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whysoserious 's review for:
Hard Times
by Charles Dickens
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
SPOILER ALERT
The Positives…
The Positives…
Given the amount I read I had never read a Dickens novel until Hard Times. I don’t quite know why… I had Oliver Twist sitting on my bookshelf but never had the inclination to read the thing. This novel really is a great way to introduce oneself to Dickens; blending social inequalities, class and humour into a brilliant novel.
We meet Mr Gradgrind and his dear friend Mr Bounderby (of Coketown!) The early characterisations are superbly portrayed, the irritating preoccupation with logic and statistics whilst shunning fancy and imagination as out of hand. Dickens brings his characters to life in a multitude of ways, from his use of repetition to the small quirks of each key figure. There are character arcs galore whilst other characters remain unlovable in their attitude toward each other, themselves and the world around them.
Dickens reminds us that it is not class and background that moulds person; nobody can predict the criminality of a person based solely on their class. Although I personally saw the twist relating to the robbery from a mile off it was well worked and showed how far upper class folks can fall despite a logical and well to do upbringing. The fact Dickens casts the travelling girl as one of the most humane, gentle and compassionate of characters displays Dickens’ ability to see past social constructs to the individual men and women of the time.
The Drawbacks…
Dickens scrapes the surface of unionisation though this is at a surface level. Some aspects of this theme got lost on me as I tried to negotiate my way through the various conflicting stretches in the novel. This was not helped by the use of language from Dickens who decided – unwisely in this readers opinion – to use accents in the communication between the lower and upper classes. This made these portions of the text a chore to read, having to read carefully the different words that were not always easy to decipher.
Final Thought: A good way to introduce yourself (or others) to the world of Dickens. He paints a bleak portrait of the 1800s at a time of unionisation and gulfs between classes. If you can tolerate the heavier parts – such as accents being used as noted above – you will no doubt be ready for more of this legendary author!