Hard Times by Charles Dickens was written in the mid-1800s, a time when industrial society was causing severe class divisions and poverty. Dickens used the novel, and many others, to express his social theories. In the first book of Hard Times, “Sowing,” Dickens sows or plants the seeds of the novel. The characters are introduced and the plot begins to develop. The main theme of the first book is the important difference between reality and fantasy. The second book, “Reaping,” describes the harvest of what the characters have sown in their lives, such as dishonesty, facts rather than imagination or misfortune. Each character reaps a different harvest from what they sow. The final book, “Garnering,” features the characters after the harvest, gathering what was left or picking up the pieces around them. This could also refer to the end of the story. Each book describes how life in 19th century England was filled with logic and conformity. However, some characters change from the beginning to the end of the novel in terms of their view of feelings, expression of emotions, and their imagination. The first book of the novel, "Sowing", represents the beginning of the novel and the sowing of the novel. plot and characters. Mr. Gradgrind is introduced first and begins the novel by saying, "Now what I want are facts." » He believes that children should only be taught concrete facts. The character of Sissy Jupe, whose father is part of a circus, is also introduced. Mr. Gradgrind tells him that the circus is not respectable and that it should not be discussed in class. Sissy doesn't like facts and prefers to use her imagination. However, Mr. Gradgrind tells her that she must not believe in fantasy, and instead tells her: "you must be in all things regular... middle of paper... rewarded." However, most of the characters cannot be called good or bad, and some of their fates turned out to be different from what was expected. For example, Mr. Blackpool died, Mr. Gradgrind had to depend on the circus, one of the things he despised due to its whimsy, to save the life of one of his children just to have him die anyway, and Louisa never had any luck. his own family. However, they were able to experience some kind of happiness within their troubled lives. By the end of the novel, each character's future is addressed, but the larger picture of social issues is not as much. Dickens focused more on his attention to character details rather than social issues, but they always remained within the context of the story. However, through the characters of the novel, Dickens shows the dangers of a society that actually believes in more than emotions and imagination..