Lorna's Reviews > Hard Times

Hard Times was the most recent novel that I completed in my personal project of reading all of Charles Dickens’ novels in the order of publication. And I must say, that this satirical novel was my least favorite so far. This was published in 1854, first in serialized form and then in book form, taking place not in London but in a fictitious manufacturing town, Coketown, often compared to Manchester. Based on Galatians 6:7, For whatsoever a man sow, that shall he also reap.” The first book is entitled “Sowing,” the second book is entitled “Reaping”, and the third is “Garnering.”

In Book I, we are introduced to the superintendent, Thomas Gradgrind, in his school in Coketown where he emphasizes the teaching of facts, nothing but facts. Louisa and Thomas are his two oldest children with three younger children in the family cared for by Sissy. Tom and Louisa befriend Sissy, all of them very unhappy with their strict and rigid upbringing. Mr. Gradgrind’s close friend and devoid of all sentiment proposes marriage to Louisa, even though he is thirty years her senior. Louisa accepts the proposal and the newlyweds move to Lyon where Bounderby wants to observe how labor is used in the factories. In Book II, Thomas accepts a job with Bounderby and becomes more indebted to him as he becomes more reckless in his conduct. There are other characters, including the mill workers, where one gets wrapped up in their plight culminating in some dramatic ways in Book III, “Garnering.”

One of the predominant themes was that Charles Dickens wished to educate the readers about the poor working conditions of some of the factories in the industrial towns. There is also the question of morality where the wealthy are portrayed as morally corrupt as he explores the effect of social class in Hard Times. At this point, I am returning to Dickens’ London as I begin Little Doritt.