Hard Times by Charles Dicken is a novel depicting the destructive forces of utilitarianism on the modern world after the industrial revolution. Through the vivid characters interwoven throughout the text, Dickens illustrates the devastation caused by mechanization and the dehumanization of human beings as factory workers. This central theme appears most clearly in the tragic character of Stephen Blackpool and the unseemly repetition of the struggles he is forced to wage for the sake of morality and personal integrity. Even Stephen's last name alludes to the dark, dark tragedies that engulf his life as a humble factory worker. Dickens uses the setting in which Stephen Blackpool lives, as well as his appearance, speech, social interactions, and death, to unapologetically attack the destructive nature of utilitarianism. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In the tenth chapter of Dicken's first book, Stephen Blackpool is first introduced as a character in the drab setting of the Coketown factory. "In the most active part of Coketown...where nature was as heavily masoned as the air and deadly gases were locked in...a whole unnatural family, shouldering, trampling, and crowding each other unto death... among them the multitude of Coketown... lived one Stephen Blackpool, aged forty years” (68). meant to live within a community of healthy people, artificial bricks were erected in Coketown to create an "unnatural" town with images of deadly gases, fumes and smog Even the family unit, which is. often seen as the central element of most communities, has been cannibalized and pitted against itself by competition, "shouldering and trampling" In the harsh and often dangerous world of factory work, a man of. forty years would be considered an elderly worker The fact that Steven survived to the age of forty is a testament to his diligence and endurance as a weaver. The framework in which Stephen is described emphasizes the contrast between the external, harmful environment and his true identity which is revealed as a good-hearted, honest and good man in the following chapters. Decades of work as a weaver in Coketown shaped Stephen's physical environment. appearance of Stephen's body: "a rather stooped man, with a furrowed brow, a thoughtful facial expression, and a sufficiently voluminous hard head" (68). Stern, weathered, "hunched" images represent Stephen's physical condition, but beyond the deep brow and hunched shoulders lie a glimpse of his true character: a "thoughtful", searching, "tough" man with great capacity for kindness. After this brief description of Stephen's appearance, the reader is immediately informed: "While someone else had become the owner of his roses, he had become the owner of someone else's thorns in addition to his own » (68). Without a doubt, Stephen Blackpool is a distressed character with jagged scars from life in Coketown. The roses of life, whether rooted in a happy marriage, a faithful family, a satisfying job, or a life of fruitful labor, were all denied to Stephen. As a man suffering from thorns and pain, Stephen cannot survive in his current position. Coketown and other industrial towns run solely by industry and production do not value individuals like Stephen. “He was a good weaveron a mechanical trade and a man of perfect integrity” (69). The primary value of Stephen’s life lies in his identity as a “good power loom weaver”. Only secondarily can it be described as having impeccable integrity, because workers in this utilitarian system were valued only in quantitative measures of production. Through the character of Stephen Blackpool, Dickens asserts that integrity and individuality have no room to take root and grow in these dark places. Allegorically, Stephen can be seen as a character who represents what happens to industrial workers when They are dehumanized and valued solely for the sake of factory production. While this allegorical characterization remains true throughout Dicken's novel, Stephen can also be examined on a distinct and unique level from the other factory workers. Compared to the other workers, called “Hands” in hard times, Stephen “held no position among the other Hands capable of making speeches and leading debates” (68). His plain speaking and inability to deny his personal integrity leads Stephen to further tragedy when Slackbridge and other union agitators rise up against him. After being excluded from his workers' group, Stephen must report to the factory owner, Mr. Bounderby. When Bounderby asks him to relay information about the individuals behind the United Aggregate Tribunal, Steven responds, "They didn't show me any kindness... but what does anyone think he did?" his duty by others and by himself. I, who fell with them, who sees with them, who works hard with them and who loves them, should not stand with them with the truth, let them do to me what they can” (151 ). Even though Stephen has been rejected and abandoned by his colleagues, he refuses to give Bounderby information to use against the workers. Not only does Stephen's character reflect the contrast between the corruption of the agitators and his own standard of virtue, but his character also emphasizes the contrasts between poverty and the brotherhood of working people versus wealth and self-interest Bounderby staff. The characters of Stephen and Bounderby, Dickens writes, "'Now, a 'Name of God,' said Stephen Blackpool, 'show me the law to help me!' "Ahem! There is a sacredness in this relationship of life," said Mr. Bounderby, "and-and-it must be maintained" (79). factory owners cannot exist because prominent figures like Bounderby are sure to maintain "sanctity" and inequality, whatever the moral cost In examining the character of Stephen Blackpool, Dickens emphasizes the. sharp contrast and incompatibility between the ideals of utilitarian communities and the ideals of a man like Stephen Blackpool with "perfect integrity." Once Stephen is exiled from Coketown for his alleged and unfounded blasphemy, he finds himself looking for a new home, as Stephen leaves Coketown, Dickens remarks: "It is so strange to turn from the chimneys to the birds. So strange to have the dust of the road on one's feet instead of the gravel." of coal. So strange to have lived up to his time, and yet start as a boy that summer morning! » (167). It is so strange to imagine the persecution launched against a man like Stephen Blackpool of impeccable character. When Stephen's name is finally slandered for robbing Bounderby's bank, he decisively returns to Coketown to defend his honor and integrity. However, after falling into the Old Hell Shaft, Stephen expresses his final wish to Mr. Gradgrind: ".!" (273).