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A review by eesh25
Hard Times by Charles Dickens
3.0
I have a complicated relationships with Dickens' novels. On one hand, I love the way he winds his sentences to say the simplest thing in a very clever way. On the other hand, I hate that the guy seems incapable of writing a straight sentence and that his character talk on and on... I don't have the attention span to read and understand a sentence that goes around in circles for 10 fucking lines! That said, and as frustrating as it was to be reading this book at times, there are some things I really liked.
Hard Times, for those who don't know, is set in Coketown in the highly utilitarians times of 19th century England. The characters, very deliberately, have been constructed as caricatures, representations, of certain types of people of the time.
There's Thomas Gradgrind, a father of four who cares only for Facts and has raised his children to deal with nothing else. There's his eldest daughter, Louisa, who is conflicted by her emotions, the mere presence of them, because she was never taught to understand them. There's his son Tom, who has grown to resent his father for the life he was given. There's Josiah Bounderby, a capitalist factory owner (and utter bastard) who sees his employees as nothing more than Hands, without individuality. There's Stephen Blackpool, one such hand who only wants a simple and satisfying life. And finally, we've got Sissy Jupe, the daughter of a circus entertainer who, due to circumstances, comes to live with Thomas Gradgrind.
A lot of characters, I know. And there are still a few others I haven't mentioned. And they all have a role to play. Their lives are entwined. And they all come together in this setting to paint a very pessimistic picture of the life in this town. Which was what Dickens wanted to do. But it can get a little to dim when nothing good seems to happen to anyone and all the good guys lose.
Also, reading a pretty bleak book with a lot of characters, but none I particularly cared for, was not my idea of fun. Also, in an attempt to show the flaw of Thomas Gradgrind's philosophy of 'Facts, Facts, Facts', Dickens may have favoured the opposite too much as we see people like Sissy or Stephen or Rachel as the only ones who are truly wise about the world. Also, sometimes an overly rational nature, or lack thereof, is more about personality than upbringing. And there's nothing wrong with either. The world needs all kinds of people, after all.
Overall, this was a decent read that took me forever to get through. And I can see why some might adore it while others would find it unbearably dull. It's not for everyone, but it's still worth a try.
Hard Times, for those who don't know, is set in Coketown in the highly utilitarians times of 19th century England. The characters, very deliberately, have been constructed as caricatures, representations, of certain types of people of the time.
There's Thomas Gradgrind, a father of four who cares only for Facts and has raised his children to deal with nothing else. There's his eldest daughter, Louisa, who is conflicted by her emotions, the mere presence of them, because she was never taught to understand them. There's his son Tom, who has grown to resent his father for the life he was given. There's Josiah Bounderby, a capitalist factory owner (and utter bastard) who sees his employees as nothing more than Hands, without individuality. There's Stephen Blackpool, one such hand who only wants a simple and satisfying life. And finally, we've got Sissy Jupe, the daughter of a circus entertainer who, due to circumstances, comes to live with Thomas Gradgrind.
A lot of characters, I know. And there are still a few others I haven't mentioned. And they all have a role to play. Their lives are entwined. And they all come together in this setting to paint a very pessimistic picture of the life in this town. Which was what Dickens wanted to do. But it can get a little to dim when nothing good seems to happen to anyone and all the good guys lose.
Also, reading a pretty bleak book with a lot of characters, but none I particularly cared for, was not my idea of fun. Also, in an attempt to show the flaw of Thomas Gradgrind's philosophy of 'Facts, Facts, Facts', Dickens may have favoured the opposite too much as we see people like Sissy or Stephen or Rachel as the only ones who are truly wise about the world. Also, sometimes an overly rational nature, or lack thereof, is more about personality than upbringing. And there's nothing wrong with either. The world needs all kinds of people, after all.
Overall, this was a decent read that took me forever to get through. And I can see why some might adore it while others would find it unbearably dull. It's not for everyone, but it's still worth a try.