Hard Times: Struggle Of Fact Vs Imagination And Struggle Between Two Classes Essay, Research Paper

Hard Times: Struggle of Fact vs Imagination and Struggle Between Two Classes

Charles Dickens’ novel, Hard Times, is a story of two struggles–the

struggle of fact versus imagination and the struggle between two classes. It

takes place in Coketown, and industrial-age English city. The novel is divided

into two sections. One deals with the struggle of upper class members of

society and their struggle to learn the value of imagination. The other

involves a working class man who is trapped by those in that upper class who

trap him in a dreary existence.

Thomas Gradgrind, the father of Louisa, Tom, and June not only stresses

facts in the classroom in which he teaches, but also at home to his family.

Thomas has brought up his children to know nothing but facts. Everything is

black and white,right or wrong– nothing in between. He discourages such

fanciful motions as going to the circus or having flowered carpet. Everyone

knows, one cannot have flowered carpet. One would trample all over them and

they would end up dying.

In Hard Times, two classes are relevant in Coketown. The upper class,

which were few in numbers, are dominant over the middle class, which is larger

in numbers. Stephen Blackpool represents the working class. He is a warm-

hearted man trapped in thes run down society. He feels he deserves this

mediocre lifestyle. Blackpool was originally employed under Bounderby, but is

fired for standing up for his beliefs. This type of behavior was totally

unacceptable during the period of time as it involved imagination and

independance. Bounderby portrayed himself as a self-made man,when in fact, he

had eveything handed to him with a silver spoon. His mother gave him the very

best of everything, including a wonderful education. This demonstrates that the

upper and middle classes were not just two different classes, but two different

worlds. The book concludes with the upper class characters being forced into

accepting that something other than facts exist. Thomas Gradgrind has given up

his philosophy of facts by allowing his daughter back into his house.

In conclusion, the entire Gridgrind system of facts proves to be a

failure, and he learns that emotions and imagination are the controlling forces

in everyones life.