The Implications of the Social Behaviour on Characters in Charles Dickens’s Hard Times (1854)

Abstract

This present work seeks to investigate the refractions of the social behaviour of the Victorian industrial society on fictitious characters in Charles Dickens‗s Hard Time (1854). In other words, it aims at depicting the traces of the real Victorian lifestyle on characters in one of the greatest Dickensian novels; which some critics view as a dazzling unique masterpiece due to its philosophical, psychological and linguistic depth. It, therefore, depicts the reflections of the social environment on the psychological and behavioural structure of the character. The main reasons that triggered this research are two-fold. First, to decipher the Sociological perplexity of this novel. Second, to spot and unveil Charles Dickens‘s talent in depicting these reflections. In so doing, it is necessary to shed light on the major characteristics of the Victorian Era. Based on the survey of the social background of the Victorian era and the descriptive analytical methods of characters, it becomes clear that the relationship between characters and society is dialectical and reciprocal. The characters affect and are affected by society.