Charles Dickens highlights that facts aren't everything. You can't always rely on them, because they can burn out being untrue and serving you wrong. When Louisa was talking to her father, Mr. Gradgrind about how facts ruined her life and how she didn't know how to rebate and handle her feelings, Dickens was trying to state that even though facts are solid and reassuring they don't always end up being the answer intended. The book Hard Times is essentially about a young woman named Louisa. Although simply characterizing this book using her would do this book no justice. Instead, it speaks of what the title emphasizes: Hard Times. This young woman Louisa is faced with many problems that revolve around her.
[...] Writing Style Charles Dickens writing style is very unique compared to the writing style that books are typically written in. He uses an English accent and really represents his characters by how they talk, and they phrase certain sentences. Throughout reading the book I realized that he would jump back and forth between characters to tell a variety of the characters points of view. There was always more that one thing going on at once and every character had a unique role in the story. [...]
[...] She is always seeking romance and laughter when all she has known are theory and statistics, Louisa is viewed by Dickens as a pathetic product of her fathers philosophy. Attractive and mature, Louisa has always masked her emotions under a cool and passive facade. She is often linked to fire: Dying embers represent her receding hopes for happiness, and the fires in the chimneys that are frequently hidden beneath smoke symbolize her inward passions. CECILIA JUPE ("sissy") Daughter of a acrobat and clown at Sleary's traveling circus, Sissy is taken into the Gradgrind household when her father leaves her. [...]
[...] Social Commentary Dickens does a great deal in Hard Times to make a statement about the social structure of his time period. The main way he does so is by mirroring particular relationships in different social classes. For instance, in the story, Stephen and Rachael are deeply in love, but as Hands- or lower class workers- Stephen cannot get a divorce because it is too expensive. Regardless, Rachael and he remain friends through their trials and their love for each other surpasses the restrictions of their environment. [...]
[...] Recommendation This book is not for everyone. Rather it is intended for an audience that has the patience to sit through dozens of page of continuous character development. There isn't very much action in this novel, instead there is a lot of dialogue. The characters often make references to Old English terms and sayings. Charles Dickens is truly a talented writer but in order to really grasp the inner messages one must be able to go back and read some sections multiple times before you [...]
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