Hard Times

Thomas Gradgrind, citizen of Coketown and passionate advocate of utilitarianism, has two children: Louisa and Tom. Through habitual suppression of the fanciful aspects of their natures, he believes that he has prepared his children well for life. A sardonic critique of the excessive rationalism popularized by such theorists as Jeremy Bentham and James Mill, the narrative of “Hard Times” follows the unraveling lives of Louisa and Tom as they struggle to make their way in the world.