At an early age, every person is exposed to objects that stimulate our imagination: nursery rhymes such as Old McDonald, or television shows such as Barney. From then on, we grow up to be balanced, healthy people, a perfect mix of both creativity and smarts. Rarely are there times where one is raised in extreme conditions, such as exposure to only studies and facts, or raised purely on sweets and fairy tales. This is the case in Charles Dicken’s Hard Times, for we see the confrontation of the world of Fact colliding into Fancy. Life in Coketown, a small mill settlement, is characterized by hard evidence, facts. This is world of Fact, and those raised by this firm system can see the world in nothing other than straight, black and white lines. Mr. Gradgrind, his children Louisa Gradgrind and Tom Gradgrind, and Mr. Bounderby are a few characters that reside in this world full of linearity. When the circus comes to town, however, their world is turned upside down. For the first time, Fancy enters this forsaken land and launches a string of events that lead, not only to tragedy, but happiness. Sissy Jupe, Stephen Blackpool, and Rachael represent the world of Fancy. With the introduction of this new force, the two worlds no longer exist separately but begin to mesh together. We find that, although these incredible opposites may seem least likely to fit together, it is with the combination of these two opposites that allow us to grow to be reasonable adults.
In several key scenes, we see the forces and views of the education of the mind and the education of the heart ultimately has to combine for one to feel whole. On one side, Mr. Gradgrind, Louisa and Bitzer represent the education of the mind, where they are raised, taught, and conditioned to view the world in terms of statistics and details. Mr. Gradgrind educated all the children in the Gradgrind School to grow solely on Fact, so when Bitzer, a juvenile child conditioned by this system, is asked to define a...