Hard Times

Set in the industrial town of Coketown, this novel critiques the stark social and economic divide of Victorian England, focusing on the struggles between mill owners and workers. It follows Thomas Gradgrind, a strict school superintendent, and his children, Louisa and Thomas, alongside Sissy Jupe, a circus girl. As Louisa faces an unhappy marriage and Thomas succumbs to moral decay, their father's rigid adherence to utilitarianism is challenged, revealing the flaws in his educational philosophy.