The scene in which Sissy incorrectly defines a horse (11) reminds me of the novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. The book is similar to 1984 by George Orwell, though instead of an apocalyptic society where people are dumbed down by the government, Brave New World explores how people choose to be dumbed down and exchange intelligence for LSD trips and carefree lives.
Huxley introduces a character from New Mexico whom the English-characters refer to as John Savage, as Bernard and Lenina find him while on vacation among Native Americans. When he and his mother are brought back to London, John has such difficulty assimilating to this new culture that he runs away into isolation. His perspectives are so different from the Londoners that they find great amusement in his monogamous beliefs, and he experiences great pressure to conform.
Sissy experiences the same pressure to conform when Gradgrind berates her in front of the class, and forces her to choose between her family and education.conformity (43) Yet Sissy, it seems, much like John, does not completely conform to the society she lives in (she still retains the name 'Sissy' opposed to 'Cecelia'; and in her heart never abandons the circus performers that raised her)
I really like your point about assimilation to the environment. I would also like to point out that Hard Times has a fairly large difference between social classes, quite like those in Brave New World. The "Hands" are distinctly united and separated from the upper class throughout the first parts of the story. As Louisa begins to talk with Stephen and Rachel the line between classes is a bit less defined, so this could imply that Dickens is suggesting that progress from a separated society to a united one is possible if all classes would choose to live through more than facts.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you were familiar with Brave New World! :)
DeleteI had completely forgotten/overlooked that point. The difference between classes in Brave New World is very extreme -- everyone dresses in colors according to their class (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta) and the lower classes are given drugs when they are still fetuses to physically deform them.
I really like your observation about the blur in distinction of classes. Dickens is very likely to be commenting on how to improve society through this social change - this definitely stresses morals over facts/laws, just as Huxley had used satire himself to demonstrate how foreign morals were to the classes (John refused to participate in the large sex scandals, and people were bewildered. Lenina only had one partner, which, if she had been exposed, would have been a very strange concept), who seemed more than happy to be separated.
^^^^
Delete~Cam
I defiantly agree with your point I think Brave New World is so similar to Hard Times (but as previously stated to a more extreme extent.) But I also think that 1984 is similar too and I would like to touch on that (as you started to.) In 1984 the people were force fed EXTREME "euphemisms" through media the media so that the ongoing war against Eurasia and Eastasia would never be challenged. Hard Times seems similar in that the students are spoon fed nothing but Facts and in both texts they are only being taught things that they can handle, a kind of filtration of knowledge. In 1984 the euphemisms change the news so dramatically that it is not offensive, but pulls society together, whereas in Hard Times the children are not taught how to think for themselves and only given Facts. These two are most similar because of the limitations they put on the minds of their citizens to keep them at bay.
ReplyDeletedefinitely***
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