Irony and satire in Hard Times

            Charles Dickens' Hard Times depicts a picture of Victorian times in which there was an alarming contrast between the owners and workers of industries, among whom the workers were at hard tiems because of labour-exploitation. Dickens uses irony and satire to show Victorian society's hypocrisy, avarice, lutilitarianism, labour exploitation by industries. Dickens' irony lies in his portrayal of some characters such as Mr. Bounderby, Mrs. Sparist, James Harthouse, Tom Gradgrind whose appearance and reality constrast. On the other hand, Dickens satires against Victorian society's values on fact guided education, utilitarianism, capitalism, industrialism or against Victorian morality and hypocrisy.

            Dickens wants to expose mainly Victorian society's hypocrisy though the use of irony. Mr. Bounderby claims to be a self-made person. He has fabulated a story of his own success. He says that he was born and abandoned in a ditch by his mother. He was raised by his alcoholic grandmother but in reality he had become rich by disowning his mother. His mother hadn't abandoned him rather he had abandoned her. In this way, the irony lies in the contrast between his appearance and reality. Likewise, Mrs. Sparsit is the housekeeper to Mr. Bounderby. Though she appears to be in the service of Mr. Bounderby, she always wants to be his wife by breaking the relationship between Mr. Bounderby and Louisa. She also contrasts in her appearance and reality. Another character James Harthouse is also a hypocrite. He seems good, gentle, civilized, educated aristocrat but he secretly plans to seduce Louisa. In Harthouse also irony can be found as he shows difference between his appearance and reality. Finally, Tom Gradgrind is also ironic character. He is the manager of Mr. Bounderby's bank. He is supposed to manage the bank. But he robs the bank. Although in appearance he is the prestigious manager, in reality he is the robber of the bank. Thus, irony is evident in his dualist character.

            Dickens aims the novel to satire mainly against Victorian society's hypocrisy, avarice, fact-guided education, utilitarianism, labour exploitation. Through dualistic characters of Mr. Bounderby, James Harthouse, Mrs. Sparsit, Tom Gradgrind, Dickens wants to show Victorian people's hypocrisy. And obviously Dickens aims at satirizing such dualistic character of people. More importantly he satires against fact-guided education which produced a robber like Tom, a disastrous character like Lousia. The very advocate of fact Mr. Gradgrind suffers the consequences of his own philosophy of fact and utility and at last adopts fancy. Although industrialism and capitalism promised labourer's betterment, it actually turned out to be exploiter of the laborers like Stephen Blackpool. Obviously by showing cruel and avaricious Bounderby and poor Blackpool, Dickens wants to satire against industrialism and capitalism.