Abstract
Although ‘Mr. Gradgrind’ and ‘Mr. Bounderby’ have higher class status in Hard Times, Dickens ironically describe them as ‘honorable’ gentlemen who cause immense destruction both in educational and economical institutions. On the one hand, as a politician and a father ‘Mr. Gradgrind’ grinds or destroys his children as well as other kids’ imagination and sense of wondering in their learning process at home and school. Mr. Gradgrind regrets a lot in the end when he sees what he has corrupted in the nature of his children. While the children are educated with facts only, their feelings, imaginations and natural wonderings are neglected consciously. On the other hand, as a social climber, wealthy ‘Mr. Bounderby’ who always boasts his self-made richness, behaves unfaithfully to his mother – who always deserves respect and close care from their own children–. He also humiliates his ‘hands’ or workers and squeezes them as much as he can. While the workers work hard to survive, their practical, individual and social needs are not only unseen but they are also considered nonsense by their ill-mannered, dishonorable and unscrupulous boss named Mr. ‘Bounderby’ by Dickens. Although Hard Times is one of the shortest novels of Dickens, he makes, through it, a great difference and contribution to the society by warning the people with the descriptions of the devious gentleman. Dickens also implies that the destruction of this type of gentlemen and their effects might be sensed rather deeply in the society if they were selfish, dishonorable, dishonest politicians and wealthy people who work together. Dickens is one of the rare writers who highlight this collision, corruption, nepotism or economical and social destruction organized by them. Thus, he did not have enough time to see how these “honorable” gentlemen – mainly politicians and the rich – develop their gang with the gentleman in the media, bureaucracy and even in the military forces. If he had lived more, he would have seen how the wars, rows, struggles, conflicts, the anarchy and terrorism – artificially created by them – destroyed the millions of lives and how a lot of countries suffered from their systematic corruption and destruction. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v4n1s1p105
Highlights
‘Mr Gradgrind’ and ‘Mr Bounderby’ have higher class status in Hard Times, Dickens ironically describe them as ‘honorable’ gentlemen who cause immense destruction both in educational and economical institutions
“The concept of the gentleman” in English culture was a social force from the early ages to the nineteenth century
Because even a simple term like ‘the book’ has varied images in everybody’s mind, it is quite natural that the vague term ‘gentleman’ should “have different meanings in different mouths and even the same person would use it in different senses, cover[ing] interpretations of a thousand shades.” (Berberich, 4) There have been varied considerations whether it has lost its social force in the modern world or its morality still exists even in the modern and/or post-modern world
Summary
“The concept of the gentleman” in English culture was a social force from the early ages to the nineteenth century. When Mr Gradgrind tries to convince his daughter to marry an elderly gentleman the arguments he puts forward contrast with the facts in terms of reason and calculation She might have insisted on not accepting this unreasonable proposal, but instead she accepts it unwillingly implying that “the life is very short and she has no other choice” (Hard Times, 89) due to her physical, psychological and pedagogical imprisonment. Mr Bounderby, who denies his past, never gets ashamed to tell lies and always brags He becomes rich most probably in illegal ways –Dickens implies collusion and nepotism in close relationship with the honorable gentlemen in the parliament–, and destroys the ecological system of the town with the smoke and sewage from his factories as well as the workers’ lives with hard work, small wages and monotonous lifestyle, compared by Dickens with the machines used in the factory. Dickens criticizes the negative effects of the ‘industrial revolution’ by creating the particular word ‘Coketown’ and by clearly implying that the whole ‘town’ smells ‘coke’ vaporized from the ‘chimneys’ as a result of the consumption of ‘coal’ in the factories
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