Themes, Symbolism, and Atmosphere in Dickens Hard Times Essay

When Charles fi revoke was writing his commentary on a fast industrializing world, the fancy that Hard measure would still be relevant over cl years later is assumed to be far from the forefront of his mind. And only at present, 158 years after its first publication, Charles Dickens tale of industrialisation and its implications still holds a prominent place in todays society. The following is iodin interpretation of Dickens story of an industrialized dystopia, and discussed ar its ever-relevant theme, the symbols and motifs which reinforce it, and the forceive atmosphere which it creates.Through reveal the novel there ar two very prominent themes the notion that industrialization has a mechanizing effect on human beings and the recurring engagement of fact versus fancy. However, the latter provoke be seen as subordinate to the first. Forthwith in the novel Dickens establishes the emphasis on facts and statistics (The One Thing Needful), using a monologue to introduce his n ovel Now, what I want is, Facts. Facts alone argon wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. (Dickens 3). outright the stage is set, with Dickens creating a fictional character whose sole belief could no doubt be proved using further statistics and facts. What Dickens has as well done by the end of the first chapter is describe a character who possesses qualities common to many industrialists and of that era, a character who himself appears to represent a interrupt of the industry, one who was inflexible, dry, and dictatorial (Dickens 3). Given the prevalence of utilitarianism in the time of writing, it is manifest why Dickens chose to embody the main theme in a character that is so eminently practical that he comes off as cold as the great hulking... ...simplicity which enabled readers of any kind to sympathize with the characters springiness to a dystopia fueled by the ever-turning gears and wheels of the great industrial machine. Dickens created a n ovel that thoroughly detailed the effects which industry forced upon humanity, as well as the fight man took to overcome such mechanization, one saw a battle between utilitarianism and humanism play out with the turn of each page, and one saw humanity prevail in the novels conclusion. However, humanity, it seems, is not always the preponderate in reality, with this battle of fact versus fancy still playing out today. Hard Times will forever be relevant so long as mankind continues to engineer the evolution of industry and industry continues to engineer the end of mankinds evolution.Works CitedDickens, Charles. Hard Times. New York W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 1990