Review of Charles Dickens hard times

Essay by johnallaghUniversity, Bachelor's March 2004

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Charles Dickens Hard Times

In early society and presently, the indifference and unfairness to women exists among us in different ways. Men believe that they are superior to the female. This injustice probably stems from Biblical times. Eve was created from Adam's rib. They were sent out of the Garden of Eden, when they committed sin. Adam had to toil the ground to feed his family. Eve had to conceive and born children that was her job. This early model of mans domination over woman sets the stage for a long-standing belief that continues to this day.

A startling example of this way of thinking is Darwin's theory of evolution. Darwin theorizes that women are naturally inferior to men because of their role in reproduction (Schechner 20). A woman's natural role is to born and cares for children, while man's natural role is to support and protect his family. The task of a man requires intelligence.

He must think of ways to provide the basic necessities for his family (food, shelter). He also shield's his offspring from danger. The intellectual prowess of men increased because they used logic and reason to survive. Nature requires less from a woman because her role in procreation is purely physical (Schechner 33). Neither the formation of the child inside of her womb nor the production of milk in her breast is dependent on a female's ability to think. Females are not allowed to hold certain positions in society or hold certain jobs. Males believe that females are better homemakers so therefore, most women are housewives. Darwin also argued that women should not be let to study more than the elementary level of education.

In Hard Times the woman question is very evident. There is absolute disregard for the women, which is illustrated in the...