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Hard Times | Study Guide

Charles Dickens

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Course Hero. "Hard Times Study Guide." May 4, 2017. Accessed October 2, 2023. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Hard-Times/.

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Course Hero, "Hard Times Study Guide," May 4, 2017, accessed October 2, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Hard-Times/.

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Check out this Infographic to learn more about Charles Dickens's Hard Times. Study visually with character maps, plot summaries, helpful context, and more.

hard-times-charles-dickens_V2Louisa Gradgrind, Book 1, Chapter 15hile it lasts, I would wish to do the little I can, and the little I am fit for. What does it matter?Sources: British Library, British Museum, Encyclopaedia BritannicaCopyright © 2017 Course Hero, Inc.LoomSymbolizes oppressive, dangerous working conditions in factoriesBottle of Nine OilsEmbodies the hope Sissy Jupe has for her father’s returnCircusRepresents the freedom discouraged by rigid industrial lifeSymbolsLouisa GradgrindEducated young woman; neglects her feelings in favor of cold rationality, passively doing her duty until her emotions emergeMr. BounderbyWealthy bank and factory owner; lacks empathy and bullies his workers and friends with his own fraudulent success storyMr. GradgrindHarsh school headmaster; wants the best for his children but has a deeply flawed worldview that relies too much on fact and reasonMain CharactersWith a past shadowed by his own factory work as a child, Dickens turned his experiences into fiction that highlighted the plight of the working classes in the mid-19th century. The poverty he faced as a child inspired Hard Times and helped readers connect to his writing, which earned him great, lasting popularity.CHARLES DICKENS1812–70AuthorThe Gradgrind children, Louisa and Tom, are raised in industrial Coketown to be rational and practical. Once they grow up, they discover their education in facts and figures has not prepared them for the complex challenges of the world around them.Humanity Cannot Be ManufacturedTHEMESThe bonds of love—in romance or family—transcend logic and make life worthwhile.LovePeople must balance practical work and study with the wonders of imagination.Reason & ImaginationHumanity gets lost as business owners ignore poor working conditions.IndustrializationEnglishOriginal Language1854Year PublishedCharles DickensAuthorHard TimesDramaNovel
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