Truth in Hard Times and Howard's End. Continue to start your free trial. Stephen Laine was born in 1949 in the United States. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. to spy on his fellow workers for Bounderby, who consequently sends To him she is the shining star that illuminates the night as compared to the heavy candle that dispels only a little of the darkness that shrouds the world. One of the Hands in Bounderbys factory, Stephen Tom, on the other hand, dissipates his energies, indulges in cheating and financial fraud, and soon gets addicted to tobacco and alcohol. his daily toil, Stephen strives to maintain his honesty, integrity, faith, Luckily, the man found a good and highly moral woman, but he was not able to marry her due to restrictions of marriage which were taken by the society. Summary and Analysis poverty and virtue contrast with Bounderbys wealth and self-interest, Perhaps the object of his miserable existence will be taken; although frightened at his thoughts, he cannot act as the distraught woman pours from the bottle. Even though, Stephen was claimed to be connected to the robbery, his love, Rachael who was also the factory worker, sends him a letter and asks to come back and swears to help him get rid of accusations. Stephen was the third son of Stephen, Count of Blois and Chartres, and Adela, daughter of King William I the Conqueror. The former being haughty, being twice his spouses age, fails to fathom her emotions. He is a symbol of hope for the working class, and his eventual downfall highlights the harsh reality of their situation. As a married woman, Louisa becomes emotionally withdrawn and cold. On the other hand, there is a self-proclaimed, self-made man, a banker and factory owner, Josiah Bounderby, and his widowed secretary, Mrs. Sparsit, who takes care of the business and the home as the former is still a bachelor. Why does he avoid that and go for the Human Sacrifice instead? Stephen bows in shame for what he almost let happen, blesses Rachael as an angel, and tells her that her act has saved him from complete destruction. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. Stephen, too dejected concerning his own affairs, answers her many questions but does not wonder as to her interest in his employer. As a man with thorns and pain, Stephen cannot survive in his present position. Imani was quick to fire back, accusing him of lying. Cecilia Jupe Cecilia Jupe, known as Sissy, is the daughter of a circus performer. Through his efforts to resist the moral corruption on For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. They have Mr. Gradgrind is the intellectual founder of the Gradgrind educational system and he is also a member of Parliament. Stephen represents completely another layer of society than, for instance, Mr. Bounderby or Mr. Gradgrind. Want 100 or more? Stephen Text me: 7034203579 LA-based Producer/Songwriter/Musician MGMT / BOOKING / PRESS https://heroic.family/artist/stephen/ At one of these meetings he denounces Stephen Blackpool for refusing to join the union. but also because he finds himself in the midst of a labor dispute 13 Feb. 2016. Through Stephen, Dickens suggests that industrialization threatens As a poor judge of human nature, he fails to understand Stephen Blackpool's honesty and good intentions, and nor can he communicate with his young wife Louisa. In the end, Tom is forced to flee the country to escape punishment. Bitzer Bitzer is a boy who attends Gradgrind's school. The other case under consideration is that of Bounderby and Louisa. His father was Stephen-Henry, Count of Blois and Chartres, an important French nobleman, and an active crusader, who played only a brief part in Stephen's early life.. During the First Crusade, Stephen-Henry had acquired a reputation for cowardice, and he returned to the Levant again in 1101 to rebuild his reputation; Since James Harthouse woos her, she does fall in love but cannot take a decision and thus descends at her fathers door and rues that his philosophy has crushed the better angel in her into a demon (215). "We didn't really smoke during the wedding.". Josiah Bounderby Josiah Bounderby is a rich banker, merchant and manufacturer, and one of Coketown's most prominent citizens. The character was portrayed by Justine Lupe in the Audience show Mr. Mercedes and by Cynthia Erivo in the HBO series The Outsider. Mrs. Sparsit is a widow who has fallen on hard times. She would leave him and then come back many times over. John Baird, therefore, views this novel as a protest against the inhumanity of social attitudes which find expression in the law. The worker group saw fit to fire him as a result of this. Print. Even as a young boy he is unhappy, and he turns out badly. They have been married for some time, and have two children together. Mr. Bounderby is one of the central characters of the novel. It is important to know the pre-context because Tom was the one to frame Stephen in the robbery. ), king of England from 1135 to 1154. Sissy preserved the "nine oils", believing that her father would one day return. Stephen is a power loom operator in Bounderby's factory. Stephen does the bank job after Louisa (who provides money for traveling) and Tom (who asks him to hang out at night) come in and ask him to do it. As the night lengthens, Stephen falls into a troubled sleep and is wakened just in time to see his wife reach for one of the bottles of antiseptic. The theme of escape really underscores the difference between the lives of the wealthy and the lives of the poor. Famous guests included hip-hop star 2 Chainz as well as fellow retired hoopers Al Harrington and Matt Barnes. Throughout her life, Louisa is very unfulfilled because she has been forced to deny her emotions. Imani reportedly cried to Jackson later, willing to sign the papers in order for the wedding to happen. Actually, when you think about it, his personal life is probably the most soap-opera-ish of any character here. Stephen is a poor laborer in one of Josiah Bounderby's factories. Though she is an insignificant character as she does not even have a name, her presence unsettles him completely as she drinks, takes out his articles, sleeps with other men and disappears and reappears, rendering him disqualified to even seek a divorce. lives a life of drudgery and poverty. He claims that his mother abandoned him, but it later turns out that he simply made this story up. If he leaves his drunken wife or if he harms her or if he marries Rachael or if he just lives with Rachael without the sanction of marriage, Stephen will be punished, for the laws are thus arranged; on the other hand, if he seeks a divorce, he cannot obtain one, for money is the only key that opens the doors of the courts of justice in England. Please let us know if you have any suggestions or comments or would like any additional information. Hard Times. Print. The main reason for that was the unwillingness of the factory worker to supply Mr. Bounderby with all the detail of the union which was on the way to be formed by his colleagues. Alan Dobie was born on 2 June 1932 in Wombwell, Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, UK. Stephen is a power loom operator in Bounderby's factory. Rachael, a woman with a beautiful and peaceful face, eventually comes, and the two walk a ways together. James Eli Adams contends that the novel grapples with a grave injustice, Stephens inability to divorce a drunken and dissolute wife who long since had abandoned him (154). $24.99 WebStephen Blackpool is introduced after we have met the Gradgrind family and Bounderby, and Blackpool provides a stark contrast to these earlier characters. It is particularly significant to Christians , as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( Greek : Stphanos ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts , was stoned to death; he is widely regarded as the first martyr (or " protomartyr ") of the Christian Church . Bitzer absorbs all the lessons he is taught about hard practicality. He gained the throne by usurpation but failed to consolidate his power during the ensuing civil strife. West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2007. Given the situation of both, Bounderby can pay the amount of divorce as he is rich and can enact a Private Act of Parliament; Stephen cannot as he is poor. only represents the ideals of virtue for which Stephen strives, Again, through satire, Dickens censures the machine age by referring to the towering smoke pipes as Towers of Babel, speaking without being understood. @Stephencheatley. Luckily, the man found a good and highly moral woman, but he was not able to marry her due to restrictions of marriage which were taken by the society. Stephen counters all that by helping us find a face in the crowd. We see this when Stephen comes to ask Bounderby how to ditch his wife. 2023 AesthetixMS. The character represents the working staff; therefore, he has no opportunity to make a living. January 18, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 Mrs. Sparsit takes great relish in watching Louisa become involved with Harthouse. The retired NBA player tied the knot with fiancee Tamara or better known as Tammy in a winter wonderland wedding where everything was set up in white. hard facts of his miserable existence. So much so, in fact, that he is willing to not join the union like the rest of the workers. However, Dickens largely appeals for happy married lives as there is no use living with a person when life turns out to be a real hell devouring all happiness. One of the Hands in It is possible to suggest that Stephen was not lucky in life since it reflects in his career and personal life. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright Wagner, John A. Voices of Contemporary England: Contemporary Account of Daily Life. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. After some time, she disappeared and no one heard anything from her. More books than SparkNotes. Like Stephen, she is good-hearted and honest, and Stephen is devoted to her. If he leaves his drunken wife or if he harms her or if he marries Rachael or if he just lives with Rachael without the sanction of marriage, Stephen will be punished, for the laws are thus arranged; on the other hand, if he seeks a divorce, he cannot obtain one, for money is the only key that opens the doors of the courts of justice in England. 'This what I told her, 'What motives you on?!' He feels that she will have a better life if he is not able to hinder her progress in society. In his She accepts Bounderby's proposal largely to please her brother, Tom, whom she loves. Stephen Jackson is married. Mrs. Gradgrind is the ignorant wife of Thomas Gradgrind and the mother of Louisa, Tom and the other Gradgrind children. She visits Coketown just to get a glimpse of her son, who has always claimed that she abandoned him as a child. He thinks of himself as an "eminently practical" man and believes that only facts and figures are important. Print. The party was a weed fest, according to Barnes. Now we're going to be Captain Obvious here for a second. He recoils and cringes on finding his wife on the bed meant for him after a days harrowing work and spends the night on a wooden piece in a pensive and agitated state of mind. Stephen cannot even move to the Ecclesiastical Court as he cannot even pay the requisite amount as he has all the necessary grounds as his wife has committed adultery and is therefore, genuinely to be pitied for. Undoubtedly Stephen Blackpool is an afflicted character with ragged scars from life in Coketown. She further exposes that her husband died when Bounderby was eight years old and his grandmother died when he was not even born. Thomas Gradgrind Thomas Gradgrind is a prominent citizen of Coketown who later becomes a Member of Parliament. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. According to Stephen in a podcast chat last year, he and then-fiancee agreed on the prenup months before the wedding but she kept holding off when he asked her to sign it. In Chapter 13, Dickens enters the story again as he draws a portrait of Rachael, the thirty-five-year-old Hand, as a ministering angel. These chapters present a picture of the struggles, the desperation, and the momentary joys of the working class. Entitled "Stephen Blackpool," "No Way Out," "The Old Woman," and "Rachael," they are chapters of character representation, of Dickens' philosophy, and of symbolism. Stephen Blackpool Stephen Blackpool is a factory hand at the mill in Coketown. Dickens does not leave the question here but exposes his vanity. The paper specifically addresses Stephen Blackpools case to reflect how divorce was actually the privilege of the rich and not a right of the poor. All rights reserved. Analysis. He deprives his mother of her motherly affection for all these years by simply giving her money. As Dickens character demonstrates, he is as pure of a Christian as Piers Ploughman from the medieval era or Saint Stephen from the modern era. Because of his portrayal of the working class, we might be able to see that there were multiple social issues in Victorian times. The roses of life, whether rooted in a happy marriage, a faithful family, a satisfying job, or a life of fruitful works, have all been denied to Stephen. Bounderby and his men pick up Stephen and take him to the police station. In the novel, Stephen Blackpool, the main character, works in an industrial town. He died in 1854, but not before helping his friend, Rachael, escape from Mr. Bounderbys abusive marriage. He knows that it will be a hard road ahead, but he is hopeful that he and his children will be better off in the long run. 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