Hello readers!
I am discuss the theme of 'UTILITARIANISM' with illustrations from the novel.
Hard times is the tenth novel by Charles Dickens, first published in 1854. The book surveys English society and satirises the social and economic conditions of the era.
" In Hard Times ,how does Louisa Gradgrind's marriage to Bounderby set an example of patriachal and utilitarian 'arrangement' in Victorian society."
The theme of 'Utilitarianism' in Hard Times :
Utilitarianism is the assumption that human beings act in a way that highlights their own self-interest. It is based on factuality and leaves little room for imagination. Dickens provides three vivid examples of this utilitarian logic in Hard Times. The first; Mr. Thomas Gradgrind, one of the main characters in the book, was the principal of a school in Coketown.
"I wish I could collect all the Facts we hear
so much about, said Tom, spitefuly setting his
teeth, and all the figures, and all he people who
found them out, and I wish I could put a
thousand barrels of gun power under them,
and blow them all up together! However, when
i go to live with old Bounderby, I'll have my revenge."
He was firm believer in utilitarianism and instilled this philosophy into students at the school from very young age, as well as his own children. Mr. Josiah Bounderby was also a practitioner of utilitarianism but was more interested in the profit that stemmed from it . At the other end of the perspective a group of circus members, who are the total opposite of utilitarian, are added by Dickens to provide a sharp contrast from the ideas of Mr. Bounderby and Mr. Gradgrind.
Thomas Gradgrind sr., a father of five children, has lived his life by the book and never strayed from his philosophy that life is nothing more than facts and statistics. He has successfully in incorporated this belief the school system of Coketown and has tried best to do so with his own children.
The educators see children as easy target just waiting to be filled with information. They did not consider, however, the children's need for fiction, poetry, and of the fine arts that are used to expand children's mind's, all of which are essential today in order to produce well rounded human beings through th educational process.
One has to wonder how different the story would be it Gradgrind did not run the school. How can you give a utilitarian man such as Gradgrind such power over a town? I do like how Dickens structures the book to make one ask obvious questions such as these.
Dickens does not tell us much about the success of the other students of the school besides Bitzer, who is fairly successful on paper but does not have the capacity as a person to deal with life's everyday struggles. Gradgrind's two oldest children, Tom and Luisa, are examples of how this utilitarian method failed miserably.
These children were never given the opportunity to think for themselves, experience fun things in life, or even use their imaginations. True, they are smart people in the factual sense but do not have the street smarts to survive. Tom is a young man who,so fed up with his father's strictness and repetition revolt against him and leaves home to work in Mr. Bounderby's bank.
Tom now out from under his father's wing , begins to drink and gamble heavily. Eventually,to get out of a gambling dept,he robs a bank and is forced to flee the area. When Bitzer realises that Tom has robbed the bank and catches him,Mr. Gradgrind begs him to let Tom go, reminding him of all the hard work that was put on him while at the school.
Ironically Bitzer, using the tools of factuality that he had learn in Gradgrind's school, replies that the school was paid for,but it is now over and he owes nothing more. In think this is extremely funny how, at a time of need, Gradgrind's educational theory has backfired in his face. I think Dickens put this irony in as a comical device but also to show how ineffective the utilitarian method of teaching is.
Louisa, unlike Tom, does get along with her father. She stays in the marriage with Bounderby and goes about life normally and factually until she is faced with a dilemma and panics. Mr. James Harthouse , a young , good looking guy , is attracted to Luisa and deceivingly draws her attraction to him. She does not know what to do since she has never had feelings of her own before. Her father never gave her the opportunity to think for herself, or even love someone. This is why Luisa goes frantic and ends up crying in her father's lap.
" In the innocent of her brave affection,
and the brimming up of her old devoted spirit,
the once deserted girl shone like a beautiful light
upon the darkness of the other."
She has always been told what to do and what is 'right', and now even her father is stumped. For the first time in the whole novel, Mr. Gradgrind strays from the utilitarian philosophy and shows compassion for his daughter and her feelings. One must think that he is beginning to doubt his philosophy after his seeing it backfire in his face more than once.
Dickens cleverly added circus people as a contrast to the utilitarian approach life. The circus people could be called the total opposite of utilitarianism. It one elements of the book stands out in mind,it would be this one.
The circus people are simple, open-minded human beings whose goal in life is to make people laugh. Dickens portrays them as a step from the " Hands" but still close to the bottom in the social structure. These people are hated by Gradgrind, Bounderby and other utilitarians because they represent everything that is shunned in utilitarianism such as loves, imagination, and humor.
His method was somewhat indirect in the sense that he worked backward to get his point across but turned out to be very effective as the story proggressed. Most of the story revolved around utilitarianism and the study of cold hard facts, but when the character flaws began to surface as a result of this philosophy, Dickens is quick to emphasize them.
One actually sees the main character of the book and firm supporter of utilitarianism, Mr. Thomas Gradgrind experience the faults of his practice and begin to stray from it. Now, after watching his life fall apart, maybe he wishes he were in the circus.
Thank you...!
Word count : 1,097
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