Major themes in the novel Hard Times Charles Dickens is known for criticizing the social class system of the Victorian era, and the exploitation of the poor. Hard Times is no exception to this rule. Dickens attacks the Utilitarian education, the arrogance of the middle and upper class, and the industrial revolution. He praises the working class on their morals and their ability to earn an honest living. Hard Times Hard Times is the title …showed first 75 words of 378 total…

…showed last 75 words of 378 total…written from a middle class point of view. Dickens very cleverly refers to the effects of the industrial revolution. Reference to the poor living and working conditions, the unsanitary environment and dangerous machinery in the factories is mentioned continually as a way to describe settings, and as an underlying criticism of the Victorian middle class era. There are a number of sub themes that could also be mentioned. For example: Loyalty, hypocrisy, double standards, education.