Time line

Hard time (page 204-300)

When she wakes up, Louisa is slightly disoriented. She does not immediately remember what has happened the night before. Louisa asks her father for advice but he replies that he does not really trust himself to give her the correct advice. To be honest, he simply does not know enough about emotion to offer proper counsel. So after that Harthouse has been waiting for Louisa and has been freaking out because she hasn't come. At first, he waits in Coketown. Then he checks out Bounderby's country house again. Harthouse decides to keep waiting for some kind of message. And the next day, Louisa does not return.

Bounderby, Tom, and Rachael come to see Louisa and Sissy at Gradgrind's house. Rachael asks Louisa to confirm that Louisa came to see her and Stephen at his house before he disappeared. Louisa tells everyone, including her father, about that evening. A week goes by and Stephen does not come back. Sissy goes over to Rachael's place every day after work. They talk about Stephen, and how no one in town trusts him anymore. Louisa starts being worried that not only did Tom rob the bank, but that he also killed Stephen to throw suspicion off himself.

Gradgrind, Bounderby, Louisa, and Tom come up from Coketown. Men go down into the hole, and come back. Stephen is still alive, but very injured. He survived by using one hand to drink some water from a puddle near him and eat some food that was in his pocket. Stephen makes a little speech to Rachael, saying that all the workers who are oppressed by their labor and he then says that he survived because from the hole he could see a star shining in the night sky. He prayed to the star for peace and understanding between workers and factory owners.

So finally Rachael spends the rest of her life taking care of Stephen Blackpool's alcoholic widow. Tom finally realizes the error of his way and writes sad, apologetic letters to his sister from abroad. Finally, he tries to come and see her, but dies on the journey. Louisa never remarries and never has children, but remains sisterly friends with Sissy. Sissy does have happy loving children, who grow up into good, moral adults

HARD TIME (page 101-203)

Louisa comes to talk to her father like he had asked. She stares at her father without emotion, making him really nervous. She asks her father a question. Father do you think I love Mr. Bounderby, do you ask me to love Mr. Bounderby? He tells Louisa that love is not really the point. But finally, totally black-faced and unemotional, Louisa agrees to marry Bounderby. Bounderby fear that how to tell Mrs. Sparsit that he’s going to marry Louisa. And Bounderby offer Mrs. Sparsit as housekeeper of the bank. And she accepts it. And after Bounderby and Louisa got marry. And in the marry date Bounderby to inspect some of his other factories.

A year has passed Mrs. Sparsit, as housekeeper of the Bank, She is waited on by Bitzer, who has become the light porter Bitzer and Mrs. Sparsit gossip and chat about lifeSuddenly, there is a knock at the door. Mrs. Sparsit greets the stranger, who is new to Coketown, and is looking for Bounderby Harthouse is introduced as the brother of a Member of Parliament who is in the same political party as Gradgrind. Has been sent to Coketown to get to know how politics works. And after introduce they have dinner together. So after dinner Tom sees Harthouse as the cool, popular guy, and so is thrilled when Harthouse want to chill with him.

Slackbridge, a union organizer, makes a speech to the Coketown workers, urging them to join the union he represents. Slackbridge is a wordy blowhard, but his main point about sticking it to the man for the bad conditions and low pay plays well to the crowd. The crowd is at first angry, then calms down when Stephen starts to speak to them. Stephen asks to be excused from joining. He supports the workers, but feels like it's wrong to unionize and he just leaves. One night after work, Bitzer asks Stephen to come to Bounderby's house. Bounderby asks Stephen to rat on the union. Stephen refuses to say anything about it.

Bounderby can't take it anymore and fires Stephen and Stephen leaves Bounderby's house. He go see Rachael, Stephen tells Rachael that he will no longer be working at the factory. The next morning he leaves town to find work elsewhere. So after that Bounderby rents a house in the country, away from Coketown. Harthouse comes to visit often. One day, he has a long conversation with Louisa about her brother. And at dinner Tom throws a few kind words Louisa's way, which makes her smile happily.

HART TIME (pages 55-100)

Sissy arrived at Pegasus Arms Inn to bring Gradgrind and Bounderby to see her father but he wasn’t there.  Gradgrind and Bounderby met 2 performers E.W.B Childer, a horse rider, and Master Kidderminster.  Gradgrind and Bounderby argued with performers that performing in the ring and horse rider is a lazy job but they argue back that it is hard to practice.  After Sissy got there she found out that her dad ran away and he wanted her to have education in Coketown School.  Sissy was very sad and change Gradgrind and Bounderby’s mind. 


He offered Sissy to go live with him and stay in school.  Bounderby tells his housekeeper, Bounderby that Gradgrind offers Sissy a place to live and Bounderby will hire Tom as a banker.Tom complaints to Louisa that he wants to live the house and want to go to college but Louisa can help him.

Sissy complaint about her stupidity to Louisa but Louisa said it isn’t.  She said Sissy is a good kind and loving person.  Sissy talked about her good relationship with her father.  Her father love, sacrifies and wished the best for her happiness, she also read novel to him to cheer him up.  Stephen Blackpool a factory worker falls in love with Rachael another factory worker.  He is very unhappy because he has alcoholic’s wife.  

Stephen asked Mr. Bounderby, his boss for an advice about his wife.  Mr. Bounderby said it is illegal for divorce and if he married Rachael he will get punished.  Stephen is depressed when he thinks that he cannot live with Rachael.  When he went back home he found Mrs. Blackpool passed out and Rachael is helping her.Tom told Louisa that if she loves her she shall go marry Bounderby.  

HARD TIME (page 1-54)

          Hard Time depicts story in Coketown, an industrial town of red brick devoted to Fact.  The story mentioned about Labor class is being ignored and looked downby upper class.  Thomas Gradgrind is known under fact, fact, and fact not fancy.  He opposes to poetry, creativity and circus.

          He is not sentimental but cold and known as "Square forefinger . . . square wall of a forehead . . . square coat . . . square legs, square shoulders." Mr. Gradgrind had retired from the hardware business and a member of parliament.  He aware of the wealth and influence of factory owner.  Thomas Gradgrind calls person by number not name.  The next characters is Sissy Jupe.  

          She is a daughter of horserider, she was called " girl number twenty one by Mr. Gradgrind.  Her character is opposite from Mr. Gradgrind.  She has creativity and grown up in circus.  She is one of the student whom respond in class that she will draw flower on the carpet.  

          She was accused to cause Mr. Gradgrind' son, Tom and daughter, Louisa to peek at a circus and wanted Sissy removed from the class.     Mr. Bounderby a wealthy influential factory owner, 47 years old whom claim to have rough childhood and a "self-made man".  Mrs. Sparsit is Mr. Bounderby's housekeeper, a former aristocratic.  

Hard Time