A presentation on Charles Dickens' Hard Times

1. Of Charles Dickens

3.  Biography
 Themes
 Characters
 Summary
 Devices used
Content:

4.  Commonly known as Charles
Dickens.
 He was born in Portsmouth,
England on February, 7th, 1812.
 A writer and a social critic.
 Considered as the finest writer
in the Victorian era according
to the scholars and critics of
the 20th century.
 He had many successful works
such as : David Copperfield,
Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol,
Hard Times, etc.
I-Charles John
Huffam Dickens (
1812-1870 )

5.  Charles Dickens’ main themes
generally concentrated on famine,
poverty,corruption, family, or in
short social problems.
Continuation

6. A-Themes
1- Surveillance and Knowledge :
In the story there are characters
who spent time keeping secrets
and hiding their history and then
there is another set of characters
who devoted themselves to
researching , analysing, and
listening in on the lives of others.
II-Hard Times

7. A- Themes
2- Fancy Vs. Facts : It is also
illustrated in this novel the
opposition between « Fancy »
and « Facts ».
3- Fidelity : This one touches
upon the conflicts of personal
interests, honesty, and loyalty
that occur throughout the novel.
II-Hard Times

8.  Thomas Gradgrind: an educator
who believes only in facts and
statistics
 Tom & Louisa: Thomas’ children
 Mr.Bounderby: A wealthy man who
claims to be self-made .
 Stephen Blackpool: a simple
worker in a factury.
 Sissy Jupe: a loving, imaginative girl
who believes in fancy.
III-Main
characters:

9.  Mrs.Gradgrind
 Mrs.Blackpool
 Mrs.Sparsit(Boundery’s
housekeeper)
III/B-Flat
characters:

10.  The novel is divided into three
sections
 These are : « Sowing »,
« Reaping », and« Garnering ».
IV- Summary

11.  Setting:Coketown an imaginary
industrial town.
 Thomas Gradgrind, a teacher,
who is a man of facts and
calculations
 He never allows his children (
Tom and Louisa ) to show
emotions
 Sissy Jupe, one of Gradgrind’s
students, whom he doesn’t
approve of because of her
imaginative ideas, so he takes
over her education.

12.  The workers, or as referred to
in the story « The hands ».
 One of them is very poor
(Stephen Blackpool), unhappily
married, and moreover in love
with another woman.
 Mr.Bounderby, a wealthy
businessman who pretends to
be a self-made man, declares
his intentions to marry
Louisa.She accepts passively
out of reason.

13.  Introduction to James Harthouse, a
wealthy sophisticate from London,
who wants to begin a political
career as a disciple to T.Gradgrind.
 The workers intend to form a
union. Stephen refuses to join and
is chased out. Bounderby dismisses
him because he refuse to spy on
« the hands ».
 One day he waits outside the bank
for the financial help Tom had
promised.
 After that Stephen Blackpool
leaves Coketown in order to look
for a job.
 The bank is robbed, and Stephen is
suspected

14.  Mrs.Sparsit, Bounderby’s
Housekeeper witnesses Harthouse
declaring his love for Louisa.
 Unable to deal with the situation
she flees to her father’s house.

15.  Stephen hears of the accusations
and decides to go back to
Coketown.
 On his way back he falls into a
mining pit called « Old Hell
shaft ».Shortly after this he dies in
the arms of Rachael (the woman
he loved)
 Tom robbed the bank and leaves
England out of shame.
 The final chapter of the novel
details the fates of the characters

16.  Mrs.Sparsit:Forbidden to see
Bounderby as she unwillingly
unmasks him as a liar.
 Mr.Gradgrind:Helping the poor
 Bounderby:Dies after 5 years alone
in Coketowns’ streets
 Louisa:Learned how to feel
sympathy
 Sissy Jupe:Marries and finds a
loving family

17.  It is a denunciational novel that
accuses the industrial life and its
effects on the have-nots .
 Its aim consists of the danger of
making people like machines.
Hard Times in short and
its main aim

18. In order to strengthen his novel,
Charles Dickens used powerful
devices such as:
 Repetition
 Exagerration (Overstatement)
 Irony
 Simile & metaphor
 Synchdoche
 Dialogue
 Tricolon ( A series of three words,
clauses, or phrases)
V-The main
devices used in
the novel:

19. THE END