Study notes: Hard Times
In the smoky factory town of Coketown, Mr. Gradgrind raises his children on nothing but facts, with no room for imagination or feelings. Dickens shows what happens to them, and to the town's workers, and contrasts it all with the warm-hearted circus folk.
Themes
Facts against imagination. Work and fairness. Education.
People to follow
Thomas Gradgrind, Louisa, Tom, Sissy Jupe, Mr. Bounderby, and Stephen Blackpool.
Talk about
- What is wrong with 'nothing but facts'?
- Why does Sissy matter?
- What does the circus stand for?
Public-domain text. First published in 1854; Charles Dickens died in 1870, so this text is in the public domain in the US, Canada, the EU and India. Summary and notes written by ViralScopeHub.