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Hard times by Charles Dickens
The story hard times takes place in a very big classroom, filled with student. The boys sit at one
side of the room, and the girls at the other side. The children are very polite; they answer every
question with ‘sir’ and the girl Sissy curtseys every time she answers. Mr. Gradgrind is primarily
the teacher who talks to the students. Mr. M’choakumchild is a new teacher, and he is at Mr.
Gradgrinds class, so he can see how to teach. And in the end, he takes over teaching, so he can try
what it is like, and whether or not he can handle the job. The inspector is there to observe how
Mr. M’choakumchild manages teaching the children. In a way, the scenario we follow is Mr.
M’choakumchilds final test, to prove that he is able to teach a whole classroom of student, all by
himself.
Mr. Gradgrind is asking the students questions, and it is very clear that he doesn’t have any kind of
relationship with them; he doesn’t even know their names. He calls one of the girls ‘Girl number
twenty’. When he finds out what her name is, his response is that that is not a real name. So he
decides that she must call herself Cecilia instead of Sissy.
The three adults, the inspector, Mr. Gradgrind and Mr. M’choakumchild, all have the same theory
and philosophy of education and on how the children should be taught. It becomes very clear in
the short period of time, this novel stretches over, what their philosophy is. For them, only facts
are the right answer. Especially Mr. Gradgrind makes it clear, how he wants things, but so does the
inspector. On page 57, line 16 it says: “’Fact, fact, fact!’ said the gentleman. And ‘fact, fact, fact!’
repeated Thomas Gradgrind.”
In some way, Mr. Gradgrind points out that boys may have a better knowledge than girls. Maybe
this is not what he means, but when Sissy, on page 54, is asked how she would define a horse, she
says no. And this answer makes Mr. Gradgrind say: “.. in reference to one of the commonest of
animals! Some boy’s definition of a horse.” No matter what he means by this, he asks for a boy’s
opinion, because Sissy’s answer obviously isn’t good enough.
They also believe that the students can’t have an imagination. Because imagination is not facts, it
is something the student picture in front of them. It is fictional, and not facts. There for the
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students must only rely on the true facts. On page 56, the inspector gives the students a clear
picture of what type of answer he is looking for. The correct answer to everything he asks, is no.
When he asks whether or not they would use a carpet having a representation of flowers upon, a
small group still answers yes, here among Sissy. He then asks her why she would do that, and she
simply answers “I am found of flowers”. This shows the inspector that she has an opinion, and that
she is imagining the pretty flowers. And as said before, the students are only to look at the facts
that they are given. So he says to her “Ay, ay, ay! But you mustn’t fancy. That’s it! You are never to
fancy!” And Mr. Gradgrind agrees. The students are not allowed to have an imagination, to picture
things that aren’t there, to wish for things that are not true. As said, only facts are correct in this
classroom.
Charles Dickens makes is very clear in this novel, what he thinks of the way the students are being
taught. The way he explains and characterize the two students, makes the reader see which child
he ‘likes the best’. Bitzer, the boy who gives a perfect definition of a horse, is described on page 55
line 14. “The boy was so light-eyed and light-haired that the self-same rays appeared to draw out
of him what little color he ever possessed. His cold eyes would hardly have been eyes, but for the
short ends of lashed which, by bringing them into immediate contrast with something paler than
themselves, expressed their form. His short-cropped hair might have been a mere continuation of
the sandy freckles on his forehead and face. His skin was so unwholesomely deficient in the natural
tinge, that he looked as though, if he were cut, he would bleed white.” This description is very
harsh and direct. It makes the boy sound cold and heartless, which probably is the intention.
Because Dickens means that the way these three teachers are teaching the students is wrong. He
believes that they are like robots, made on a factory. On page 58, Dickens explains that more than
100 of people lately had turned at the same time, at the same factory, based on the same
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principles. As he says, the teachers are like pianoforte legs; they are all exactly the same, have the
same opinions and look exactly the same. Dickens thinks that children, students should be allowed
to imaging, to picture things and to have their own opinion. They shouldn’t be given an opinion,
they should make one. And in the end of the story, Dickens talks indirectly to Mr.
M’Choakumchild. “If he had only learnt a little less, how infinitely better he might have taught
much more.” By this, Dickens means that the teachers should listen to the students, make them
express themselves and not just say what the teacher is telling them to say. That is Dickens
attitude towards the education system.