1.
P. 189 Chapter 9: Hearing the Last of it
“This again made…law to her”.
The
narrator’s sarcastic tone when elaborating on Mrs. Sparsits attitudes and
interactions toward Mr. Bounderby reveals her passive aggressive approach to
win him over and take Louisa’s place to regain her high position in society-
showing the narrator’s negative opinion of Mrs. Sparsit. Mrs. Sparsit repeatedly calls Louisa “Mrs.
Gradgrind” instead of her real title: Mrs. Bounderby. She insists that she does
not ”mean” to call her by her wrong name but seen as it is done multiple times,
it can be inferred that Mrs. Sparsit is passively and systematically degrading
Louisa to make her realize she is not worthy to even be called “Mrs. Bounderby”.
Mrs. Sparsit continues her maniacal degradation of Louisa by going as far as
making Mr. Bounderby breakfast because his time is “so very precious”. Mrs.
Sparsit is moving in on and taking over Louisa’s wifely duties. She plays it
off like she is doing Louisa a favor by making her husband breakfast but
normally, a stranger would not be so concerned if a their friend had eaten
breakfast or not. Mrs. Sparsit makes Louisa look like an inadequate wife by
doing her job as “wife” better than her. The narrator draws a paradox by sarcastically
euphonizing Mrs. Sparsits actions; she is very courteous but her actions like
calling Louisa “Mrs. Gradgrind” and pointing out all her faults like waking up
too late to make her own husband breakfast- reveals that Mrs. Sparsit has ulterior
motives and plans to sway Mr. Bounderby away from his own wife into her greedy,
open arms.
2.
How is poetic justice exhibited in Hard Times through the
character of Bounderby; what about the narrator’s tone reveals that it is in
fact, poetic justice?
Babbitt by
Sinclair Lewis takes place in 1920s American suburbia. George Babbitt is a
family man with a steady job, a house, car and possessions just like
everyone else. Babbitt has everything he could ever want but yet as the book
goes on the reader can tell he is absolutely miserable in his superficial and unfulfilling
life. In the last paragraph of the book, Babbitt reveals that he has never done
anything in life that he actually “wanted’ to do. This is reflective of Louisa in Hard Times
because although she has everything to make her happy, like a rich husband, a
large house and expensive possessions- she is not. Louisa has always done as
her father and everyone in Coketown has told her to do, never doing what she
wants, not even marrying out of love- just like George Babbitt. Both Hard Times and Babbitt warn of the
personal dangers of living a superficial life. Both books urge the reader to do
what makes them happy because
otherwise they will be doomed to the same unhappy fates as Louis and George.
I think Bounderby is a perfect product of Coketown and Industrialized society. I think it is poetic justice in the sense that Bounderby is so successful in this town, yet unsuccessful in things that should matter most to people (ie. his marriage)In a way I feel like the narrator is quite cynical towards Bounderby. On page 286 (to explain shortly) while the narrator describes Bounderby's future he uses alliteration of the letter B. This alliteration makes the pace of the passage much quicker. It is almost mocking as the contents of the paragraph include Bounderby's future successes, failures and impending death -all in a matter of sentences. It's poetic justice in seeing the what may seem successful character, wiped out so quickly due to his meaningless life.
ReplyDeleteRebeka, I think you explained a great analysis of how Bounderby's character represents poetic justice in the Coketown society, to add onto what you have said, I also think that poetic justice is seen in Bounderby's character as a "self-made man." In Book 1, when his character is being introduced and he is meeting Mrs. Gradgrind, Bounderby has no problem in repeating the fact that he was born in a ditch and "hadn't a shoe to his foot" (21), revealing to both Mrs. Gradgrind and the reader how proud and successful he had become from practically nothing. Bounderby is seen as extremely successful in the story until the end because he is so fact-based that he fits in very well in the Gradgrindian society. Because he is this successful "self-made man," Mr. Gradgrind sees Bounderby as a great man and is more than happy when Louisa marries him. However, it is revealed later in the book that the marriage between Louisa and Bounderby is anything but happy, and ultimately Louisa has a complete melt down. Around the time that Louisa and Bounderby's marriage breaks up, it is uncovered that Bounderby's apparent "self-made man" image is all a like, and he was actually raised by a loving mother, Mrs. Pegler. Bounderby's revealed truth exemplifies poetic justice because finally after sneaking around behind many lies about his marriage and his image of success, he is finally seen for who he truly is. The narrator's tone reveals the poetic justice in a similar way to Rebeka's example, by using an small but useful alliteration of the letter B, "Detected as the Bully of humility, who had built his windy reputation upon lies, and in his boastfulness had put the honest truth as far away from him ."The alliteration strongly emphasizes the menacing and untruthful behavior of Bounderby which had finally, and justly, been revealed.
ReplyDelete~Jess S
At the beginning of the book, Stephen Blackpool came to Bounderby asking him for advice regarding his failed marriage. Stephen implies that he wants a divorce, but Bounderby shoots him down, saying that he "took her for better for worse" (75). However, after Bounderby marries Louisa, things don't go very well for him either. When he speaks to Gradgrind about ending the marriage, Gradgrind responds back with "you have accepted a great charge of her; for better for worse" (236). This is definitely poetic justice, since Gradgrind repeats Bounderby's words right back to him. This makes Bounderby appear to be a hypocrite; this hypocrisy by Dickens contributes to a certain vengeful tone, like Bounderby deserves it.
ReplyDeleteBounderby is also hypocritical in his acceptance of the class system in Coketown. In the beginning of the book when he is talking to Mr E.W.B. Childers about Sissy's father leaving her, he says "Now, I'll tell you what, young man. I haven't always occupied my present station in life... I was born in a ditch, and my mother ran away from me."(37) He treats the "hands" in Coketown as if they are less of a human being than the upper class citizens like himself and thinks they need to stay in their place (the lower, working class) in order for society to continue to function properly. He would have been one of the hands if he had not risen above his situation early in life. Bounderby's factual society being criticized throughout the entire novel emphasizes the hypocrisy of Mr. Bounderby.
ReplyDeleteBridget B.