Charles Dickens' Hard Times Essay

Classical utilitarianism is a normative ethical theory which holds that an action can only be considered as morally right where its consequences bring about the greatest amount of good to the greatest number (where 'good' is equal to pleasure minus pain). Likewise, an action is morally wrong where it fails to maximise good. Since it was first articulated in the late 19th Century by the likes of Jeremy Bentham and later John Stewart Mill, the classical approach to utilitarianism has since become the basis for many other consequentialist theories such as rule-utilitarianism and act-utilitarianism upon which this essay will focus (Driver, 2009). Though birthed from the same

If a dread of not being understood be hidden in the breasts of other young people to anything like the extent of which it used to be hidden in mine… it is the key to many reservations. I felt convinced that if I described Miss Havisham’s as my eyes had seen it, I should not be understood. Not only that, but I felt convinced that Miss Havisham, too, would not be understood; and although she was perfectly incomprehensible to me, I entertained an impression that there would be something coarse and treacherous in my dragging her as she really was (to say nothing of Miss Estella) before the contemplation of Mrs. Joe (Dickens, 60).

Great Expectations Comment on Dickens' use of setting focusing on the opening graveyard scene and the scenes with Miss Havisham set in the Satis house. GCSE Coursework 'Great Expectations' Comment on Dickens' use of setting focusing on the opening graveyard scene and the scenes with Miss Havisham set in the Satis house As a skilled writer Dickens has chosen a perfect setting in which corresponds to the involvement of his characters. The dark isolated graveyard associates with death, and provides a backdrop that is very similar to the appearance of a criminal, in the society in Dickens' time. Dickens describes the marshes as being a dark, flat wilderness.

Pirrip” would state a point that he may be small for his age and may

The 19th century witnessed the beginning of queen Victoria’s reign, the industrial revolution, realism as literary movement and realistic novels among other. When we refer to realistic novels, we are not talking about novels being a “reality” but instead we refer to the creation of fictional stories and characters that are very much like real life people and situations. In other words, authors wrote their novels to critize social unfairness, poverty, struggles, health issues and so forth, as a way to reflect the “truth” just as it was, and it all was possible because their stories and characters were believable.

Charles Dickens' Hard Times Charles Dickens's Hard Times is one of the most important novels in the Victorian Age. He presents an industrial society in nineteenth century in England. In this age, England prospers in manufacture and trade because of high technologies. It is also a time of trouble. Industrial development causes terrible conditions of a working class.

The Victorian Era marks the rise of Industrialism within Great Britain, and with it, philosophies to match new ethics. Specifically, Utilitarianism became a prominent concept. The idea, born from the minds of Jeremy Bentham and James Mill, considers actions morally correct if they perform the greatest good for the greatest number. Charles Dickens, a famous author of the era, criticized the philosophy for its dehumanizing qualities. Bentham and Mills 's philosophy allowed for consequentialism, where only the result, not the intention dictates the morality of the action. Industries abused the system, transforming the society through education and economics into one of idealization, where people of varying status and sex had specific roles they must complete. Dickens suggests limiting a person to a singular task turns them into robots of efficiency only serving the system, effectively dehumanizing them. Dickens views the results as dehumanizing because of its emotional and creative repression. Through his novel, Hard Times, Dickens satirizes the negative effects of Utilitarianism on society, within the setting of Coketown. Victorian industrialization particularly oppresses women by confining them to a life of work or a housewife. Dickens designates women as the moral compasses of Coketown’s male-dominated Utilitarian society to satirize their systematic social and mental victimization.

existing life he had, “Biddy, I am not at all happy as I am. I am

It is hard to believe how greed affects the lives of people. Often people do not realize that money and power are not everything in life. During the Industrial Revolution many people let their lives be heavily manipulated by their material wants rather than their needs. As a result they were often unhappy with the lives they had while others were in abundance of happiness. Charles Dickens lived during the Industrial Revolution and knew what life was like during those times ("BBC - Primary History - Famous People - Charles Dickens"). In Hard Times, Dickens portrays the lives of a group of people who were directly affected by the Industrial Revolution. Thomas Gradgrind, Louisa Gradgrind, and Josiah Bounderby are three characters that are deeply affected by the Industrial Revolution in the novel.

The novel Hard Times by Charles Dickens is a fictitious glimpse into the lives of various classes of English people that live in a town named Coketown during the Industrial Revolution. The general culture of Coketown is one of utilitarianism. The school there is run by a man ready to weigh and measure any parcel of human nature . This man, known as Thomas Gradgrind, is responsible for the extermination of anything fanciful and integration of everything pertinent and factual into the young, pliable minds of Coketown’s children. The older characters in the book, and especially Mr. Bounderby, are examples of how years of leading a utilitarian life can mold someone into an arrogantly bland and ignorant individual, which I think is one of

Kent village where Pip lived as a child with Joe and Mrs. Joe is a

the sea as a wild beast in its lair from which the wind as running

From 1822 to 1860 he lived in London, after which he permanently moved to a

"With difficulty, on her knees, drew from her bosom a white handkerchief – Rose May-lie 's own – and holding it up, in her folded hands, as high towards Heaven as her feeble strength would allow, breathed one [last] prayer for mercy towards her Maker" (Oliver Twist, Dickens 302 revised). Throughout Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens uses his characters and props to symbolize purity, even though the environment would seem to denote everything and everyone. Incontro-vertibly, some certainly conform to their environment; for example, as part of the lower class, Fagin and Sikes turn to thieving, lying, and even murder, instead of earning an honest living. Throughout the first half of the book, Dickens leads one to believe Nancy follows the same pat-tern. However, as the plot develops, the reader 's theories and opinions transform. Continuing on, the reader will find the answer to the dispute Dickens constantly toys with; does one 's environ-ment have the ability to blacken the soul and affect one 's choices?

Class systems sadly are an institutional part of society since biblical times and are still prominent in all cultures today. In British society, class systems are still as prevalent as they were in the 19th century, there are seven social classes, ranging from the elite at the top to the extreme poor at the bottom. Typically, in English society social class was always defined by occupation, wealth, and education with an addition of social and cultural classes. Social classes is a prevalent aspect of British society since before recorded history, it was the addition of money, land and title that increased the division of the classes. As the industrial revolution swung into full force, the division of classes strengthened. Social mobility became a common occurrence as society developed and moved forward towards the twentieth century. This holds true in the novel Hard Times, written by Charles Dickens in the Nineteenth century, examines the British class system through examples of social relationships and the labor force. (4)