Hard times

 Hard times - Charles Dickens 

This blog is written as a task assigned by the head of the Department of English (MKBU), Prof. and Dr. Dilip Barad Sir. Here is the link to the professor's blogs for background reading: click here

Activity:1 FAQ of Hard Times

1. How did the dominant philosophical and educational ideology of the time, Utilitarianism, influence society?

Answer.

Utilitarianism, a philosophy advocating for "the greatest good for the greatest number," became the dominant ideology during this period. In practice, this often translated into a focus on facts, statistics, and measurable outcomes, with little room for imagination, emotion, or individual creativity. This philosophy heavily influenced the education system, promoting an approach based solely on facts and stifling critical thinking and individual expression. Children were taught to be "nothing but facts," preparing them to be productive, unthinking cogs in the industrial machine.

2.What is the significance of the character Thomas Gradgrind in illustrating the themes of the novel?

Answer.

Thomas Gradgrind is a central figure who embodies the principles of Utilitarianism and the prevailing industrial mindset. He is a staunch advocate for "facts" and rationality, meticulously raising his children, Louisa and Tom, according to these principles, suppressing their emotions and imaginative impulses. His character serves as a powerful critique of an educational philosophy that prioritizes measurable outcomes over human flourishing, demonstrating how such an approach can lead to emotional stuntedness and a disconnect from the richness of life.

3.What is the central critique Dickens offers in Hard Times?

Answer.

Dickens's Hard Times serves as a profound critique of the dehumanizing impact of 19th-century industrialization and the "hard philosophy" that underpinned it. This philosophy, characterized by an excessive dependence on facts, calculation, and reason, actively eradicates "soft emotions," intuition, and the "subtle sense of living." Dickens argues that prioritizing profits, self-interest, and mechanization at the expense of human empathy and imagination leads to a stifled existence, both for individuals and society as a whole. He highlights how this worldview diminishes the "graces of the soul" and the "sentiments of the heart."

4. What role does the circus play in the novel as a counterpoint to industrial society?

Answer.

The circus and its people function as a vital counterpoint to the rigid, fact-driven industrial atmosphere. It is a space that reinforces essential human values such as dreaming, fancy, and fraternity, all of which are compromised in the dehumanizing industrial world. Dickens uses the circus to assert significant aspects of humanity that were being suppressed. His sympathetic portrayal of characters like Sissy Jupe and Sleary (from the circus) clearly indicates where his own values lie, contrasting them with the monotony and cold logic of the factory and capitalist systems.

5. How does the description of Coketown symbolize the negative impacts of industrialization?

Answer.

Coketown serves as a vivid symbol of industrial excesses and the resulting perversion of both humanity and the environment. It is depicted as a town of "unnatural red and black, like the painted face of savage," with "interminable serpents of smoke" from tall chimneys, a "black canal," and a "river that ran purple with ill-smelling dye." This imagery portrays a landscape characterized by squalor, filth, and a general unpleasantness, directly linking industrialization to environmental degradation. Furthermore, Coketown's inhabitants are described as an "undifferentiated group of people," devoid of individuality, where "every day was same as yesterday and tomorrow." This emphasis on sameness and dreary uniformity underscores the dehumanizing effect of a society that suppresses uniqueness and creativity in favor of mechanical routine.

 Reflection

Hard Times stood out to me because it vividly exposes the dangers of a society governed entirely by cold reason and industrial efficiency. The dominance of Utilitarianism, with its obsession with “facts,” reflects how imagination and human emotions were suppressed in the name of progress. What struck me most was how Dickens uses characters like Gradgrind to embody this philosophy, showing its destructive effects on individuals and families. In contrast, the circus symbolizes joy, creativity, and the essential human spirit, reminding us of the values society risks losing. Coketown, with its polluted skies and monotonous routines, powerfully symbolizes the dehumanizing effects of industrialization. The novel resonates even today, as it warns against valuing productivity and profit over human dignity and compassion. Dickens’s critique inspired me to think about the balance between knowledge and imagination, reminding me that true education and progress must nurture the heart as much as the mind.

Activity:2

Reconsidering Hard Times: Why Dickens's 'Masterpiece' Deserves More Acclaim

Charles Dickens's Hard Times is a novel often passed over in critical discussions, yet according to influential twentieth-century English critic F. R. Leavis, it stands as Dickens's greatest novel and a "completely serious work of art". Leavis, elaborating on earlier claims by Ruskin and Shaw, argues that this significant novel has not received the general recognition it truly deserves.

A Moral Fable with Insistent Intention

Leavis posits that Hard Times should be understood as a moral fable, where the author's intention is "peculiarly insistent" and the "representative significance of everything in the fable—character, episode, and so on—is immediately apparent". Unlike other Dickens works where insistent intention might not coalesce into a coherent whole, in Hard Times, the satiric irony, melodrama, pathos, and humor are unified by a "profound inspiration".

This inspiration, reflected in the title Hard Times, stems from Dickens's "comprehensive vision" of Victorian civilization. He critiques the inhumanities of the era, seeing them as "fostered and sanctioned by a hard philosophy, the aggressive formulation of an inhumane spirit".

The Clash of Philosophies: Gradgrind, Bounderby, and the Utilitarian Spirit

The central philosophy under scrutiny is Utilitarianism, primarily embodied by Thomas Gradgrind, Esquire, Member of Parliament for Coketown. Gradgrind, who raised his children based on John Stuart Mill's experiment, represents a repellent yet respectable theory, applied with intellectual disinterestedness. However, this philosophy's practical tendencies are starkly revealed through his daughter's marriage to Josiah Bounderby, a "banker, merchant, manufacturer". Bounderby is the embodiment of Victorian "rugged individualism" in its "grossest and most intransigent form," concerned only with "self-assertion and power and material success". Bounderby remains consistently a "Jonsonian character," incapable of change, a "blustering egotist and braggart".

Dickens's critique extends to the "Utilitarian spirit in Victorian education," vividly depicted in the opening school-room scene. Here, Gradgrind's rigid demand for "Facts" confronts Sissy Jupe, "girl number twenty," whose practical knowledge of horses, derived from her life in the circus, is dismissed as irrelevant. In contrast, Bitzer, the model pupil, "vomits up the genuine article" with a textbook definition, highlighting the hollowness of an education devoid of true understanding.

Symbolism of Humanity and Vitality: Sissy Jupe and Sleary's Horse-riding

Sissy Jupe is not merely a conventional character; she holds a "potently symbolic rôle". Her "unaptness for education" based on facts is presented as "part and parcel of her sovereign and indefeasible humanity". Leavis emphasizes that Sissy represents vitality and goodness, seeing them as one: "generous, impulsive life, finding self-fulfilment in self-forgetfulness". Her "dark-eyed and dark-haired" appearance, contrasting with Bitzer's "thin-blooded, quasi-mechanical product of Gradgrindery," suggests a life lived from "deep instinctive and emotional springs".

This symbolic significance is intricately linked to Sleary's Horse-riding. The circus performers, with their "highly-developed skill and deftness," symbolize "human spontaneity" and "gracious vitality". Their skills, though without value in the Utilitarian calculus, express "vital human impulse" and minister to "vital human needs". The Horse-riding offers the "machine-hands of Coketown" not just amusement, but "art, and the spectacle of triumphant activity that, seeming to contain its end within itself, is, in its easy mastery, joyously self-justified". Through this, Dickens expresses a "profounder reaction to industrialism," highlighting the "dreadful degradation of life" caused by a system that stifles human intuition and natural beauty.

The Confutation of Philosophy by Life

The novel masterfully demonstrates the failure of Utilitarianism through its impact on the Gradgrind family. Louisa, having no emotional outlet but her love for her brother Tom, marries Bounderby under pressure from Tom, illustrating how the "constrictions and starvations of the Gradgrind régime" distort natural affection. Tom, in turn, becomes a "bored and sullen whelp," a "triumph of calculation which is usually at work on number one," leading him to debt and bank-robbery.

The ultimate confutation of Gradgrind's philosophy occurs when Louisa, fleeing temptation, collapses at her father's feet, crying, "All I know is, your philosophy and your teaching will not save me". Gradgrind sees "the pride of his heart and the triumph of his system lying an insensible heap at his feet," realizing that his love for his child matters more than his system.

The full ironic force is unleashed in the scene where Gradgrind confronts Bitzer, his "truly successful pupil," who embodies the logical extreme of Utilitarianism. When asked if he has a heart or is accessible to compassionate influence, Bitzer responds with cold, self-interested logic, stating his actions are driven by the prospect of promotion and that the "whole social system is a question of self-interest". Bitzer's refusal to compromise, even for his former patron, because "to compound a felony, even on very high terms indeed, would not be as safe and good for me as my improved prospects in the Bank," perfectly exposes the dehumanizing nature of the philosophy.

Dickens's Poetic and Dramatic Genius

Leavis champions Dickens's art in Hard Times for its "stamina, a flexibility combined with consistency, and a depth". Dickens's "extraordinary energy of perception and registration" is evident in his prose, which offers an "astonishing and irresistible richness of life". He is described as a "great poet" and a "master of English" comparable to Shakespeare in his command of "word, phrase, rhythm and image". The novel's "texture, imaginative mode, symbolic method, and the resulting concentration" make it affect readers "as belonging with formally poetic works".

This poetic and dramatic genius is profoundly displayed in the death scene of Mrs. Gradgrind, a "cipher in the Gradgrind system" who has "never really been alive". Her final, disjointed words, reflecting a realization that "your father has missed, or forgotten, Louisa" something "not an Ology at all," poignantly underscore the central flaw of the Utilitarian mindset.

While acknowledging Dickens's capacity for sentimentality (e.g., Stephen Blackpool), Leavis argues that Sissy Jupe is "wholly convincing" and her influence is conveyed with "fine tact". Similarly, Mr. Sleary's final "solemn moral" about love and calculation, delivered in his asthmatic voice, is presented with the "rightness of genius" and controlled by a "profoundly serious intention".

Limitations and Lasting Impact

Criticisms of Hard Times include Dickens's somewhat limited understanding of Trade Unionism and the role of religion in industrial England. However, Leavis contends that Dickens's "understanding of Victorian civilization is adequate for his purpose; the justice and penetration of his criticism are unaffected". His insight into English social structure is also evident in characters like Mr. James Harthouse, who represents the alliance between the old ruling class and the "hard" men, and Mrs. Sparsit, who contributes to a trio suggesting the "whole system of British snobbery".

In essence, Leavis presents a compelling case for Hard Times as a profound and overlooked masterpiece. It is a work where Dickens's "creative exuberance is controlled by a profound inspiration," resulting in a novel that possesses "all the strength of his genius, together with a strength no other of them can show—that of a completely serious work of art".

(2)

J. B. Priestley, a respected literary voice, had some strong opinions about Charles Dickens's Hard Times, going so far as to label it "the least worth reading" among Dickens's mature novels. This might come as a surprise to many, especially those who admire the novel for its sharp social commentary. So, what exactly were Priestley's reservations?

A Novel Mired in Propaganda, Not Imagination

Priestley contends that Hard Times has garnered special admiration "particularly among those who see Dickens as a propagandist for their own political-economic ideology". He suggests that agreeing with Dickens's condemnation of an "industrialized commercial society, its values, its economics, its education, its withering relationships," doesn't necessitate elevating an "unsatisfactory novel" to the status of a masterpiece.

One of Priestley's core criticisms is that the novel is "muddled in its direct political-social criticism". He argues that Dickens lacked a deep enough understanding of industrial England to portray it authentically. While Dickens had some "horrifying glimpses" during a public reading in Birmingham and visited Preston during a strike, Priestley notes that he found "no drama there" and came away "deeply sympathizing with the men but feeling doubtful about trade union organizers".

This superficial knowledge, according to Priestley, led to Coketown being merely "a horrible appearance" rather than a fully realized setting. He believes that Dickens's portrayal of Coketown "belongs to propaganda and not to creative imagination".

Sacrificing Artistry for Caricature and Melodrama

Priestley highlights several artistic shortcomings in Hard Times that he feels place it far below the standard Dickens set from Dombey and Son onwards. He argues that the novel is plagued by:

• "Reckless and theatrical over-statements".

• Characters that are "nothing but caricatures".

• "Melodramatic muddled emotionalism".

He contrasts this with Dickens's "unique grotesque-poetic genius," so evident in novels like Bleak House, which he finds conspicuously absent in Hard Times except in "a few odd places".

For instance, the traveling circus is introduced to provide a "sharp contrast to Gradgrind and Bounderby, their outlook and style of life," representing "arts, skills, warm personal relationships". However, Priestley believes Dickens could have found these very qualities and "many odd attractive characters, in Coketown, if he had really known it and not simply looked at it from a railway train".

In essence, Priestley suggests that while Dickens's intentions in criticizing industrial society may have been noble, the execution in Hard Times suffered from a lack of genuine understanding and an overreliance on caricature and propaganda, ultimately diminishing its artistic merit as a novel.

Position-taking:

▪ “I side with Leavis—argue why Hard Times merits his praise.”

▪ “I align with Priestley—detail why Hard Times might be considered propagandist or short-sighted.”

I side with Leavis and will argue why Hard Times merits his praise.

F. R. Leavis makes a compelling case for perceiving Charles Dickens's Hard Times as his greatest novel, arguing that it is "a completely serious work of art" that possesses "all the strength of his genius, together with a strength no other of them can show". Leavis believes that despite its significance, the novel has been largely overlooked in critical discussions of Dickens's other works.

One of Leavis's primary arguments is that in Hard Times, Dickens is "for once possessed by a comprehensive vision" where "the inhumanities of Victorian civilization are seen as fostered and sanctioned by a hard philosophy, the aggressive formulation of an inhumane spirit". This central philosophy, Utilitarianism, is personified by Thomas Gradgrind, Member of Parliament for Coketown, who educates his children based on "tangible Fact" and statistics. Leavis highlights Dickens's "just observation about the affinities and practical tendency of Utilitarianism" in his portrayal of Gradgrind and the "Utilitarian spirit in Victorian education".

Leavis emphasizes the "stamina, a flexibility combined with consistency, and a depth" of Dickens's art in Hard Times as he renders this critical vision. The opening scene in Mr. Gradgrind's schoolroom is presented as a powerful example of "ironic method". When Sissy Jupe, who has practical knowledge of horses, is unable to provide a factual definition, Bitzer, the model pupil, readily recites a "Quadruped. Graminivorous" description. This contrast powerfully demonstrates the "harmful tendencies in education" and the "unaptness for education" that Sissy represents as part of her "sovereign and indefeasible humanity". Leavis notes that Sissy's inability to conform to this fact-based ethos is "the virtue that makes it impossible for her to understand, or acquiesce in, an ethos for which she is 'girl number twenty'".

Moreover, Leavis argues that Sissy Jupe is not a mere conventional persona, but rather holds a "potently symbolic rôle". She "stands for vitality as well as goodness—they are seen, in fact, as one; she is generous, impulsive life, finding self-fulfilment in self-forgetfulness—all that is the antithesis of calculating self-interest". This symbolism is further elaborated in the vivid description of Sissy and Bitzer in the sunlight, where Sissy receives a "deeper and more lustrous colour" while Bitzer appears to have color drawn out of him, suggesting an "essentially Laurentian suggestion" of life lived from "deep instinctive and emotional springs" versus a "thin-blooded, quasi-mechanical product of Gradgrindery".

The symbolic significance of Sissy is deeply connected to Sleary's Horse-riding, which Leavis describes as representing "human kindness... associated with vitality" and "human spontaneity". The circus-athletes, with their "highly-developed skill and deftness," symbolize triumphant activity that is "joyously self-justified" and express "vital human impulse". Leavis contends that the Horse-riding provides the "machine-hands of Coketown" with "art, and the spectacle of triumphant activity" that they are starved of, thus offering a "profounder reaction to industrialism" than mere pleasure and relaxation.

The "confutation of Utilitarianism by life" is handled with "great subtlety". Mr. Gradgrind's initial kindness to Sissy hints at his capacity for humane feeling. The masterful scene where Gradgrind proposes marriage to Louisa for Mr. Bounderby, reducing it to a "question of tangible Fact," perfectly exposes the "inadequacy of the calculus". Louisa's emotionless responses highlight the "instinct-free rationality of the emotionless Houyhnhnm" that Gradgrind's system produces. Leavis praises this as a "triumph of ironic art".

The psychological development of Louisa and Tom is also deemed "sound". Louisa's self-sacrifice for Tom, and Tom's descent into crime as a "triumph of calculation which is usually at work on number one," effectively demonstrate the destructive consequences of the Gradgrind régime. Gradgrind's eventual realization of his system's fallacy, particularly when Louisa collapses, crying, "All I know is, your philosophy and your teaching will not save me," is presented as an "impressive" and unsentimental demonstration of his love for his child triumphing over his system.

The "sardonic comedy" of Tom's escape, aided by Mr. Sleary and Sissy, further underscores the critique. Bitzer, the "truly successful pupil," embodies the extreme outcome of the Utilitarian system, refusing to help Gradgrind based purely on "self-interest" and a "bargain". This scene, where Bitzer demonstrates that "the whole social system is a question of self-interest," offers a sharp, ironic discomfiture of the philosopher by his own tenets.

Leavis defends Dickens against charges of sentimentality, particularly concerning Sissy Jupe, stating she is "wholly convincing in the function Dickens assigns to her" and "shares in the strength of the Horse-riding". Even the potentially sentimental episode of Merrylegs, the dog, is presented as having a "profoundly serious intention" and a "sure touch," with the passage needing to be read in context to appreciate its "subtle interplay of diverse elements". Leavis acknowledges some criticisms, such as the portrayal of Stephen Blackpool as "too good" and the limited understanding of Trade Unionism. However, he argues that "Dickens's understanding of Victorian civilization is adequate for his purpose; the justice and penetration of his criticism are unaffected".

Ultimately, Leavis highlights Dickens's "command of word, phrase, rhythm and image", declaring him a "great poet" whose "mastery of expression is most fairly suggested by stressing... his strictly dramatic felicities". The dying scene of Mrs. Gradgrind exemplifies this, where her fragmented speech reveals a yearning for "something—not an Ology at all—that your father has missed, or forgotten, Louisa," demonstrating "dramatic creation and imaginative genius".

Thus, Leavis's praise for Hard Times is rooted in its comprehensive and coherent critical vision, its flexible and profound artistry, its masterful use of symbolism and irony, and its deep psychological insight into the human cost of Utilitarian philosophy, all delivered with poetic genius comparable to Shakespeare.

Thank you!