Beginning of Essay
Charles Dickens' novel, Hard Times, is a story of two struggles--the struggle of fact versus imagination and the struggle between two classes. It takes place in Coketown, and industrial-age English city. The novel is divided into two sections. One deals with t ....

Middle of Essay
.... were few in numbers, are dominant over the middle class, which is larger in numbers. Stephen Blackpool represents the working class. He is a warm- hearted man trapped in thes run down society. He feels he deserves this mediocre lifestyle. Blackpool was originally employed under Bounderby, but is fired for standing up for his beliefs. This type of behavior was totally unacceptable during the period of time as it involved imagination and independance. Bounderby portrayed himself as a self-made man,when in fact, he had eveything handed to him with a silver spoon. His mother gave him the very best of everything, including a wonderful educati ....