Charles Dickens Hard Times - Essay Example

Charles Dickens’ Hard Times: Argumentative Essay Regardless of the fact that Charles Dickens’ novel Hard Times about Hard Times was written over a hundred and fifty years ago, it features compelling arguments on issues that are of relevance nowadays. His arguments can be seen to be rather idealistic but they stem from a sensible place as they analyze human behavior. The story is woven around three families: the Blackpools, Bounderbys and Gradgrinds; and the fictional Coketown that they all reside in. The latter two are firm believers in teaching their children how to be practical as this is the sole path to leading one’s life. This is due to the reason that they diminish human behavior as that which can be guided through practical rules. On the other hand, Stephen Blackpool, a worker at Bounderbys factory, is miserable as he feels their boss overworks them and refuses to appreciate their efforts. Dickens illustrates his ardent belief in importance of social connection through, Louisa a daughter of Gradgrind who grows up being incapable to make emotional connection. I agree with Dickens’ argument that social connection is important and human beings cannot be viewed purely as intellectual beings. The story begins in a classroom set up where Grandgrid, a high school teacher, is giving a lecture on the value of facts. “Now, what I want is Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts; nothing else will ever be of service to them” (1). This is how the novel starts, with a lecture from Grandgrid; he continues to emphasize his principal on reliance on facts alone by stating he also raises his children in such a way. Whether true or not, Grandgrid should allow the students to decide for themselves and not have such a rigid stance. Furthermore, his lecture appears quite bombarding on the students as he relays it with such harshness and does not leave room for anyone to question him. This is quite detrimental as it fails to consider that as human beings we have both a reasoning and emotional capacity where one cannot outweigh the other hence, a balance must be struck. Secondly, having a fact-based education is detrimental because it raises human beings to be selfish and only considerate of their own success in spite of it being at the expense of others. Dickens’ demonstrates using the character of Sissy who has grown up with the value of Fancy, the concept of taking time out to leisure. This is owing to the fact that she was raised in the circus where the owner, Mr Sleary, is illustrated underlining weight of time for amusement, as one cannot always be working. “What is the first principle of this science?” She responds incorrectly “To do unto others as I would that they should do unto me” (43). This reflects Sissy’s humane side of putting the feelings of others before any facts; this is noteworthy concerning Mr Bouderby who in contrast, is seen to overwork his employees by treating them like machines that are only good for their intellect. Agreeing to a similar belief as Mr Grandgrid he is shown as holding the principle of rational self-interest, where human behavior is can be measured. Students gifted in imaginative works and heart-centered, like in this case Sissy, are bound to be perceived as failures as they cannot cram and churn out the hard facts impressed on them. Besides that, following such a principle inhibits imagination as an immeasurable component of human beings. Through these two characters, Dickens’ brings out the negative effects of industrialization stating that they turn human beings into machines leaving no room for social connection or imagination. Another portrayal of the importance of social connection is through Louisa who gets into a marriage for the rational reason of financial support, devoid of any romantic feelings. Over time, she finds herself developing feelings for someone else, albeit with difficulties of making emotional connections. She finds out such an emotional connection had deprived her of true happiness and attempts to explain this to her father, Mr. Grandgrid. This is described as a deficiency of Fancy and Louisa is seen to make the brave decision of ending her marriage before progressing with a relationship with Harthouse, the man with whom she falls in love. The son of Mr Grandgrid, Tom, is also used for this portrayal where he is seen to grow up to become a lazy hedonist having no regard for others. Evidently, both children have been brought up in a way that has left them socially dysfunctional. Thirdly, failure to recognize the value of social connection results in misery as is evidenced by Stephen Blackpool. As an employee of Mr Bounderby, he complains of his inhumane treatment and alluding to them as machines who expect to be fed through a golden spoon. In addition, Dickens’ depicts the workers of Coketown as being referred to as the Hands where individual personalities are not recognized, instead they are all viewed as cogs in a machine expected to produce results. Due to this, people in the town cannot complain about coke, the fuel product that has brought great wealth, even though its production brings pollution and waste. This is evidence of what happens when a society focuses too much on creating wealth and bringing economic development since they choose to ignore the destructive effects of the industries, such as mining. Stephen is lucky enough to have his wife- Rachael to provide him with consolation and strength to continue with his job at Bounderby’s factory. In the novel, the Hands are described “…inhabited by people equally like one another, who all went in and out at the same hour, with the same sound upon the same pavements, to do the same work, and to whom every day was the same as yesterday and to-morrow, and every year the counterpart of the last and the next” (17). This monotony and lack of social cohesion is damaging, as people will have no way of rejuvenating themselves. Nevertheless, there is a constructive side to embracing a rational mentality for instance with marriage. Mr Grandgrid intended for Louisa to be provided for always, as would any father; thus, his argument for her marriage to Bounderby as he was a man of means may be justified. This is because marrying someone purely for romantic reason is ludicrous given that as human beings we have material needs too that require financial capability to be supported. Moreover, where a father has made sacrifices and worked hard to provide for his children and ensure they are comfortable, it is sensible for them to expect the same or even better treatment from whoever chooses to marry them. For such a scenario, fact may be given weight over fancy especially since marriage is a lifetime commitment. Notably as well, Louisa makes the sensible resolve to return to her father and explain her decision to end her marriage rather than just eloping. This illustrates the importance of rational thinking as if she had chosen to leave with Harthouse without any explanation then she would have been no better than her father would, Bounderby would and M’Choakumchild the pragmatic people would. She would have failed to recognize their feelings as the former two deserve an explanation. Stephen too upholds sensibility amid frustration as he sticks to his job as a source of livelihood for his family and does not initiate any violent uprising against tyrannical employers. Both characters bring out the significance of sensibility even in the face of emotional repression. In conclusion, Dickens’ ideology is agreeable to the extent of having a refined education system that does not merely burdens students with hard facts. Further, social cohesion is a basic need for human beings and must be met through constant interaction and recognition of the fact that we all have a unique factor embedded upon our personalities. This allows for a stable society as the injustices within society, such as those committed by industries, will be addressed and dealt with. Conversely, there must be sensibility to avoid emotive arguments, which may lead to reckless tendencies. We must learn to strike a balance with our emotional and material needs; in the pursuit of a comfortable life, we should always take time to socialize and bond with those around us as this will provide contentment. Work Cited Dickens, Charles. Hard Times. New York. Bradbury & Erano. Print Read More