Hard Times Bounderby - 800 Words

Josiah Bounderby falsely claims his success in life was a result of his hard work and never receiving help from anyone in Charles Dickens’ Hard Times. Claiming to be a self-made man grants Mr. Bounderby wide admiration in Coketown, with the exception of Tom and Louisa Gradgrind and Mrs. Sparsit, who perceive him to be an insolent person. Tom mirrors Mr. Bounderby’s selfish and hypocritical personality, but blames the old man for his rigid upbringing. Louisa cannot admire Mr. Bounderby while he shamelessly objectifies her when pursuing her romantically. At the same time, Mrs. Sparsit values Mr. Bounderby’s ability to help her preserve her social rank in Coketown rather than his achievements. These three characters see Mr. Bounderby though†¦show more content†¦Tom cannot admire Mr. Bounderby for his self-realized success because Tom blames him for his unfulfilled life, knowing only facts and nothing on achieving happiness. Louisa shares Tom’s resentment towards Mr. Bounderby and perceives him to be â€Å"a great deal rougher and not half so kind† (54). Mr. Bounderby’s romantic pursuits aggravate Louisa, which result in her lack of esteem. At the start of the novel, Louisa and Tom are caught by their father peeking into the circus and Mr. Bounderby guides their father’s anger towards the circus people instead of the children, after which Mr. Bounderby harrasses Louisa for a kiss as means of compensation. She raises her cheek â€Å"ungraciously† for him and once he is gone she rubs the same cheek until â€Å"it was burning red† announcing to her brother that he could â€Å"cut the piece out with [his] penknife† and she â€Å"wouldn’t cry† (25). More disturbed by his romantic pursuits than his participation in her childhood, Mr. Bounderby abandons his role of guardian to one of an antagonizer in Louisa’s life. Mrs. Sparsit is obsessed with maintaining a good social ranking after her aristocratic elite family fell to hard times and recognizes that Mr. Bounderby is the best way to achieve her goal. Although Mrs. Sparsit needs Mr. Bounderby, she does not respect him while taking â€Å"such pity on Mr. Bounderby to his face† then calls â€Å"his portrait a Noodle to its face, with the greatest acrimony and contempt† after his bank had been robbedShow MoreRelatedAnalyse Louisa’s Marriage with Bounderby as an Example of Patriarchal and Utilitarian â€Å"Arrangement† in Victorian Society (Hard Times by Charles Dickens)1814 Words   |  8 Pagesutilitarian logic in Hard Times through the characters of Mr. Thomas Gradgrind, Mr. Bounderby, and Mr. Gradgrind. Mr. Gradgrind educates his daughter, Louisa, with facts and facts alone. He raises her to disregard emotions and see everything in terms of statistics. He forces this type of education upon Louisa much like the marr iage with Bounderby that ends up being nothing but a loveless marriage without any hope for improvement. Written during the Victorian era, Dickens’ novel, Hard Times, constitutesRead More Social Classes of Industrial England in Charles Dickens Hard Times548 Words   |  3 PagesSocial Classes of Industrial England in Charles Dickens Hard Times In his novel, Hard Times, Charles Dickens used his characters to describe the caste system that had been shaped by industrial England. By looking at three main characters, Stephen Blackpool, Mr. Josiah Bounderby, and Mr. Thomas Gradgrind, one can see the different classes that were industrial England. Stephen Blackpool represented the most abundant and least represented caste in industrial England, the lower class (also calledRead MoreAnalysis of the Credibility of Characters in Charles Dickens Hard Times1512 Words   |  7 PagesDickens Hard Times Hard times was written in 1854 by Charles Dickens. Dickens was a prominent Victorian novelist who wrote about the society that surrounded him. He was educated and middle-class but had some sympathy with the way poor people were treated. He was critical of utilitarianism and felt that those in power showed little understanding of the poor. His sympathy with the poor stemmed from his childhood and his fathers inability to stay out of debt. Hard Times Read MoreUtilitarianism in Dickens Hard Times Essay1233 Words   |  5 Pages‘Hard Times’ is a wonderful story, but when one thinks about the reality that lies behind the work, the novel becomes a masterpiece. This novel becomes very important because utilitarianism was the main thought in Victorian era. Utilitarianism, â€Å"the forms of liberty and equality that will produce the greatest happiness depend on the state of the educational, political, economic, and social structure† (Harris). Everything is explained by logic and facts. It is easy for the reader to find out thatRead MoreThe Role of the Circus Folk in Hard Times by Charles Dickens1617 Words   |  7 PagesThe Role of the Circus Folk in Hard Times by Charles Dickens The role of the circus is both complex and simple it is in itself a contradiction; it has been placed within the novel to add another dimension to the story of Coketown but also to show how fragile human nature can be. The circus folks role are complicated in their simplicity, they are of course there to carry out the role that they are paid to perform as actors or performers as well as being there for theRead MoreHow Greed Affects The Lives Of People935 Words   |  4 PagesIt is hard to believe how greed affects the lives of people. Often people do not realize that money and power are not everything in life. During the Industrial Revolution many people let their lives be heavily manipulated by their material wants rather than their needs. As a result they were often unhappy with the lives they had while others were in abundance of happiness. Charles Dickens lived during the Industrial Revolution and knew what life was like during those times (BBC - Primary HistoryRead MoreTreatment towards Migrant Workers1241 Words   |  5 PagesTreatment towards Migrant Workers Within In the novel Hard Times by Charles Dickens and the novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck both express a theme of vulgar treatment toward migrant workers’ and even towards anyone who was different and did not fit into their society. Both of novels tell great stories of disasters that have happened during the course of history. Throughout history, humans have been victimized by poverty. Poverty always turns up after a life changing event occurs. EventsRead MorePresentation of Conflict in Hard Times1343 Words   |  6 Pagesthat you have studied In â€Å"Hard Times† by Charles Dickens, conflict is presented as the outcome of industrialisation, material prosperity and a strict utilitarian way of life. In the 1850’s when the novel was written in instalments in ‘Household Words’, Victorian England was in the age of reform, which was creating new tensions between social classes, and creating a new type of ‘master’ represented by characters such as Mr. Gradgrind and more particularly Mr. Bounderby. Conflict is shown betweenRead MoreComedic Relief in the Bleek Novel, Hard Times by Charles Dickens542 Words   |  2 PagesIn every bleak novel there is one character who is always there for comedic relief; in Hard Times, that character is Mrs. Sparsit. Mrs. Sparsit is the housekeeper for Mr. Bounderby. Essentially she does all the work that a wife would do except she has a lower status than a wife, but higher than a servant. Here in lies the problem that she cannot deal with. Mrs. Sparsit came from a well-to-do family, but slipped in the social rankings. To regain her pride, she attempts to sabotage Mr. Bounderby’sRead MoreEssay about Dickens and his Stucture Of Hard Times891 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"On every page Hard Times manifests its identity as a polemical work, a critique of Mid-Victorian industrial society dominated by materialism, acquisitiveness, and ruthlessly competitive capitalist economics† (Lodge 86). The quotation above illustrates the basis for Hard Times. Charles Dickens presents in his novel a specific structure to expose the evils and abuses of the Victorian Era. Dickens’ use of plot and characterization relate directly to the structure on account that it shows