Charles Dickens, Hard Times, Mr. Bounderby

Textual analysis

The extract under analysis is taken from Hard Times, a novel written by Charles Dickens in 1854. In particular, it focuses on Mr. Bounderby. The character is introduced in a descriptive sequence by a third person narrator.

From the beginning of the extract, the reader is able to recognize a technique frequently used in Dickens’ novels: indeed, the characterization of Mr. Bounderby features the grotesque. In particular, grotesque comes to surface in the second sentence by means of contraddiction: the narrator tells the reader that Mr. Gradgrind and Mr. Bounderby are "bosom friends", a relationship that implies strong sentiments while both of them are identified as "devoid of sentiment".

Before explaining the character’s features, the narrator anticipates his similarity to Mr. Gradgrind, thus reminding the reader of the extract entitled “The description of a horse”. Here, Gradgrind is presented as a very rational and concrete man: his features often were references to Maths, such as Mr. Gradgrind’s idea that “two and two made four and nothing more”, or that he always had a calculator in his pocket, as well as his “squared finger”. In the second paragraph, the narrator singles out some of Mr. Bounderby’s physical features with exaggeration (he is compared to a piece of steel and his physical traits are everything but normal, such as his eyebrows and his eyes). Also, the narrator draws the reader’s attention on his job and his social status: in the first sentence of the second paragraph, the narrator tags him with different words linked to the semantic field of commerce with the purpose to underline and emphasize his extraordinary versatility. His social status is high, as implied by the word “banker”, but it wasn’t always like that: at the end of the paragraph it comes out he is a self made man, who left behind himself his old poverty and ignorance, in line with the puritan way of thinking.

Even when speaking of his age, Mr. Bounderby is compared to Mr. Gradgrind. The purpose of using such similarities between the two may be to make them look inseparable (see “bosom friend”). One of Mr. Bounderby’s features is his “windy boastfulness”, which ironically took away all of his hair. His own features bring damage to himself, thus the character is made ridiculous to the reader’s eyes.

The descriptive sequence is followed by a narrative sequence. It contains a direct speech featuring Mr. Bounderby and Mrs. Gradgrind, his “bosom friend”’s wife. The relationship between them is based on a position recalled by their posture: he is standing, while she is sitting. It recalls the sexist attitude typical of the Victorian Age and of every Age in general. The stylistic choices (rhethorical language) and the use of figures such as repetition along the whole dialogue contribute to increase the effect of exaggeration in Mr. Bounderby’s behaviour.