Literature entry wk 7
Dickens is wonderful at analysing and criticising his society. I love how he can identify the problems of his society and comment about it and at the same time distance himself from it. The use of satire in his novel "Hard Times" brings a new dimension of understanding Victorianism. In a time of drab wearyness, Dickens' "Hard Times" provides a wonderful contrast by identifying his society's shortcomings and pokes fun at it. An example of this comes through with his characterisation such as Mr Grandgrind and Mr Choakumchild.
I like to think of it like this-
Gradgrind: noun;
1. gradually grind, to wear down,
2. usually to break the spirits of young children in order to form into the perfect pillar of society
Chokumchild: noun, verb
1. self-explanitory word
So in the world of Dickens' "Hard TImes" one wouldn't expect to live a very fulfilling life. But in all things that make up a good novel with a happy ending, the character must have some sort of epiphany that changes his life. In "Hart Times" this comes in the form of Sissy Jupe. The outcast of the class, she provides a refreshing contrast to the conformist in the form of Bitzer. Sissy is shown as a dark haired, dark eyed girl who sits in the sunlight, as if God himself showers her with praise and delight. Bitzer on the other hand, is a pale little thing who has no personality and seems mechanical in nature. He seems to be the epitome of a male-preference society, something bland, pale, lifeless. Sissy, especially when illuminated against the sunlight, brings colour, depth and a realness, a humanness to the society she lives in. For me, SIssy is the embodiment of the lost ideals of Romanticism in a harsh Victorian age.