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Book beginning: page 1

The Gradgrind system

• Why when Sissy can’t define a horse does Mr. Gradgrind request a boy’s definition (p3), wouldn’t it be more statistical to compare her to another girl? Or perhaps he does not see a difference between the sexes as all people must be composed of facts?
• At one point Tom says “[the fire] looks to me as stupid and blank as everything else does” (p47), raising the question, does a person need to be taught how to use their imagination? For Louisa it would seem this is not the case, so why is it she managed to develop a sense of imagination when her brother with the same education was completely cured of the “nonsense” (p48)?
• To a certain extent, Louisa looking into the ashes with wonder is what causes her downfall, which means it is as her father feared, a dangerous thing to do. However, this was not her first attempt at doing something outside of her factual studies, trying desperately to find a balance in life, but done as a last resort to pass the time. If she had found a compromise, perhaps when looking in on the circus, would she still have fallen the way she did?

The musings of the characters who followed Facts

• Throughout the narrative Mr. Bounderby talks of his supposed childhood, saying things such as: “There was no rope-dancing for me; I danced on the bare ground and was larruped with the rope” (p23), and other comments about when he “was a vagabond nobody looked with any interest at [him] (p16), all of which later turns out to be untrue (p234/5), so why does he invent these stories? Are they to excuse the terrible hardships that are going on with his employees and lower society in general, trying to excuse the fact that he does nothing to improve anything as there is nothing to be done?
• When Mr. Gradgrind is debating with Bitzer at the end as to whether Tom should go free or not, Bitzer, who is supposedly sticking to his factual education, says “I really wonder, Sir” (p258). Now, as it is not acceptable to wonder when given such an education, it seems fair to assume that Bitzer’s only motive was that he wanted Tom’s job, and was quite true to himself when he said “I am sure you know that the whole social system is a question of self-interest. […] I have gone over the calculations in my mind; and I find that to compound a felony, […] would not be as safe and good for me as my improved prospects in the Bank.”

Character shift

• The two gatherings that took place, each time between five of the characters, are extremely similar in layout, as well as subject matter. Both meetings came about to discuss Stephen: the first (book II, chapter VI) when Louisa took pity on him after he was fired, and wanted to see if he was provided for; and the second (book III, chapter IV), when Rachael was trying to clear his name from the robbery. The first encounter involved Louisa and Tom coming to visit Stephen with Rachael by his side and Mrs. Pegler in a dark corner. The second showed how the characters had shifted roles and comprised of Rachael and Mr. Bounderby coming to see Louisa who was with Mr. Gradgrind, whilst Tom shadowed Mr. Bounderby in the corner.

Some similarities between these character shifts include:

1. Tom taking on an inconsequential role and pretending he is not connected to the situation due to his anger at his sister, much as Mrs. Pegler hides in the corner and pretends no connection exists between her and Mr. Bounderby.
2. Mr. Gradgrind takes on Rachael’s role by being the support the subject needs (Louisa in the second case), just as Rachael did for Stephen in the first meeting.
3. Louisa takes on Stephen’s original role of being the subject who holds the required information.
4. Rachael takes on Louisa’s role as the lady who is trying to set something right.
5. And Mr. Bounderby is more like Tom in attitude than reasons to be there, as he shows very little regard for the situation at hand, and will not necessarily believe Rachael’s story solely based on Louisa’s corroboration of it. This is similar to the way Tom shows no sympathy towards Stephen in the first meeting, and simply takes advantage of the situation to stage the robbery.

Religion

• Is it a coincidence or the design of the author that nearly all of the characters, especially those who live out their days happily, return to their faith in God and seek repentance for the wrongs they have committed?

Dickens, Charles. Hard Times. Penguin Popular Classics, 1994.