This is the second Charles Dickens book ever that I’ve been able to read cover to cover, and I’m glad that I did. His books take a very slow pace, so I did actually have a *hard time* finishing it, but it did take off in the last quarter. I have many thoughts, so here’s a rant:
Between the comic simplicity of the characters, and the dark smoky setting of the fictional town, there was a lot that appealed to me. The characters of Bounderby, Mrs. Sparsit, and Mrs. Gradgrind all realistically ridiculous, felt like inflated versions of people I’ve met and interacted with. It’s particularly interesting to me because this book was arguably written a very long time ago, yet a lot of what was in there seemed to apply to me and my city right now, in 2023. All in all, I couldn’t help but think “someone should turn this into a play” throughout the whole thing. You may educate me on this if I’m wrong, but Charles Dickens also displays a whole lot of socialistic ideals in this book (which I liked), which I sort of did not expect because (as I recall–and I may not recall correctly) in his other book, “a tale of two cities”, he didn’t seem like he was a big fan of revolutions.
I loved the development of the relationship between Loo and her dad. I felt so betrayed when she was married off, and I counldn’t stop thinking how selfish it was of her dad to do so, but it also resonated with me because these sorts of marriages are still widely prevalent in my community. It was definitely an interesting take, but it also wasn’t realistic enough for my taste (obviously this book was written a long time ago and I don’t expect it to talk about the brutal realities of child marriages).
I kind of disliked harthouse as a character, even though I felt as though I was supposed to find him likeable. I just found him audacious and manipulative to be honest. It really didn’t feel like he was interested in Loo as much as he was interested in trying his hand in “getting” her. He was however, the first person to recognize that every single male figure in Loo’s life was a piece of shit, which I did appreciate.
Speaking of shitty male figures, Bounderby was the worst of them, but her brother (the whelp) was actually a different breed of obnoxious. It really hurt me to see his family go to such lengths to save his ass, when he really did not deserve it, and I couldn’t stop thinking about how he literally caused Stephen’s death, and he wasn’t just a thief, he was also a murderer, yet they were trying to help him avoid all consequence? and for what? I guess it’s okay to murder, as long as its poor people you’re murdering (another sentiment that applies to my community lol).
final notes: I noticed the names and how they correlate to the characters’ personalities. I liked the setting and how it played a role in shaping the story. I liked the contrast between Coketown and the rest of the world. I’m proud to have predicted that Mrs. Pegler was Bounderby’s mom from her first appearance (I mean come on). Finally, I think there’s a metaphor to be found in the fact that Stephen (Blackpool) fell into a “hell pit” and died there on accident.
by Piazytiabet