چکیده:
The Victorian Age is Paradoxical in England. On the one hand, it is the age of
skepticism and pessimism. On the other hand, it is the period of prosperity and
optimism. The philosophy of utilitarianism makes a good manifestation of this
paradox. And Charles Dickens is pessimistic about utilitarianism, for he
believes it is abused in the Victorian England.
To see how Dickens illustrates abused utilitarianism, this article examines Hard
Times (1989), a novel that is, as Ronald Carter and John Mcrae (2004) assert,
"in many fields the most accessible critique of the society he [Dickens] lived
in (253). It will discuss the educational, social, and economic aspects of
utilitarianism as exemplified in the novel. For each aspect it will deliver some
manifestations. Regarding the educational system, the focus is on the ideas that
Dickens'''' society is deeply negligent of the logic of the heart, and that the
people are denied individuality. Regarding the social aspect the focus is on the
ideas of law corruption and individual alienation. And regarding the economic
aspect, the ideas of widespread poverty and irresponsibility of the rich to the
poor are highlighted.
خلاصه ماشینی:
The subject of Hard Times is abused utilitarianism of which the novel illustrates three aspects in the English Victorian society.
The question is weather Hard Times shows the Victorian English society immune to the abused educational and economic utilitarianisms of Gradgrind and Bounderby, or if it will go gangrenous morally or whatever.
In this way in Hard Times Dickens directs his attention, as Andrew Sanders (1996) says, "to a questioning of social priorities and inequalities, to a distrust of institutions, particularly defunct or malfunctioning ones, and to a pressing appeal of action and earnestness" (404).
Therefore, soon he will arrange for Mr. Sleary, the circus owner, to help Tom escape from Bitzer, Bounderby''''s exemplary, whom he has sent to arrest Tom. Although by so doing Dickens manifests the English Victorian law as antihumanitarian, and, as the result, open to disobedience, law corruption makes another negative aspect of the English Victorian utilitarianism which will be discussed in the second part of this article.
To illustrate how Gradgrind''''s utilitarian educational regime has grinded any grand of Tom into cinder, and how it has metamorphosed him not only into a thief but also into a hypocrite, after Tom robs Bounderby''''s bank, Dickens sets up a conversation between him and Louisa.
(287) To show how the philosophy of utilitarianism is a soft spot in the educational system of the Victorian England, Dickens employs Mrs. Sparsit to spy on Louisa as James Harthuose repeatedly urges her to elope with him.