HARD TIMES

The book is divided to three parts: Sowing, Reaping and Garnering. “Thomas Gradgrind” runs a school of hard fact in the industrial city of Coketown. He happens to see his children, “Louisa” and “Tom”, peering into a circus in direct opposition to his views on things of fancy. The cause for the offense, suggested by the friend of “Gradgrind”; “Josiah Bounderby”, a ‘self-made man’ banker and mill owner in Coketown, is that “Sissy Jupe”, the daughter of one of the circus folk from Sleary’s traveling circus, has been enrolled in the school of “Gradgrind” and is a bad influence. “Gradgrind” and “Bounder” by proceed to visit the girl’s father in order to have her removed from school. They find that he has abandoned the girl and “Gradgrind” agrees to take her in in the hope of reforming her on the condition that she never mention her former life. “Louisa” and “Tom” have been harshly raised by their father, an educator, to know nothing but the most factual, pragmatic information. Their lives are devoid of beauty, culture, or imagination, and the two have little or no empathy for others. “Louisa” marries “Josiah Bounderby”, a vulgar banker and mill owner. She eventually leaves her husband and returns to her father’s house. “Tom”, unscrupulous and vacuous, robs his brother-in-law’s bank. Only after these and other crises does their father realize that the manner in which he raised his children has ruined their lives.