Hard Times:Discussion

Throughout the story Dickens uses beautiful language and he is very descriptive. One conversation I found beautiful was in the beginning of book three when Louisa and Sissy were talking, the morning after Louisa had her melt down. Louisa reveals to Sissy how unhappy she was and she felt that Sissy as going to be upset with her because she was lost and troubled. Instead Sissy simply embraces her and comforts her in her time of need. "In the innocence of her brave affection, and the brimming up of her old devoted spirit, the once deserted girl shone like beautiful light upon the darkness of the other" (Dickens 220). The language used in this sentence is simply beautiful and it really shows the reader the compassion and love Sissy has. Louisa and her truly compliment one another and make each other better people. Louisa was completely lost and confused and Sissy was there for her and showed her "affection" and shed "beautiful light" on this darkness that Louisa said she felt!

Hard Times Discussion

So as I was looking through the book at the instances of fire, I saw that it was prevalent that Louisa is the only only who shares this deep attachment to the presence of fire.  Both Tom and Louisa grew up in the same household under their father, Mr. Gradgrind, but Tom does not seem yearn for a "spark" of individuality in life unlike Louisa.  What is different about Louisa's past experiences or attitudes/personality in comparison to Tom that allows her to have this attachment with the fire throughout the book?

Hard Times:Discussion

Hey guys! Okay so when looking through my book I saw that on the first page of the second book I had a really good quote about fire regarding Coketown. Dickens stated "A blur of soot and smoke now confusedly tending this way..a dense formless jumble, with sheets of cross light in it, that showed nothing but masses of darkness: - Coketown in the distance was suggestive of itself..." (Dickens, 111).  It seems that even though a new section of the story had begun, the trend of this monotonous lifestyle still persisted. Coketown was continuously described in the story as filled with smoke or "a blur of soot", I think Dickens does this to show that Coketown is a cold place to be because this "fact" based life style has left everyone in this town in a "haze". Right from the start we were given a cold and dark image of Coketown, and Dickens purposely begins book two with the town being described as "masses of darkness."Multiple changes had occurred: Tom moved in with Bounderby, Louisa and Bounderby were married, sissy moved in ect, but the one thing that stayed constant from book one to two was this monotonous and "dark" description of the town. I think Dickens is saying that in order for this town to change and not be described as a "blur of soot" and "masses of darkness", someone must take initiative and allow people to realize there is a life out there outside of Coketown where everything is not based on facts. Until then this "darkness" will continue to be in Coketown and this" "blur of soot" will never go away!