back to coketown. Mrs Sparist followed Louisa to get more evidence of affair. However Louisa went back to her father’s house to ask her father protection, because she knew she was suspected of having affair with Harthouse. Gradgrind finally realized that his way of education was wrong. Bounderby made decision that get divorce from Louisa. On the other hand, Sissy met Harthouse and persuaded him to give Louisa up.
Blackpool left coketown to search another job, and Bounderby decided to give money whoever found Blackpool. Sissy and Rachel found Blackpool’s hat near the coalfield and they found Blackpool himself, lying the bottom of coalfield with a serious injury. Before he passed away he asked Rachel and Sissy to prove his innocent and said that Tom should know the truth.
From the resentment towards Bounderby, Mrs Sparsit looked for Mrs Pegler and discovered her. She found out that Mrs Pegler is a Bounderby’s mother and his story of his life – self made man stuff, was totally fiction.
Sissy and Louisa told Gradgrind Tom was a thief and now he is harbored in circus. Tome could run away and went abroad thanks to Sleary, the director of the circus. Tom was ended up died in another country because of fever, before he died, he sent letter to his sister.
All distinctive characters in this story ended up unhappy life except Sissy who knows what is love should be or how man should be, in the right way.
1) Points of view
There are nine main characters in this story. Gradgrind, Tom, Louisa, Bounderby, Sissy and others. Sometimes character’s personalities are described in the story by author and also we can tell their characteristic and feelings through reading. This novel should be omniscient style.
2) Setting
Coketown is a fiction town, but it has its model. In 1853 the author of this novel, Charles Dickens visited the town of Preston in the North England. He used his observations of Preston as the basis idea for Hard Times. All events were happened in Coketown, and time setting is the industrial revolution era.
3) Conflict
In this novel, characters are often conflict with himself /herself or their environment. For example, Gradgrind vs his conviction (himself), Sissy vs her environment, Louisa vs her environment and herself ( married a man whom she really did not want to, feeling toward another man) and so on. It seems that characters are always conflict with something in this novel, but I think most of those are just surfaces, and character’s conflictions with theirselves suggest more profound meanings.
4) Climax
There is no clear climax in this novel, but through reading, readers are found out what is important for one’s life. I think this point is the climax of this novel.
5) Theme
In this time era, logical thinking and rationality are keys to success.
But lack of humanity is leads to collapse of one’s life.
6) Symbol
Circus is one big symbol of this novel. People in Circus are kind and filled with humanity such as Sissy and Srealy. Circus is one world which is consisted by imagination, and excitement feeling. It seems that circus is far away from reality, but in the reality world people can never be happy. Circus is a symbol of ideal life.
7) Irony
We can see many ironies in this novel. Fist of all, as I described beforehand, Circus and reality world is the biggest irony. In addition, Tom, who deceived people, was disguised in the circus. He had to hide himself over and over again because of one mistake he made, this is another irony. Gradgrind emphasized importance of “fact” in human’s life and raised his children followed his conviction. This was for his children but, one became thief and one was divorced. He realized what is important for human life at the end of his life which was too late.
Evaluation
Although many characters were appeared in this novel, their characterizations were excellent so that I did not have to check the previous pages to make sure that I could understand the story. Many suffering events were happened one after another, so I never got bored when I was reading. There are many chapters, it seems each of them has independent stories but they are all related, of course. As you read, you can understand the relationship between chapters and chapters, this makes readers more excited.
This novel tells us what is important for our lives. Also, alarmed us that concerning to be rational and to practice logical thinking all the time will kill your emotion and humanity and they will not lead you happiness. Time setting of this novel is the industrial revolution era, but we still live in Hard Time.
