Another point of his time that Dickens portrays in a bad light is that of the working environment for the “hands”. In the story, he describes how these workers were packed into tightly fitted factories and made to work for long hours with little pay or rewards. Bounderby even goes as far, or so it seems, as to view the “hands” are mere extras to his machinery and certainly doesn’t view them as equal beings to himself even though, as he often comments, he used to be a young “Vagabond” living in extreme poverty when he was younger.
One thing highlighted through the contrasting lifestyle of the “Hands” and characters such as Gradgrind and Bounderby is that of class difference, those who are richer, view themselves as better than those who are poor. Dickens does this particularly through Stephen Blackpool who, although is an honest person, cannot end his unhappy marriage to an alcoholic wife by divorce as it is too expensive and so only rich people can do it.
Stephen comments that he wants to be “ridded” of his wife even though he “were patient wi’ her” and he “were mot an unkind husband to her” only to be told that “ there is a law” that could help him “but that’s not for you. It costs money” showing the unfairness of that society. Just because Stephen is a worker and has little money, he can’t divorce his wife despite her raging temper and his unhappiness, only rich people can get divorced. Bounderby then continues on his argument against Stephen’s divorce by telling him he is going “into the wrong road” and that he sees “traces of the turtle soup, and venison, and gold spoon in this” meaning that he thinks that Stephen is only wanting a divorce to try and take advantage of the company, Bounderby is saying that Stephen thinks he is very high and mighty and is claiming for more than he is able to get even though we know Stephen’s character is actually very modest and just desperate to get out of his unhappy marriage.
Another issue brought up by Dickens in this story seems to be that of family relationships. Tom doesn’t seem to love Louisa but rather to want to use her when it profits hime. This is shown particularly when the proposal of Louisa and Bounderby marrying is brought up, rather than commenting on what it would be like for Louisa to be married to Bounderby he talks about what it will bring for him claiming “it would be a splendid thing for me”, and not commenting on what it would be like for Louisa at all.
One more evil brought up in the book is that of the industrial revolution and it’s pollution, Dickens comments at one point in the book about how it was “surrounded in a haze of it’s own” and how the red brick buildings in the town were covered with soot and so black.
The evils of alcohol and addiction are also shown through book one with Stephen Blackpool’s wife. Dickens describes her as a “disabled, drunken creature”, although Stephen states that she “ were a young lass – pretty enow” when he married her but “she went bad – soon” after she started drinking. Stephen is constantly represented as an honest individual who does nothing wrong but still has the full effect of bad luck with him constantly. Dickens demonstrates through the wife’s character that drink can change someone from a nice, pretty young woman to someone who her own husband pays to keep her away and it is capable of ruining something as sacred as a marriage then what else can it do.
In conclusion I feel that through book one of “Hard Times”, Dickens challenges many of the social injustices and evils that were present at his time. Some of them are simple, obvious ones but others he does it a more subtle way such as family relationships.
