Montreal Dickens Fellowship Study Questions: “Hard Times”
May 4, 2022
Book III, Chapters 3 - 9
- Why do you think Stephen did not return when summoned to clear his name?
- All of Dickens’s novels are filled with coincidence. Sissy and Rachel’s finding Stephen down the old mineshaft is a prime example of this. Does having to suspend your belief in realism detract from your enjoyment of the novel?
- The “big reveal” that Mr. Bounderby is Mrs. Pegler’s well brought up son had been long anticipated. Did this scene meet your expectations? Were you glad that Bounderby got his comeuppance?
- Stephen’s dying words (so eloquent for a crushed man!) reveal Dickens message very effectively. Comment on how Dickens used melodrama and pathos to stir the emotions of the reader and make them attend to serious issues of the day more than sheer reporting ever could.
- Discuss Dickens’s religious views in light of Stephens’s vision of the star.
- What impressed you most about the rescue scene? Was it the suspense? The efficiency of the machinery? The cooperation between all the classes in the face of a crisis? The sentimental portrayal of Stephen’s death?
- Do you want Tom to escape unpunished? Why? Why not?
- Describe the pace of this novel. “Hard Times” is shorter than Dickens’s other works but has less dialogue to carry the plot along. Did you find it an “easy” read?
- What is the significance of Tom being hidden by Mr. Sleary in the guise of a black-faced clown?
- Discuss the symbolism of Mr.Gradgrind being made to wait in a chair in the center of the circus “ring”. Comment on Mr. Sleary’s advice to Mr. Gradgrind about the power of love, tolerance for people who serve others by entertaining them and society’s need for imagination and recreation.
- Were you shocked by Bitzer’s attempt to foil Tom’s escape?
- Were you surprised by Mr. Sleary’s attitude towards Tom and his crime?
- How was Tom’s escape effected without implicating the circus people as accessories?
- What does the return of Merrylegs mean? What lessons does it teach us about love and loyalty? Dickens loved dogs. Can you name other important dogs in Dickens’s works?
- For those who may be familiar with “Nicholas Nickleby”, compare and contrast Mr. Crummle’s Theatre Troupe and Sleary’s circus. How do they re\lect Dickens’s love of the stage?
- Comment on Dickens’s literary technique of tying all the threads of the book together by predicting everyone’s future in the fire. Did you find this satisfying? Were you surprised by the fates of the characters?
- Comment on Dickens use of “Let it be”, “Que sera sera” and “Laissez Faire”.
- Do you think this novel is outdated?
- Compare and contrast “Hard Times” with other Dickens novels you may have read.