Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas
explored in a literary work.
The Mechanization of Human Beings
Hard Times suggests that nineteenth-century
England’s overzealous adoption of industrialization threatens to
turn human beings into machines by thwarting the development of
their emotions and imaginations. This suggestion comes forth largely
through the actions of Gradgrind and his follower, Bounderby: as
the former educates the young children of his family and his school
in the ways of fact, the latter treats the workers in his factory
as emotionless objects that are easily exploited for his own self-interest.
In Chapter 5 of the first book, the narrator
draws a parallel between the factory Hands and the Gradgrind children—both
lead monotonous, uniform existences, untouched by pleasure. Consequently,
their fantasies and feelings are dulled, and they become almost
mechanical themselves.
The mechanizing effects of industrialization are compounded
by Mr. Gradgrind’s philosophy of rational self-interest. Mr. Gradgrind believes
that human nature can be measured, quantified, and governed entirely
by rational rules. Indeed, his school attempts to turn children
into little machines that behave according to such rules. Dickens’s
primary goal in Hard Times is to illustrate the
dangers of allowing humans to become like machines, suggesting that
without compassion and imagination, life would be unbearable. Indeed, Louisa
feels precisely this suffering when she returns to her father’s house
and tells him that something has been missing in her life, so much
so that she finds herself in an unhappy marriage and may be in love
with someone else. While she does not actually behave in a dishonorable
way, since she stops her interaction with Harthouse before she has
a socially ruinous affair with him, Louisa realizes that her life
is unbearable and that she must do something drastic for her own
survival. Appealing to her father with the utmost honesty, Louisa
is able to make him realize and admit that his philosophies on life and
methods of child rearing are to blame for Louisa’s detachment from
others.
The Opposition Between Fact and Fancy
While Mr. Gradgrind insists that his children should always
stick to the facts, Hard Times not only suggests
that fancy is as important as fact, but it continually calls into
question the difference between fact and fancy. Dickens suggests
that what constitutes so-called fact is a matter of perspective
or opinion. For example, Bounderby believes that factory employees
are lazy good-for-nothings who expect to be fed “from a golden spoon.”
The Hands, in contrast, see themselves as hardworking and as unfairly
exploited by their employers. These sets of facts cannot be reconciled
because they depend upon perspective. While Bounderby declares that
“[w]hat is called Taste is only another name for Fact,” Dickens
implies that fact is a question of taste or personal belief. As
a novelist, Dickens is naturally interested in illustrating that
fiction cannot be excluded from a fact-filled, mechanical society.
Gradgrind’s children, however, grow up in an environment where all
flights of fancy are discouraged, and they end up with serious social
dysfunctions as a result. Tom becomes a hedonist who has little
regard for others, while Louisa remains unable to connect with others
even though she has the desire to do so. On the other hand, Sissy,
who grew up with the circus, constantly indulges in the fancy forbidden
to the Gradgrinds, and lovingly raises Louisa and Tom’s sister in
a way more complete than the upbringing of either of the older siblings.
Just as fiction cannot be excluded from fact, fact is also necessary
for a balanced life. If Gradgrind had not adopted her, Sissy would
have no guidance, and her future might be precarious. As a result,
the youngest Gradgrind daughter, raised both by the factual Gradgrind
and the fanciful Sissy, represents the best of both worlds.
The Importance of Femininity
During the Victorian era, women were commonly associated
with supposedly feminine traits like compassion, moral purity, and
emotional sensitivity. Hard Times suggests that
because they possess these traits, women can counteract the mechanizing
effects of industrialization. For instance, when Stephen feels depressed
about the monotony of his life as a factory worker, Rachael’s gentle
fortitude inspires him to keep going. He sums up her virtues by
referring to her as his guiding angel. Similarly, Sissy introduces
love into the Gradgrind household, ultimately teaching Louisa how
to recognize her emotions. Indeed, Dickens suggests that Mr. Gradgrind’s
philosophy of self-interest and calculating rationality has prevented
Louisa from developing her natural feminine traits. Perhaps Mrs. Gradgrind’s
inability to exercise her femininity allows Gradgrind to overemphasize
the importance of fact in the rearing of his children. On his part,
Bounderby ensures that his rigidity will remain untouched since
he marries the cold, emotionless product of Mr. and Mrs. Gradgrind’s
marriage. Through the various female characters in the novel, Dickens
suggests that feminine compassion is necessary to restore social
harmony.
