Hard Times

Mrs. Sparsit emerges as an important character in Hard Times, even if she only plays a minor role. In the context of the social structure of Coketown, most of the characters originate from relatively humble backgrounds. Poor men like Blackpool remain poor, but figures like Gradgrind and Bounderby relentlessly remind the world that they’re self-made men. They’re proud of their hard work, even if this hard work is either entirely invented or achieved by exploiting men like Blackpool. Even then, the key aspect of their character is that they’ve improved their social standing and their financial position. As they like to point out, they’ve moved up in the world. Mrs. Sparsit, who is from a once-prominent family that has fallen on hard times, has moved in the opposite direction. Her family is no longer wealthy, so she must seek employment. The employment options available to her, however, are another indication of the societal disparity. Bounderby hires her to run his household, not because she’s either pleasant or skilled but because of her family background. She’s hired for her name in the hope that her presence will improve Bounderby’s social credibility. For the rich, decreased social status means being hired as decoration in a household. Considering Mrs. Sparsit’s obnoxious and belligerent insistence on spying on everyone, she lacks the social graces and emotional intelligence of someone like Rachael. Nevertheless, Mrs. Sparsit receives the well-paid job as well as room and board in a large house, while Rachael must continue to struggle. Even when the rich fall on hard times, the times aren’t as hard as they are for the poor.

Book 2 of Hard Times introduces James Harthouse. Thus far in the novel, morality has been plotted on a spectrum. Blackpool, Sissy, and Louisa are presented as relatively moral characters, while Tom and Bounderby act in an immoral fashion. Harthouse rejects such a classification. He’s amoral; he doesn’t believe in any particular form of morality, whether good or bad. He’s simply searching for something to entertain him. His aloof boredom is a form of privilege in that he’s socially permitted to be uninterested in the numerous ventures open to him. In direct contrast, men like Blackpool or the people from the circus have very limited options in life and are told to make the most of them. Bounderby criticizes anyone who doesn’t act in a way befitting their social station, such as Blackpool, but he’s intrigued by Harthouse’s vague interest in possibly taking up politics someday. For the rich, the normal rules don’t apply, and making money is conditioned on nebulous factors such as whether a job interests or bores a person. None of the factory workers ever consider their work boring, as they’re too worried that it’s dangerous. The insertion of James Harthouse in the second part of the novel presents another way that the rich stand apart from the poor, whether in terms of material reality, the way they’re criticized, or the extent to which they even need to care about morality.

The poor are disenfranchised throughout Hard Times, but the portrayal of the union meeting hints at a way that the working-class men might band together to improve their lives. The union seeks to use the power of collective organization to withhold their labor from the factory and its owner, Bounderby, until conditions improve. In this moment, however, Dickens is unwilling to fully commit to the union’s power. Blackpool, one of the novel’s few innocent characters, stands apart from the union. He doesn’t want to join the men in a strike, nor does he trust the leader, Slackbridge, to do the right thing. Instead, he’s concerned that any potential strike might increase the rift between the workers and the bosses. Blackpool asks only to be left alone, to be allowed to continue to work with the quiet dignity that defines him. However, the union, much like Bounderby, doesn’t tolerate Blackpool’s request. They lack the power to fire him, so they ostracize him. Bounderby has the power to remove Blackpool’s earning potential directly, but the union can achieve a similar objective indirectly, creating an intolerable working environment for any man who doesn’t join them. The portrayal of the union is a reminder that the working class isn’t wholly stocked with angels. There are good and bad people, to the point that a good man like Blackpool is driven into desperation through a minor political disagreement. Dickens critiques the union’s functionality but does so through a more nuanced portrayal of the views of the working class.