First Response-Coketown
Although Dickens' method and perception of life are indirect, he provides a practical and factual overview through his settings and characters' symbolic names. Coketown is a dull industrial town with all its buildings nearly similar. The poor living conditions contradict the busy industrial life of the people characterized by non-progressive living and social structures. “The buildings are much alike that the one cannot distinguish the jail from the infirmary without reading the names from above.” The industrial waste had blackened the city as “Serpent-like (Dickens, 1996).” The industrial and working aspect of the town has a significant impact on Gradgrind who drums figures and facts on his learners giving them no opportunity to be creative and explore the beauty of critical thinking. Due to the demanding environment characterized by immense industrial activities, Gradgrind comes forth as a "grinder"- grinding down his employees without much consideration (Dickens, 1996) Dickens describes the town as "shrouded in a haze of its own," having a substantial impact on Mr. Bounderby's boring and industrious lifestyle of work, busy in increasing his fortunes (Dickens, 1996). Due to his rising power influenced by the town's working ethic, Bounderby perceives himself as a self-made individual and as a highly industrious man.
Second Response-Settings and Characters
Book 1: The use of agricultural allusions is symbolic. In Sowing and Reaping, sowing is portrayed as planting seeds in the learner's young minds. It is an agricultural aspect as what the young minds need are seeds of facts, hard facts similar to how soil requires hard seeds that will later germinate. Similar to planting, the young children's minds are fed with unwavering seeds that are expected to grow. Gradgrind educates his children, Tom and Louisa by applying his utilitarian and materialistic approach. He sows seeds of money-focused, hard-headedness, and as Dickens (1996), illustrates sows a bad crop.
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Book 2: After sowing his philosophy seeds, Gradgrind reaps his misery; what he planted in Tom and Louisa. Instead of marrying for love, Louisa weds Bounderby, who is 31 years older than her. She is later exploited and used by a younger man who has no interest in her well-being. On the other hand, Tom is robbed while Stephen goes to exile (Dickens, 1996). The use of the agricultural label is satirical, considering the industrialized nature of the novel. The first section entails sowing (Gradgrind’s philosophy), while in the second part, he reaps the harvest of his seeds.
References
Dickens, C. (1996). Hard times . Broadview Press.
Raiyah, M. (2014, April 23). Elements of Fiction.ppt. Retrieved January 31, 2020, from https://www.slideshare.net/mraiyah/elements-of-fictionppt (n.d.). Retrieved January 31, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9qpj2egbkI
