Larry’s voice, with its capacity to comment on the whole system of employment in Hanky Park, is like the narrator’s voice, able to discourse about the experience of a life which other characters simply pass through without thought. This is an aspect of Larry’s character; he has some education, and the people of Hanky Park ask him for help with form filling, and sometimes for other kinds of explanation. And it is through Larry that Greenwood conveys his concerns and preoccupations, whether it is his concerns for socio-economic positions or his analysis of capitalism; “…our labour power makes all and every one of the commodities.”
However, it also makes Larry an outsider to some extent. The detestable Ned Narkey replies to Larry’s question, “Who are you referring to, Ned?” in the following way; “Referrin…referrin…Who the ‘ell d’y’ think y’ are?” By approaching this accusation of superiority through one of the novel’s villains, we can appreciate the gap in the languages and classes and it is Greenwood’s message that, in the end, the system betrays the working class. Ned Narkey, a character that eventually abuses the system, ends up on good pay; “Ned Narkey, on the beat…” Greenwood sees and portrays the system as corrupt and unnatural, in order, to successfully provide a clear picture of the harshness of society.
In ‘Hard Times,’ Stephen Blackpool, to an extent, is similar to Larry Meath; he is an outsider. He provides a bleak contrast to the earlier characters in the novel. As in of the “Hands” in Bounderby’s factory, Stephen lives a life of drudgery and poverty. In spite of the hardships of his daily toil, Stephen strives to maintain his honesty, integrity, faith and compassion. This honesty and compassion is essential, as the simplistic characteristics of Stephen have been deliberately developed as the portrayal of his character includes the intricate details of real people and we can relate to him. Stephen, as a character, holds the most admirable human qualities; essentially a victim of social class; “...a man of perfect integrity.” Dickens’s portrayal of Stephen suggests, that, to an extent, he is an outsider. However, one can say that Larry is not really an outsider, because Larry’s exploitation is related to one of the other ‘Hands.’ Larry is held down by the people around him, essentially the working class, yet still possesses a quality that Stephen lacks; a quality that makes Stephen more of an outsider. Stephen lacks the brainpower and education that Larry possesses and this is what Dickens uses to enhance his exploitation of Stephen.
Nevertheless, Stephen is an important character and is a martyr of the lower classes, deliberately developed by Dickens as the portrayal of his character includes the intricate details of real people; we can relate to him. His poverty and virtue contrast with Bounderby’s wealth and self-interest. Stephen is the only “Hand” who refuses to join a workers’ union; he believes that striking is not the best option and he wants to earn an honest living. This further enhances our empathy for him, as the reader can relate to his isolated feeling and sympathize with him – an isolated theme that comes up in ‘Love on the Dole’ as no one seems to understand Larry, though what Larry has to say in the novel offers the reader an understanding of the back-drop of the 1930s, “He was so different from others.”
‘Love on the Dole,’ in particular, presents characters being alienated from their environment. Both novels alienate their main characters from their environment, but use different narrative styles to depict this. Greenwood isolates Harry from the pawnshop, “memories of dreary mornings and the interminable evenings when his friends were free as birds whilst he was chained to the desk…” showing Harry’s inner thoughts of his environment, whilst Dickens isolates the character of Stephen as a bleak contrast; a victim of social class, evoking empathy, allowing the reader to understand his isolation.
It interesting that both writers alienate their key characters from their environment, an environment that the characters are both used to, allowing for a change in setting; in both novels it is principal in social and historical factors, depicting the mood of the environment the novels take place in and how it relates to the story being told. Greenwood uses the setting of the factory to reflect the capitalist society of the time, but also to show the maturing of Harry’s character; whereas Dickens uses the setting which takes its toll on the citizens, who are constantly woeful – the dreariness of the town symbolically linked to the philosophies that govern the citizens’ lives.
Dickens’s portrayal of Coketown can be accused of sacrificing realistic description for the motif of “melancholy elephants” and to almost all of his characters being caricatures. However, it is undeniable that the ridiculous argument of Bounderby and Gradgrind that every worker, “has got an object on life. That object is to be fed on turtle soup and venison with a gold spoon,” rests longer in the mind of the reader than Dickens intended. However, Greenwood uses Salford as the place of historical setting of industrialism; a well-known, industrial town is specific to the setting; increasing the novel’s realism and placing more emphasis on character realism as well.
Throughout ‘Hard Times’ both groups, rich and poor respond in the same self-interested, backstabbing way. As Rachael explains, Stephen ends up with the, “masters against him on one hand, the men against him on the other, he only wantin’ to work hard in peace.” Through Stephen, Dickens suggests that industrialization threatens to compromise both the employees’ and employers’ moral integrity, whereas, it is through Larry, Greenwood portrays the exploitation of the economic system. Incidentally, Larry’s work colleagues get him sacked and although Larry regularly helps other people, they still dislike him. Both authors present a social muddle to which there is no easy solution; a social muddle that links in with the unjust way in which the socio-economics society works.
In ‘Hard Times’ Josiah Bounderby is a character that Dickens encourages the reader to laugh at; his false humility is shown by his frequent boasts like “we used to live in an egg box.” The reader can imagine a business acquaintance and “close-bosom friend” with a bloated appearance. Bounderby is the “bully of humility” and forces people to like and admire him because of his humble background. This is what makes his character so believable; Bounderby wants to be admired but if he were to be honest then his admiration from his peers would be non-existent. He gains his admiration from his story – “he is a self-made man.”
Mr Price, the pawnbroker shares the same hypocritical capitalist view as Bounderby and Greenwood uses him to represent his own Marxist views. Price is a magistrate and yet takes rent books illegally. Both Bounderby and Price possess the same “practical” condescending criticism of others. Depersonalization is a theme that both characters employ; Bounderby on Sissy and Mr. Price on Harry – Mr Price can replace Harry once he goes to Marlowe’s. Mr. Price is essentially a character that expresses his Marxist views typically; the "code” signifies the working capitalism as Harry is underpaid and overcharged.
Dickens depicts Bounderby as a capitalist, as a coarse, vain, hypocrite. Dickens implies that Bounderby uses his wealth and power irresponsibly, contributing to the muddled relations between rich and poor, especially in his treatment of Stephen. He unjustly lives in the lap of luxury at the expense of other workers. This picture presented is a common one; hard-workers, who toil long hours for little pay, resenting the boss, who appears to do little work and yet collects the full reward of their collective efforts. The reality is that many entrepreneurs and managers are typically more personally involved in the business and have a larger stake in the commercial success of the company the other employees, however this model did exist in Dickens’s time; the Quaker business.
In conclusion, Greenwood’s novel portrays the world as imperfect because of the economic system, which is replaced by the economic realities of exploitation and it is ironic that those who achieve are those that endorse this exploitation. Harry believes that Marlowe’s is an escape and doesn’t see the exploitation of the place and his naivety is conveyed as he wants to conform, “…enthralled as a child in a Christmas toy shop.” However, there appears to be no escape for Harry as, “…the glimmering truth began to dawn.” Much like the character of Stephen in ‘Hard Times,’ it is too late to change; “You’d better have been satisfied as you were, and not have got married…”
In ‘Hard Times,’ much of the writing about the social problems of the time came not from fictional sources but the “blue books” of Mr Gradgrind in ‘Hard Times.’ They are suggestive of the Victorian obsession with classification, which is particularly satirised in the novel. Criticisms all reflect on the Victorian hypocrisy that surrounded life. Dickens condemns the harshness on disadvantaged children and the general Victorian attitude to the poor. Dickens uses his style of wit, irony, and satire combined with powerful images to make the characters and the surroundings come to life. He uses the way they act around each other as part of their discrediting and makes characters more attractive to the audience so that his Victorian readers would notice the error in their ways and bring about the end of these hard times. However, ‘Love on the Dole,’ the only two characters who manage to escape from the stifling, oppressive world of Hanky Park are Larry through death, and Sally through prostitution. The perspective is the same as that of the liberal social novel so common in the nineteenth century. However, Greenwood appears subconsciously to transfer blame to the working class themselves, who are presented as being too stupid to bring about change, or to listen to Larry’s message that socialism is the answer.
