Hard Times

Set in the industrial town of Coketown, the story features a diverse cast, including the rigid Professor Gradgrind and the factory owner Bounderby. Gradgrind's strict, utilitarian approach to education and parenting highlights the novel's critique of materialism and capitalist exploitation during the Industrial Revolution. Characters like the compassionate Sissy Jupe and the noble Stephen Blackpool illustrate the human cost of industrialization. With its powerful themes, this widely read work by Dickens delivers a poignant social commentary.