One of the most beautiful
and prominent passages of Hard Times comes in the final chapters of the first
book. Louisa seems stricken with the
sense of entrapment as she stares longingly at the fire after she has met with
her dear brother Thomas. Dickens
expertly writes her thoughts on her current situation by stating that Louisa “tried
to discover what kind of woof Old Time that greatest and longest established
Spinner of all, would weave from the threads he had already spun into a woman”
(95). This passage has wonderful imagery
and symbolism. The allusion of the spinner
captivates the reader, emphasizing the fact that Louisa has no control over her
life and the only one that can dictate her future is the “longest established
Spinner of all”. The allusion to the
Spinner also signifies that while time can be compared to the machines of
Coketown, it is actually a very delicate and careful process that takes time to
produce something beautiful. Ultimately
this passage asserts the powerlessness that Louisa holds, but the reader is
assured that the Spinner is doing a detailed and careful job and the end
product will be beautiful.
I agree that that is a beautiful quote and would like to suggest that the sentence following is just as beautiful: "But, his factory is a secret place, his work is noiseless, and his Hands are mutes" (95). The work done by the Spinner becomes like a secret art and the reader is reminded that although the Spinner may be the controller of the future his work, just like the future, remains a mystery.
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