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Intersection between Victorian Literature and Victorian Culture

In his book, Hard Times, Dickens correlates Victorian literature into the Victorian culture, taking up the role of a social commentator while criticizing the industrial revolution taking place in England. Victorian literature is characterized by emerging issues such as social inequality, mechanization of human beings, position of women in the society, and the extinction of fancy, or rather utilitarianism, as an aftermath of industrialization. Dickens uses a fictional city, Coketown, to mirror 19th century England, exposing the effects of industrialization in the society. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to show hoe Dickens correlated Victorian literature with Victorian culture in his book.

Dickens’ Critique of the Industrial Society

Dickens’ novel critiques the industrial society of the 19th century in an era that was characterized with prosperity beyond that which has ever been recorded in English history. This era was characterized by innovation and change which in turn materialized into the structure of the English society. Once characterized by agriculture, industrialization introduced the Victorian era to advancements in science and technology, and presented new ideologies that caused a shift even in religion. These changes, though riveting to the lifestyles of those it impacted, came with negative effects on their aspects of daily life. The novel critiques different social, economic, and moral perspectives of the fictional society. However, the critique symbolized Dickens’ opinion of the English society in the industrial era, placing emphasis on the loss of humanity, social inequality, the position of women, and the rise of capitalism that had skyrocketed as a result of industrialization. His negative view on these changes is evident in how he describes the fictional city Coketown, describing it as ruthless: “It was a town of red brick, or of brick that would have been red if the smoke and ashes had allowed it; but as matters stood, it was a town of unnatural red and black like the painted face of a savage” (Dickens 19). The city is a symbol of the dull result of a materialistic England, filled with the ugliness that is the machinery and factories inhibiting the town. What is left of the city is black smoke and ashes: “It was a town of machinery and tall chimneys, out of which interminable serpents of smoke trailed themselves for ever and ever, and never got uncoiled” (Dickens 19).

The Mechanization of Human Beings

The natural attributes of the once lively system has been replaced by a society that lacks individuality since all inhabitants have been forced to cast their feelings away: “Fact, fact, fact, everywhere in the material aspect of the town; fact, fact, fact, everywhere in the immaterial” (Dickens 19). Industrialization disrupted social relations and barred every act of human relationships, making people behave as though they are robots and not human beings; economics has corrupted the essence of human relations. As a result, the citizens of Coketown are deprived of their individual identities, they no longer identify with happiness and joy, nor do they relate to interpersonal relationships; they only relate with the need for survival and the concept of hard work: “That exactly in the ratio as they worked long and monotonously, the craving grew within them for some physical relief – some relaxation, encouraging good humor and good spirits, and giving them a vent” (Dickens 21).

Social Inequality – Class Division

The novel echoes the rise of humanity in the Victorian Age. However, humanity is not regarded as a personality trait, but rather is determined by wealth and possessions. Dickens centers the most pure form of injustice in the Victorian age, social inequality in the system. The aftermath of industrialization saw the rise of social classes, and the standards of social division were put in play. The work of the poor benefited the rich while the poor continue to lead their lives as paupers as they struggle to survive. Dickens exposes the capitalists as the moral monsters that lead extravagant lives at the expense of the poor, an element he characterizes through their reckless tea drinking. Examples of such capitalists from the novel are Mr. Gradgrind and Mr. Bounderby, who Dickens characterizes as the embodiment of greed and lack of reason: “that they never knew what they wanted; that they lived upon the best, and bought fresh butter; and insisted on Mocha coffee, and rejected all but prime parts of meat, and yet were eternally dissatisfied and unmanageable” (Dickens 21). These two men view those of lower social status as objects, designated to serve as laborers. They are the epitome of wealth, represented by how they related with those under them, referring to them not as fellow men but as ‘Hands.’

The novel also presents a character that defines the lives of the ‘Hands’, those who relate with nothing else but hard work, symbolizing the new era that is the Victorian era. Steven Blackpool represents the underprivileged within this society, leading a rather miserable life: “In the hardest working part of Coketown … lived a certain Stephen Blackpool, forty years of age. Stephen looked older, but he had had a hard life” (Dickens 56). Steven had earned peanuts from his factory work, despite the number of years he had put in. His personal life is not as rosy as one can imagine, despite being married; he comes home to tolerate his drunken wife, a situation not rare to these streets given the dire reality that is life: “A creature so foul to look at, in her tatters, stains and splashes, but so much fouler than that in her moral infamy, that it was a shameful thing even to see her” (Dickens 60). Steven desires to file for a divorce, as a measure of reigniting his once burning desire for love, but this too has been wrangled in the hypocrisy that is social status, given only to the well-off in society, such as Mr. Bounderby. The upper class pretends to be righteous, with respect to social virtues such as the concept of love and marriage: “You didn’t take your wife for fast and for loose; but for better or worse” (Dickens 67), but materialize the aspect of divorce, which Bounderby states: “But it’s not for you at all. It costs money. It costs a mint of money” (Dickens 67). The novel outlines the double standards of society, showing the ruthless lives imposed on factory laborers at the expense of the wealthy, turning them into slaves deprived of humanity.

A World of Fact

The Victorian era is an era that increases the likelihood of human extinction. The beauty of life was replaced with a harsh reality that dooms mankind to an unpredictable fate. The industrial regime has neutralized the aspects of love and human happiness; the key elements vital to saving the human race. The regime replaces imagination with facts, eliminating fancy and replacing it with issues such as child labor. The entire novel is based on the conflict between fancy and fact, with Dickens acknowledging this conflict and blaming the rational world and industrial regime. A society once filled with emotion and imagination has been replaced with facts, leaving behind a trail of soulless individuals that have been educated on reason at the expense of affections and sentiments: “You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them” (Dickens 1).

Child exploitation was not rare in the industrial regime; they were engaged to work and offer ‘parish apprenticeship’ or ‘free labor’ determined by the status of their parents; whether they were orphaned or not. The former was granted to children with families, who were subjected to labor under parental supervision and had the option of leaving at their disposal. The latter comprised of orphans and were under the custody of government officials; they were often subject to exploitation and were unfortunate to lack basic commodities such as a well-balanced meal.

The Position of Women

The issue on the position of women in the industrial regime is one that Dickens is most concerned with, one that has been disregarded in the Victorian regime. As his way of symbolizing his criticism, Dickens shows the lives of three female characters; Sissy, Rachael, and Louisa, who despite having similar fates, lead different paths. Louisa represents the wealthy class of Coketown, with the novel describing her as self-driven individual raised under the strict hand of her father. She shows no emotion, since she was prohibited from reasoning with her heart. Given her lack of emotion, her response to her father’s on marriage is not a shock, owning to the fact that she has never experienced love: “There seems to be nothing there but languid and monotonous smoke. Yet when the night comes, Fire bursts out” (Dickens 89). The position of women in this class was simple, men are the decision-makers and they are simply to be satisfied with their position in the house. However, with the realization of her unhappiness, Louisa represents the social change in women’s equality in society.

Sissy represents the good that is human nature; she has the attributes needed to impact joy and happiness in others. She has emotional freedom that limit her from living in a world of facts a opposed to a world of fancy. Her view on life makes her an outcast, a factor that affects her self-esteem and makes her demean herself due to her social status: “But, if you please, Miss Louisa,’ Sissy pleaded, ‘I am — O so stupid” (Dickens 50)! Dickens uses her character to represent what a woman should be in the Victorian era as opposed to the monotonous trend of submission. Rachel represents the true meaning of wealth, that which is defined by heartily riches as opposed to material wealth. She is willing to sacrifice for the greater good, an element lacking in Coketown, bringing out the best in people. This is evident in Blackpool’s statement, as he compares her to a heavenly entity because of her humanity and her faith: “Thou changest me from bad to good…Thou’rt an Angel; it may be, thou hast saved my soul alive” (Dickens 79)! This character is a lesson to all that humanity is about seeing the good in people and helping out where one can.

Conclusion

Dickens uses Victorian literature to criticize the Victorian era in his novel, factored by the industrial regime that changed the society. Despite the numerous positive outcomes, the fiction shows the social vices associated with the regime and its effects on humanity. His purpose is to educate the masses on the effects of industrialization such as dehumanization and loss of humanity, losing the scope of life and replacing it with a baseless perspective of life. The combination of intellect and emotions are what constitute the aspects of human life, with the absence of one undervaluing the true identity of humanity.

Work Cited

Dickens, Charles. Hard times. Broadview Press, 1996. Accessed from https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=naJdU5fxuNoC&oi=fnd&pg=PA5&dq=hard+times+charles+dickens&ots=fzr0uuZC07&sig=IHQAjRPjbz3uu4nd83SvDpt6aSU&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=hard%20times%20charles%20dickens&f=false