Dickens also uses the words “Mouth... wide, thin, and hard set.” Wisely, Dickens uses these words which implies that Gradgrind doesn’t smile, which tells us he is cold-hearted and has no feelings behind him. He uses the word ‘thin’ which gives off an impression that his mouth is closed off, as his lips are thin and can be unnoticeable. Dickens describes him this way as rationalists have no imaginable feelings and therefore no reason to smile. He also states his mouth is ‘hard set’, by saying this Dickens implies that Gradgrind’s mouth is inflexible, set like concrete and all that comes out of it is bitter and objective sentences full of facts. It gives the impression he is a stern man; controllable and bossy, which is the point Dickens is trying to get across. Gradgrind wants to drum facts into the pupil’s minds; he is in control over what they learn and therefore this reflects on his rationalism. Dickens has described Gradgrind’s mouth this way as he is putting a point across about rationalists, that they have no imaginable feelings and are just filled of facts. He is doing this as he wants the reader to view rationalists how he is viewing them, and wants to prove that teaching children this way isn’t the right way.
“The emphasis was helped... the emphasis was helped... the emphasis was helped...” This is a section cut out of chapter one. Dickens uses the word ‘emphasis’ as it means importance. As facts are very important to Gradgrind, Dickens repeats over and over the word emphasis. This suggests he is trying to put the point across. It is as if Gradgrind is pointing physical punctuation at the pupils, like he is pointing vigorously at each and every repetition. Dickens has done this to show how different rationalists behave to romantics when it comes to teaching. He is making the reader think negatively of Gradgrind, as he is a rationalist. He wants the reader to dislike the way education was in the Victorian Period.
When Dickens uses the words “square coat, square legs, square shoulders”, he is implying that every side of Gradgrind is the same. Interestingly, square is a mathematical shape, and every side and every angle is the same. Square is a regular shape, and Dickens is describing him as a regular ‘square’ man, but with a mind over-powered by rationalism. Even more cleverly, by describing Gradgrind as square, he is suggesting that mathematics plays an important part in his life, which it does as facts revolve around numbers. This further emphasises later on in the novel when he refers to Sissy as ‘girl number 20’. It shows how he refers to people in a rationalist mind and doesn’t see them as people, but as numbers. Dickens explains Gradgrind this way as he is telling the reader that rationalists are only bothered about facts. He is giving rationalists a negative outlook as he is putting the point across that rationalists lack something in life, which also shows his concerns over how the educational system was ran in the Victorian period.
Dickens uses the words “voice, which was inflexible, dry and dictatorial”, in the first paragraph. Dickens indicates Gradgrind is domineering and monotonous, as he has recited him as ‘dictatorial’. As Monotonous means always the same; he’s continuously telling the pupils what to do. By using ‘inflexible’ to describe his voice suggests his tone is consistent. It’s like Gradgrind is unfailing to change his tone, he permanently talks facts, which relates to his rationalist character, which Dickens is negatively presenting him as. Furthermore, Dickens also uses the word ‘dry’. By using ‘dry’ it signifies that there is no warmth to his voice. As he is a rationalist, ‘dry’ indicates a sense of bitterness, everything that comes out of his mouth is cold with no expression. As dry means little or no emotion, Dickens gives rationalists a negative display to the reader and does this to show how rationalism affects the way one speaks.
In chapter 2, ‘Murdering the Innocents’, Dickens implies Gradgrind is destroying the pupil’s innocence. He uses a strong word such as ‘murdering’; this suggests Gradgrind’s rationalism is affecting the pupils’ minds and effectively getting rid of any innocence left. As ‘murdering’ means the taking away of a life, cleverly, Dickens uses murdering as he is taking away the pupils’ lives by drumming facts into their heads in replace of romantic mannerism. He is slowly depriving the pupils of any imagination or emotions. By doing this it refers to Biblical reference of the time Herod slayed new born babies in the Bible, Matt 2:16. Victorians would have recognised this in the Victorian Period, and therefore understand Dickens feelings on rationalism. Dickens uses the title ‘Murdering the Innocents’ as he wants to expose rationalists to the reader in an unfavourable and sinister view.
Dickens opens the second chapter with “THOMAS GRADGRIND”. Unusually, Dickens words his name in capitals, but cleverly it is implying Gradgrind’s name is important, and that he is announcing himself, loud, clearly, and proudly. Dickens smartly uses the name ‘Thomas Gradgrind’ as it is playing on words. ‘Gradgrind’ suggests the grinding down of all children, and that is what he is doing, grinding them down to a point where all liveliness is sucked out of them. Dickens has used this name as he wants to give rationalism a negative image, and using the name Gradgrind gives Gradgrind a negative outcome. Dickens is characterising Gradgrind as a rationalist before he introduces him as a person. He does this as he wants the reader to know how Gradgrind’s mind works as a rationalist, and how it symbolises him as a grim character.
Continuing in chapter 2, Dickens uses the metaphor “He seemed a kind of cannon loaded to the muzzle with facts, and prepared to blow them clean out of the regions of childhood”. Cunningly, by saying this Dickens is expressing that Gradgrind is firing facts at the pupils as he uses the word ‘cannon’. Cannons fire and destroy things, and Dickens has smartly included this word as he is implying that Gradgrind is destructive and destroying the pupils with facts. Also, he says “blow them clean out of the regions of childhood” which suggests Gradgrind intends to blow the pupils from childhood to adulthood. Dickens describes Gradgrind like this as he wants the reader to know how rationalist behaviour affects teaching. It exposes Dickens concerns over society and the way children were taught and indicates Dickens has strong feelings against rationalism and educational methods of teaching in the Victorian Period.
“He seemed a galvanising apparatus, too, charged with a grim mechanical substitute for the tender young imaginations that were to be stormed away.” Dickens uses these words in chapter 2; he is trying to explain that Gradgrind is turning the pupils into machines. By saying ‘galvanising apparatus’, Dickens is implying that Gradgrind is strengthening the pupils into an object. He uses ‘galvanising’ which means to coat, like a strengthening metal that won’t rust; he is implying that Gradgrind is turning the pupils into a strong-like metal that will be coated in facts that will never be forgotten. It’s like he is replacing their imagination with machinery. When Dickens words ‘grim mechanical substitute’ he is suggesting that Gradgrind is taking away any creativity or imagination and replacing it with a substitute that will sustain there. He is turning them into machinery; he wants every single pupil to be exactly the same. Dickens is explaining that rationalism isn’t about individuality; it’s about turning a whole group of fragile children into a fact-filled machine. Gradgrind has a dehumanising effect, he is dehumanising the pupils with his rationalist ways of teaching. Dickens uses these words as he is demonstrating how rationalism affects education. He is getting his point across to the reader how strongly he feels about how education was in the Victorian times and concern on how it was developing.
Dickens has described both Bitzer and Sissy as incomparable. He shows them as completely dissimilar characters with different views on the world. Dickens describes Bitzer as, “light-eyed and light-haired”. This makes Bitzer seem colourless and lifeless, with no warmth or imagination. Bitzer is very the opposite of Sissy, he is factual and cold. Dickens is implying that all the years he has been educated by Gradgrind, has made Bitzer like this, so alike Gradgrind, a rationalist. Dickens also describes Bitzer as “unwholesomely deficient”. This implies that Bitzer is a feeble character that is lacking something big in his life. ‘Unwholesomely’ meaning unhealthy, is indicating Bitzer is not a healthy lively person. This is because of rationalism affecting him in every way possible, leading him a miserable fact-filled life. Cleverly, ‘deficient’ means lacking something, and Bitzer is exposed as a rationalist. Rationalists do lack things in life, they do not have imagination or emotions, and they lead their lives unembellished and tedious. On the other hand, Dickens has described Sissy as exceedingly different to Bitzer. Dickens has described Sissy as “dark-eyed and dark-haired”. This suggests Dickens is defining Sissy as the complete opposite of what he has Bitzer, as romantic. It indicates Sissy is attractive and shining, and is full of life and colour. He also says, “...seemed to receive a deeper and more lustrous colour from the sun”. Dickens says this as it suggests the sun makes Sissy shine, and by saying ‘deeper’ tells us that she is not lacking depth of intellect, emotion, or knowledge, because the deeper means the less shallower. Furthermore, when Dickens says ‘lustrous’ he is implying that it gives Sissy a luminous and radiant shine, as if she is standing out from the crowd, which is exactly what Dickens is doing, making her stand out from all the rationalists. After all, Dickens is explaining the differences between rationalists and romantics and the effects it has on people. Dickens exposes clearly how rationalist and romantic minds are both different and how it affects the outcome of a person’s life and even their appearance. He does this as he wants the reader to understand his concern over education.
Bitzer’s definition of a horse is very formal and factual. Dickens makes it as rationalist-based as he can to reflect back on how Gradgrind’s rationalism has affected Bitzer from such a young age. He defines a horse as, “Quadruped. Graminivorous. Forty teeth, namely twenty-four grinders, four eyed teeth, and twelve incisive...” As you can see, Bitzer’s definition is blatantly about facts; it is not surprising that Bitzer has explained a horse in such a way. Gradgrind has full responsibility for the way Bitzer has turned out. Bitzer also goes on to say, “...Hoofs hard, but requiring to be shod with iron. Age know by marks in mouth.” He carries on his definition, but continuously using facts. He uses no thoughts of his own imagination; he uses bare facts, which suggests he sees the world as one big fact, just like Gradgrind. It’s like Bitzer has memorised this definition from a book, as it clearly isn’t normal for a young boy to describe a horse this way. It reflects back to how rationalism has affected Bitzer’s mind and how he sees the world. Dickens has exposed Bitzer’s definition like this as he wants the reader to understand his concerns over how education was and how rationalism took over the minds of young fragile children and turned them into machine-like beings. This also reveals his beliefs over the industrial revolution when machinery came into picture. It’s like rationalism was some sort of machine also, changing Bitzer to be the same as everyone else, a machine just like Gradgrind, lacking imagination and free of emotion.
Carrying on in chapter two, ‘Murdering the Innocents’ Dickens uses a pugilistic metaphor to describe the ‘third gentleman’. The inspector, which Dickens refers to as the ‘third gentleman’, has been described as ‘professed pugilist; always in training’. By saying this Dickens is implying the third gentleman is like a boxer which is always trying to better himself. As pugilist means boxer, Dickens is implying that the third gentleman is a tough opponent to all children, and suggests he will fight the children in any cause for them to learn everything he wants them to know. Dickens is criticising the government’s education system by calling him a pugilist. Dickens also uses the words “He was certain to knock the wind out of common sense”, cleverly, this implies that the third gentleman is beating the children’s imagination; he is knocking them down and not letting them back up again. He is keen to knock any kind of common sense out of the way that would affect the chances of the children being turned into rationalists. This reflects on the removal of fancy and how Dickens is showing this to the Victorian Reader. The third gentleman represents an establishment of the government given high authorities, and he can change anything he wants to which involves the education system. This relates to how Dickens is concerned over how education was, the children were trained to know facts and facts only, even if it brainwashed their minds to rid any emotion or feelings. Dickens writes about the third gentleman like this as he wants to show his concern over how the whole educational system was affected and not just Gradgrind’s school. By using the metaphor pugilist, Dickens is characterising the third gentleman as a boxer for Victorian readers to think he knocked out all romanticism out of children.
Dickens uses the metaphor M’Choakumchild as it suggests he chokes the life out of children. He has been trained exactly the same as other teachers, “turned at the same time, in the same factory, on the same principles”. This shows us that M’Choakumchild and Grandgrind both were brought up the same to be rationalists and teach facts. It implies that they were in the same ‘factory’, by saying this Dickens is implying that other teachers and M’Choakumchild are like machines as they are turned in the same factory. This smartly relates to the industrial revolution and how it played a big part in the Victorian times. It shows that in the Victorian times children were taught the same, taught facts and nothing but, and slowly escapes their imagination and emotions. In chapter two, Dickens lists every subject M’Choakumchild knows, and funnily enough it is all facts. Dickens is trying to show why Gradgrind has employed M’Choakumchild at his school; because he knows M’Choakumchild knows everything he wants him to know to turn the pupils into rationalists. Dickens writes in his novel, “If he had only learnt a little less, how infinitely better he might have taught much more!” He says this as he is suggesting that if M’Choakumchild wasn’t brought up to be a rationalist, and didn’t learn anything but facts, he would have known the children as a people and not as a machine. Dickens is implying that rationalism has affected the way Gradgrind and M’Choakumchild teach the children, he believes if they weren’t too interested in teaching facts, they would have known the children’s real personality and expressed their feelings. Dickens does this as he wants to show the Victorian reader that if romanticism replaced rationalism, in effect, it would have shown a greater relationship between the pupils and the teachers. Dickens has shown rationalism turns people into machines, and he wants to let the reader know that rationalism affects the pupils’ minds which shows his concerns over the industrial revolution and educational systems. In factories people were being replaced by machines and Dickens extends this as part of the educational system.
In the final chapter of the novel, Dickens theories over rationalism and romanticism are proven. Dickens throughout the novel has talked about how rationalism doesn’t work because no feelings and compassion are involved. He has proven this as he asks Bitzer if he has a heart, and he replies, “The circulation Sir... couldn’t be carried without one”. Bitzer smugly replies this way as he is firing the facts straight back at Gradgrind. After years of being educated in a rationalist manner, Bitzer simply replies with a rationalist fact-full comment. Bitzer does not have a heart; rationalism has made him half a person with no compassion or feelings. Gradgrind’s rationalist teachings have backfired; he is reaping what he has sown and therefore Dickens has proven he was correct about rationalism, it does not work.
