Hard_Times

Hard Times Hard Times” and Utilitarianism Coketown, as described in ‘Hard Times’ is a construct of a typical industrial town, many of which were sited around the newly founded factories. It may be a fictional location of the industrial age, but it serves Dickens’ purpose of presenting Utilitarianism at work. Many of the details of Coketown are based on truths about industrial towns, but Dickens slightly exaggerates them to focus the readers’ attention on the points he would like to criticize. It was believed that higher industrial output would increase the wealth of the country and therefore be desirable. Because of this Coketown exists solely for its industrial output and provides no comfort for its working class citizens. Everything inside it is extremely practical; no precious resources are wasted beautifying it, as they do not lead to an increase in industrial output. Dickens’ contempt for Utilitarianism is conveyed through the opening description of the town. The colors of the town are black and red – red brick covered in ash from the factories. Even on the surface, Dickens associates Coketown with “the painted face of a savage” – the implication is that like a “savage”, industrialization is cruel, barbaric and uncultured. On a utilitarianism, dickens, town, people, utilitarian, society, industrial, coketown, fact, class, bounderby, because, even, education, through, own, novel, life, identity, associated, another, workers, work, voice, sissy, process, middle, level, individuality, facts, everything, dickens’, described, children