Tuesday, October 23, 2012
HT:Question
Because Mrs. Sparsit’s metaphorical staircase most likely
represents societal accomplishment and we’ve seen Louisa “fall” from it, is it
possible Dickens wants to prove that in society during this time period often
times the villains would triumph over the good? If this is true, was this
triumph for the bad hearted only a result of how harsh the social expectations
in Coketown were?
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I feel like Dickens wouldn't want the bad guy to win in his story. I do feel like he wants his characters to go through struggles and challenges that his readers can relate to, to make them seem more real. But every bad guy does get his kumupins. (AKA Harthouse and Bounderby- Bounderby ends up losing Louisa after disrespecting her and Grandgrind for finally deciding to act with their morals and values in mind).
ReplyDeleteI agree with Emily because I also think that Dickens would not be advocating the idea that villains triumph. I also agree that his characters go through struggles throughout the plot (such as Louisa fighting to keep her individuality and Tom fighting against the constraints of his life by drinking and gambling). However, I think that the commentary on the book is not that the "villains win" but that the system fails. Those who recognize that the system fails (the Gradgrinds) seem to hit rock bottom at the end of the book but they are given a path to work their way back into a happy social life. Bounderby and Sparsit on the other hand continue with their way of life and end the book not only in a world of lies and lonliness, but they have no way of getting out of that cycle.
ReplyDeleteBecause Hard Times is a critique, I think that Dickens is trying to get across that the system fails, as Gabby said. Dickens wants to point out the negative effects and results of a school system such as the Gradgrind's. Louisa cannot deal with her emotions and ends up having a break down, Tom becomes corrupt, and there is no true use for Bitzer but work. As Emily and Gabby said, Dickens does not want the villains to prevail, but he wants to intimidate and concern people with the effects of a Gradgrind education.
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