The most impressive aspect of the film Hard Times is its ability to accurately paint the divide between the upper and middle class during the industrial revolution without explicitly doing so. According to depictions in the film, working and living in an industrialized city was less than desirable. It was a time of poor work conditions, unfair wages, and unequal rights for women. It never explicitly addresses the poor work conditions in the film, but it’s evident they exist when the “hands” turn to the smooth talking union spokesman Slackbridge to attempt to unionize. The low wages is evident for both men and women at two different parts during the film. In the first part of the film, Louisa is forced to marry Josiah Bounderby because as her father puts it, “he has a substantially higher income then she’ll ever be able to earn.” Also, a worker in the factory named Stephen falls in love with a girl named Rachael, but is unable to obtain a divorce from his estranged wife because only the wealthy can afford them. It’s also evident from the film that life in early-industrialized cities was a time of unequal rights for woman. The women were subject to their man’s authority and wishes throughout the film. An example of this is where Bounderby, upset when he finds out that Louisa doesn’t love him, goes on a huge rant to Louisa’s father about how he can’t let her go because it would ruin his reputation and Louisa doesn’t appreciate him or all he’s done for her.
Based on my interpretation of the readings, I would argue that the depictions in the movie of the working class in that time period were accurate. The poor work conditions are described explicitly throughout the chapter. Workers on average worked twelve to fourteen hours a day, six days a week. On top of the exhausting work schedule, workers also had to keep up with the pace of the machines. The fast paced, reckless nature of the work also meant the workers faced potential serious or fatal accidents on the...