The Industrial Revolution Impact on Families as Seen in Hard Times

Abstract

This paper investigates how the Industrial Revolution affected the life of the British society's families in the Hard Times novel. Throughout this discussion, the researchers will examine the main dimensions that had its negative influence on changing the situations of the families and the internal relationships among the families members till everything was muddled and hard as this novel is titled. In Hard Times, Charles Dickens represents four families of different social framework, Gradgrind's family, Stephen's family, Bounderby's family, and the circus performers' family. When the researcher explores each one of those families, she finds that the industrial revolution's impact is really tough, since those families keep suffering throughout the novel due to its cruelty. This revolution is powerful enough to make the relationship among parents and their children, and among husbands and wives cold, uncomfortable, and lacking the usual warm familiar atmosphere.