In Hard Times, Dickens uses a variety of devices to flesh out the characters he presents in order to make them unforgettable

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Hannah Loeb

March 7, 2012

Characterization in Hard Times

In Hard Times, Dickens uses a variety of devices to flesh out the characters he presents in order to make them unforgettable and relatable to the reader. The names of the characters in Hard Times invoke a feeling in the reader when they are first introduced that directly relates to the characters actions in the story. Dickens also associates physical characteristics to the characters that separates each individual from the rest. This allows the reader to form an image of the character in their mind and remember each one.

Mr. M’Choakumchild is not a main character in the novel but his name is directly related to his character. He is an unlikable teacher at the Mr. Gradgrind’s school and metaphorically  “chokes” the children at the school by not allowing them to fancy and forcing them to focus on fact. Mr. Gradgrind’s name can be interpreted as grinding students and his own children down with facts and logic, which he does throughout the story until his emotional encounter with Louisa. Mr. Slackbridge also has a very suggestive name because he comes to Coketown to start a union for the factory workers. His job is to be a bridge between the working class and the people who run the factory, however he just spurs outrage among the workers and doesn’t help their cause.  Other characters, such as Bitzer and Mrs. Sparsit, don’t have a literal meaning to their names but the combination of letters imply a feeling, like an onomatopoeia. Bitzer and Sparsit are both very sharp words and both of these characters are unlikeable and antagonistic characters.

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When Mr. Gradgrind is introduced in Book the First, Chapter 1 Dickens describes him, saying,

The emphasis was helped by the speaker’s square wall of a forehead, which had his eyebrows for its base, while his eyes found commodious cellarage in two dark caves, overshadowed by the wall. The emphasis was helped by the speaker’s mouth, which was wide, thin, and hard set. The emphasis was helped by the speaker’s voice, which was inflexible, dry, and dictatorial. The emphasis was helped by the speaker’s hair, which bristled on the skirts of his bald head, a plantation of firs to keep ...

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