Hard Times

Mrs. Sparsit sits in her apartment at Bounderby’s bank. She talks to Bitzer, who has graduated from school and works as a porter at the bank. She complains about the town’s workers coming together in “class combinations.” They talk about Tom, who Bitzer says is a “dissipated, extravagant idler” (103). Their discussion is interrupted by a knock on the door. A well-dressed young man enters, explaining that he has arrived in Coketown at the behest of Mr. Gradgrind to enter politics. Mrs. Sparsit is impressed by the young man’s eloquence and “excessive gentility.” The young man’s only concern is Louisa Bounderby, as he has assumed that she must be an “absolutely unapproachable” middle-aged woman. Mrs. Sparsit assures him that he’s mistaken. The young man is relieved.

The well-dressed young gentleman is James Harthouse, a man afflicted with perpetual boredom. After “he got bored” (108) in every other profession, he hopes that Gradgrind and politics will stimulate his mind. He has been sent to Coketown to familiarize himself with the city’s political situation. While he doesn’t agree with Gradgrind’s philosophy, he’s willing to adopt it as he explores the world of politics. Harthouse is invited to Bounderby’s for dinner. During the meal, he’s struck by the young and “utterly indifferent” Louisa.