The Role Of Mrs. Gradgrind By Charles Dickens

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In history, a woman was the one who would nurture the bodies and minds of her children and husband. Dickens story takes a turn when he makes Mr. Gradgrind take on this role. Mrs. Gradgrind is barely mentioned but continues to have a strong message in her character. Through hard facts Gradgrind teaches both his students and children the same things and removes the burden of ideal femininity from his daughter, Louisa. Unfortunately, this leaves her unprepared for entering the world outside her own progressive family. She is unable to fulfill the idealized roles of wife and mother, and has no other options for adulthood outside of these. This book shows the constant need of a female role model in the household but fails to show it’s proceed through the story. Through satiric elements, Charles Dickens demonstrates the limited rights women had in the household in the 1800s. Mrs. Gradgrind, Rachael, and Louisa are perfect examples of women who faced this in society during this time.

Mrs. Gradgrind is the woman that faces inequality the most in her relationship with Mr. Gradgrind. Throughout their relationship she has no say in the way their children were raised. Through hard facts Mr. Gradgrind raised his children the way he wanted to. Dickens says

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“Mrs. Gradgrind was not a scientific character, and usually dismissed her children to their studies with this general injunction to choose their pursuit. In truth, Mrs. Gradgrind's stock of facts in general was woefully defective; but Mr. Gradgrind in raising her to her high matrimonial position, had been influenced by two reasons. Firstly, she was most satisfactory as a question of figures; and, secondly, she had 'no nonsense' about her. By nonsense he meant fancy; and truly ...

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...is engaged to Mr. Bounderby; the man the doesn’t love. Her future has been set. “From that moment she was impassive, proud, and cold” (102). Dickens later on goes to describe Louisa as “stone.” This is an example of the rights women had in the 1800s. Louisa had no say in whether she wanted to marry Bounderby or not. She had to face a miserable life next to the man she hated and just like her mother she just had to be submissive.

The characters in Hard Times were based off of people in Dickens’ life. This book is one of those books that will never die. It shows the reader amazing examples of satire throughout the whole book and through those elements helps the reader understand his plot and the whole book. We saw as Mrs.

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Gradgrind, Rachael, and Louisa all suffered through limited rights in the 1800s and we see this theme develop throughout the book.

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