Although many have argued that Dickens used the character of James Harthouse to criticize romanticism in his novel Hard Times, it is his utilitarianism that makes him such hazard. Harthouse himself notes early in the novel that there are many similarities between him and the utilitarian Tom Gradgrind – for although Harthouse could conceivably live his life for sensation, his disappointment at what he found l has led us to look at things with a bland and imperturbable eye. . “I saw a little here and there,” he said, “of ups and downs: I found that it was all really worthless… and I turn to the opinion of your respected father – in reality because I have no choice in opinions, and I can hold them as well as anything else. (100) Yet, unlike the utilitarians, Harthouse cannot be redeemed even by the illusion of purpose or social responsibility. Dickens is able to illustrate this lack of feeling by contrasting Harthouse, in his final scene, with the character Sissy Jupe - whose sincere modesty and good will, coupled with a more elastic sense, throw into relief his own lack of character. . It is Sissy, not Harthouse, that Dickens offers as a model to follow – and it is Harthouse, not Sissy, who proves that dishonesty matters much more than the label (romantic, utilitarian, or otherwise) given to it. given. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The emptiness of feeling behind Harthouse's speech is a first clue in this passage regarding his sincerity. When Sissy informs him that he will never see Louisa again, his choice of words is romantically dramatic, but his actual reaction is one of rather quick resignation. " Well ! If it unfortunately turns out, he said, after the pains and duties on my part, that I find myself brought to such a desolate situation as this banishment, I will not become the lady's persecutor. (174) A life without Louisa is for him apparently comparable to "banishment" or, as he puts it shortly before, to "exile" (174), and he insists that he considers such a state to be completely “sorry” (174). . Yet even though Harthouse paints his pain so vividly, he dismisses it almost in the same breath by reverting to dull, dispassionate language. Any resistance on his part is seen as nothing more than "pains and due duty", obviously routine enough to be accomplished by a simple mention. His next thought – that he “will not become the lady's persecutor” – is another example of how insipid and powerful language becomes in his hands. The theatricality of the word "persecutor" might suggest that Harthouse feels the full weight of his punishment, and perhaps even more. But like the theater, Harthouse's world is all about appearance, "a conscious polishing of an ugly surface" (175). Because even though he affects real dismay, he willingly abandons the girl he is supposed to take care of. It is important to note that although Harthouse is a superficial being, he is not actually evil, like the utilitarians. If it is too much to say that his intentions are good, we can at least affirm that they are not consciously evil. “I beg you to be able to assure yourself,” he said to Sissy, “that I did not have particularly bad intentions, but that I slipped from one step to another” (175). His division of Louisa's seduction into different "stages" demonstrates a calm perspective - almost as if to suggest that Harthouse was moving from stage to stage in seduction, just as he would from stage to stage. other in a mathematical problem. Although he is completely devoid of warm feelings, he.