Assignment 104. : Write an essay on the Women Characters in the novel 'Hard Times'

Assignment 104 : Write an essay on the Women Characters in the novel 'Hard Times'.

 

This blog is a part of an assignment for the Paper 104, Literature of the Victorians

Write an essay on the Women Characters in the novel 'Hard Times'

Tables of Contents :

• Personal Information
• Assignment Details
• Abstract
• keywords
• Introduction
• Louisa Gradgrind
• Cecelia Jupe(Sissy)
• Mrs. Sparsit
• Conclusion
• Reference 

Personal Information :

Name : Reshma Yunusbhai Bilakhiya

Batch : M.A. Sem - 1(2023 - 2024)

Enrollment no : 5108230008

E - mail address : reshmabilakhiya21@gmail.com

Roll no: 27

Assignment Details : 

Topic: An essay on the Women Characters in the novel 'Hard Times'

Paper & Subject Code : 104 Literature of the Victorians & 22395

Submitted to : Smt. Sujata Binoy Gardi, Department of English, 

MKBU, Bhavnagar

Date of Submission : 1st December, 2023.

Abstract :

In "Hard Times," the women characters show how life was for them in old England. There's Louisa, stuck in a sad marriage. Sissy is strong, not following rules. Mrs. Sparsit is clever as a widow. These women teach us about tough times and how they dealt with strict rules. Dickens wants us to think about how women back then had it hard but still found ways to be strong and smart.

Keywords:

Women characters, Hard Times, Victorian Era, Louisa, Loveless marriage, Personal struggles.

Introduction : 

In the book "Hard Times," we meet strong women facing tough times in old England. Louisa is in a sad marriage, Sissy is brave and breaks rules, and Mrs. Sparsit is smart as a widow. These women teach us about how hard life was for them back then, and the author, Dickens, wants us to understand their struggles against strict rules. Let's explore how these women characters deal with challenges and show strength in a time when society had many expectations for women.

Louisa :

Although Louisa is the novel’s principal female character, she is distinctive from the novel’s other women, particularly her foils, Sissy and Rachael. While these other two embody the Victorian ideal of femininity—sensitivity, compassion, and gentleness—Louisa’s education has prevented her from developing such traits. Instead, Louisa is silent, cold, and seemingly unfeeling. However, Dickens may not be implying that Louisa is really unfeeling, but rather that she simply does not know how to recognize and express her emotions. For instance, when her father tries to convince her that it would be rational for her to marry Bounderby, Louisa looks out of the window at the factory chimneys and observes: “There seems to be nothing there but languid and monotonous smoke. Yet when the night comes, Fire bursts out.” Unable to convey the tumultuous feelings that lie beneath her own languid and monotonous exterior, Louisa can only state a fact about her surroundings. Yet this fact, by analogy, also describes the emotions repressed within her.

Even though she does not conform to the Victorian ideals of femininity, Louisa does her best to be a model daughter, wife, and sister. Her decision to return to her father’s house rather than elope with Harthouse demonstrates that while she may be unfeeling, she does not lack virtue. Indeed, Louisa, though unemotional, still has the ability to recognize goodness and distinguish between right and wrong, even when it does not fall within the strict rubric of her father’s teachings. While at first Louisa lacks the ability to understand and function within the grey matter of emotions, she can at least recognize that they exist and are more powerful than her father or Bounderby believe, even without any factual basis. Moreover, under Sissy’s guidance, Louisa shows great promise in learning to express her feelings. Similarly, through her acquaintance with Rachael and Stephen, Louisa learns to respond charitably to suffering and to not view suffering simply as a temporary state that is easily overcome by effort, as her father and Bounderby do.

Cecelia Jupe (Sissy)

The daughter of a clown in Sleary’s circus. Sissy is taken in by Gradgrind when her father disappears. Sissy serves as a foil, or contrast, to Louisa: while Sissy is imaginative and compassionate, Louisa is rational and, for the most part, unfeeling. Sissy embodies the Victorian femininity that counterbalances mechanisation and industry. Through Sissy’s interaction with her, Louisa is able to explore her more sensitive, feminine sides.

Mrs. Sparsit

Although Mrs. Sparsit is a relatively minor character, her pride drives much of the action in the second half of the novel. Originally from an aristocratic background, Mrs. Sparsit has fallen on hard times, and she must work as Bounderby’s housekeeper for a living. Because she wants to marry Bounderby so that she can share his wealth, Mrs. Sparsit secretly connives to destroy his marriage to Louisa. Yet even while she panders to Bounderby, Mrs. Sparsit considers him an upstart “Noodle,” and considers herself his superior because of her aristocratic blood. Although she is a proud aristocrat, Mrs. Sparsit shares the calculating self-interest of capitalists like Bounderby. Thus, Mrs. Sparsit illustrates the transition from a social hierarchy in which aristocrats hold the power to one in which the wealthy middle class holds the power. In her attempt to retain her power within a new social order, Mrs. Sparsit simply ends up looking ridiculous.

Conclusion :

The women characters in "Hard Times" by Charles Dickens provide a rich tapestry of resilience and strength in the face of societal constraints. Through Louisa's struggles in a loveless marriage, Sissy's defiance of norms, and Mrs. Sparsit's cleverness as a widow, Dickens invites readers to reflect on the complexities of women's lives in the Victorian era. Despite the challenges, these characters exhibit courage and resourcefulness, leaving a lasting impression on the narrative and emphasising the timeless theme of women finding their way in a rigid society.

Reference :

Sparknotes, SparkNotes, Nov. 2023, www.sparknotes.com/lit/hardtimes/characters/. 

Word Count : 952

Image: 1

Thank You!!!