'Hard times' by Charles Dickens

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 Nirali Vaghela's blog


Comparative study of 'Hard Times' and Hindi film 'Tamasha'.

Introduction 

Hard Times: For These Times (commonly known as Hard Times) is the tenth novel by English author Charles Dickens, first published in 1854. The book surveys English society and satirises the social and economic conditions of the era.



Hard Times is unusual in several ways. It is by far the shortest of Dickens's novels, barely a quarter of the length of those written immediately before and after it.[1] Also, unlike all but one of his other novels, Hard Times has neither a preface nor illustrations. Moreover, it is his only novel not to have scenes set in London.[1] Instead the story is set in the fictitious Victorian industrial Coketown, a generic Northern English mill-town, in some ways similar to Manchester, though smaller. Coketown may be partially based on 19th-century Preston.

One of Dickens's reasons for writing Hard Times was that sales of his weekly periodical Household Words were low, and it was hoped the novel's publication in instalments would boost circulation – as indeed proved to be the case. Since publication it has received a mixed response from critics. Critics such as George Bernard Shaw and Thomas Macaulay have mainly focused on Dickens's treatment of trade unions and his post-Industrial Revolution pessimism regarding the divide between capitalist mill owners and undervalued workers during the Victorian era. F. R. Leavis, a great admirer of the book, included it – but not Dickens's work as a whole – as part of his Great Tradition of English novels.

                         Character 


Tamasha movie review 

Tamasha (transl. Spectacle/Drama)[3] is a 2015 Indian psychological coming-of-age romantic drama film[1] written and directed by Imtiaz Ali and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala from his studio, Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment. It stars Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone. The film score and soundtrack album were composed by A. R. Rahman, while the lyrics for the songs were written by Irshad Kamil. Tamasha was filmed in the Indian cities of Shimla, Delhi, Gurgaon, and Kolkata, with additional filming in Tokyo and Corsica. The film tells the story of character Ved Vardhan Sahni (played by Kapoor) in three stages–as a 9-year-old child, a 19-year-old adolescent and a 30-year-old adult in a nonlinear narrative.




A boy meets a girl, in Corsica. They decide not to reveal their real name or personality.
Tamasha is about the journey of someone who has lost his edge in trying to follow acceptable conventions of society. The film is based on the central theme of abrasion and loss of self that happens in an attempt to find oneself.
—King Motwani
All stories are same and yet one needs to find their own story. But before you start the journey of creating your own story, one must free oneself from being a character in stories created by other people. Ved (Ranbir Kapoor) is one such character displaying erratic behavior who realizes that the end to his suffering is to create his own story.
Ved and Tara accidentally meet in Corsica, France and decide to spend the next 7 days together with secretly revealing their true identity or without any promise to meet later, ever. Tara eventually falls in love with Ved and goes to find Ved after 4 years, and helps him to find his true story where he belongs.
—thesangramkakad


Comparative study of 'Hard Times' and Hindi film 'Tamasha'.


*****Here are some possible points of comparison:

1. Critique of Industrialization: Both "Hard Times" and "Tamasha" critique the dehumanizing effects of industrialization. In "Hard Times", Dickens satirizes the excesses of the Industrial Revolution, while in "Tamasha", the film's protagonist, Ved, struggles with the monotony and superficiality of corporate life.

2. Importance of Imagination: Both works highlight the importance of imagination and creativity in human life. In "Hard Times", the character of Sleary, the circus owner, represents the power of imagination, while in "Tamasha", Ved's journey is about rediscovering his own imagination and creativity.

3. Performance and Identity: Both works explore the theme of performance and identity. In "Hard Times", the characters of Sleary and Gradgrind embody different performances of identity, while in "Tamasha", Ved's journey is about finding his true identity and shedding his performative masks.

4. Love and Redemption: Both works feature love as a redemptive force. In "Hard Times", the character of Louisa Gradgrind finds redemption through her love for Sleary, while in "Tamasha", Ved finds redemption through his love for Tara.

*****Here are some additional points of comparison between "Hard Times" and "Tamasha":

1. Social Class and Inequality: Both works critique social class and inequality. In "Hard Times", Dickens satirizes the excesses of the wealthy elite, while in "Tamasha", the film highlights the contrast between Ved's corporate life and his interactions with people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

2. Personal Freedom and Autonomy: Both works explore the tension between personal freedom and societal expectations. In "Hard Times", the characters of Louisa and Tom Gradgrind struggle with their desire for autonomy, while in "Tamasha", Ved's journey is about breaking free from societal expectations and finding his own path.

3. Emotion and Rationality: Both works highlight the importance of emotion and intuition in human life. In "Hard Times", the character of Sleary represents the power of emotion, while in "Tamasha", Ved's journey is about rediscovering his emotional self.

4. Storytelling and Narrative: Both works feature storytelling and narrative as key elements. In "Hard Times", Dickens uses multiple narratives to critique societal norms, while in "Tamasha", the film's narrative is structured around Ved's storytelling and his journey towards self-discovery.

5. Identity and Self-Discovery: Both works explore the theme of identity and self-discovery. In "Hard Times", the characters of Louisa and Tom Gradgrind grapple with their identities, while in "Tamasha", Ved's journey is about finding his true identity and shedding his performative masks.

6. Social Commentary: Both works offer social commentary on their respective contexts. In "Hard Times", Dickens critiques the excesses of the Industrial Revolution, while in "Tamasha", the film comments on contemporary issues like corporate culture and the search for meaning in modern life.



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