Thomas Gradgrind raises his children based only on facts and pushes them to live realistically. He later regrets depriving them of imagination. Josiah Bounderby is a wealthy businessman who agrees to marry Louisa Gradgrind. Sissy Jupe represents fancy and finds happiness, unlike Stephen Blackpool whose life is ruined by his drunken wife and false accusations of theft. Charles Dickens uses these characters to show the struggles faced by the lower class and critique England's social system during industrialization.

1. By: Charles Dickens
HARD TIMES :

2. HARD TIMES :

3. INTRODUCTION:
• Hard Times, a social protest Novel of 19th Century in
England. Charles Dickens was very interested in
politics and social affairs, his work is sticked into one
central plot, which is the Story of Thomas Gradgrind
and his family.
• As a teacher, Gradgrind raises his children on the
model of FACTS and pushes them to live a realistic
existence.
• Many politicians and some critics did not like how
Dickens wrote about the Trade Unions.

4. THE MAJOR CHARACTERS IN THE PLOT OF HARD
TIMES :
Thomas Gradgrind Louisa and Sissy Jupe

5. THE MAJOR CHARACTERS IN THE PLOT OF HARD
TIMES :
Thomas Gradgrind, Josiah Bounderby Stephen Blackpool and his mad wife

6. THE MAJOR CHARACTERS IN THE PLOT OF HARD
TIMES :
• Thomas Gradgrind has one religion and that is FACTS , no
FANCY. He is an educator, he raises his children according to the
methods he proposes for his schools. He repented and felt regret for
the deprived he caused for his children’s misery.
• Josiah Bounderby is a wealthy merchant, banker, and
businessman. He discussed about the difficulties and poverty he had
faced in his childhood, and after that , he had been a determined
character. He had an agreement with Mr. Gradgrind to marry Louisa
when she got old enough.
• Louisa is the oldest child of Thomas Gradgrind, She was her
father’s favorite and he payed especial attention to her upbringing.
She lived a dual life. She was always able to present her father with
the answer that he attempted to instill in her. She has a tendency of
imagination, dreams, and fancy.

7. THE MAJOR CHARACTERS IN THE PLOT OF HARD
TIMES :
• Sissy Jupe ‘ Cecilia’ is a pupil in Gradgrind’s school where she was
humilated by him and other school personnals. She did not know to
respond to questions with facts. She is the daughter of a circus performer,
and she represents FANCY. She could not learn facts and always
responded with emotional response of the heart. She is the only character
who achieves true Happiness.
• Stephen Blackpool is a ‘hand’ at one of Bounderby’s factories. He
was a hard worker and an honest man. But, his difficult life is ruined by his
marriage to a drunken Woman. He felt in love with Rachel who remaind
single and faitful to him. He did not have money to divorce his wife
because it was forbiden at that time. He continued to work despite his
sorrow when a Labour Union was formed, he refused to join it, He found
out that he was being acused of stealing the money, he began to the long
walk to clear his name, bbut , when he was near COKETOWN, he fell into
a mine shalt. He died in Rachel’s arms.

8. ANALYSIS OF CHAPTER 10
• This chapter is considered by many scholars as a failure work,
when Dicken published his work, he did not publish the whole
work, it was in series. He wrote this work in a hurry inorder not to
be critisized by the society mainly the working class. In this
chapter, Stephen Blackpool is represented as a miserable man
and an honest man with values, He was portraited as a victim in
the plot of his wife, and of the law that unlaws divorse. He is
married to an immoral and drunken wife, Here Dicken’s purpose
in describing the bad marriage is to attack England’s restrictive
divorcelaws, because divorce was available just for the wealthy
people. Although, Bounderby shows no pity for Stephen, bbut
these will bring to haunt his marriage with Louisa becomes
troubled.

9. CONCLUSION:
• Charles Dickens used Stephen Blackpool, Mr.
Bounderby, Louisa, Sissy Jupe, and Mr. Gradgrind to
display the lower, middle, and upper classes in the
English caste system created by industrialization. He
showed that the lower class often faced troubles and
unfairness, the middle class attempted to impersonate
the upper class, and the upper class seemed not to
care about money at all.