Discussion Topic

The significance and thematic contribution of Mrs. Sparsit in Hard Times

Summary:

Mrs. Sparsit in Hard Times represents the themes of social class and moral decay. Her character is used to critique the pretensions and hypocrisy of the upper class. By showing her fall from grace, Dickens illustrates the instability and superficiality of social status, contributing to the novel's broader criticism of Victorian society's values.

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What is the significance of Mrs. Sparsit's name in Hard Times?

You are right in identifying that Dickens uses names extremely interestingly to suggest aspects about his characters. Thomas Gragrind, for example, obviously suggests something about this character and his approach to education and what he does to children. One way to consider what the name of a character suggests about them is to consider the role they play in the novel and their characteristics.

Mrs. Sparsit, therefore, is Bounderby's housekeeper, who goes to live at the bank appartments when Bounderby marries Louisa. Once a member of the aristocratic elite, Mrs. Sparsit fell on "hard times" after her marriage collapses. Her defining characteristics are her selfishness, her dishonesty and the way she manipulates to get what she wants. It is clear that her overriding ambition is to destroy Bounderby's marriage to Louisa so she can marry him herself. Note how constant reference is made to her background, especially by Bounderby. In...

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a sense, she acts as the opposite to Bounderby, having started off with a high social position and then sunk down into poverty, whereas Bounderby (supposedly) has made the same journey but in the opposite direction.

Considering these characteristics, it is clear then that "Sparsit" indicates and points towards the kind of miserly nature that embodies Mrs. Sparsit - miserly in both her character and with her finances. Her good qualities are "sparse" and her activities and attributes show that her character itself is very limited to her own self-serving interests.

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What themes does Mrs. Sparsit illustrate in Hard Times and why is she important for the plot?

Though Hard Times takes place at a period in British history when the wealthy bourgeoisie were becoming more politically powerful and socially prominent, the old class structures still remained largely in tact. There was a great deal of snob value attached to emulating the values and cultural habits of the traditional upper-classes, even among those who were wealthier than them.

The insufferable Mr. Bounderby is one such snob. He looks upon his housekeeper Mrs. Sparsit as a kind of trophy due to her aristocratic background. Once upon a time Mrs. Sparsit belonged to the social elite, but since her marriage collapsed, she's come down in the world. Nevertheless, she's absolutely determined to reclaim her former place in the social hierarchy. This overriding ambition is to be achieved by wrecking Mr. Bounderby's marriage to Louise and marrying him herself.

However, Mrs. Sparsit's devilish plan backfires. She earns the undying enmity of Mr. Bounderby by accidentally revealing that his own social background was much less humble than he's led everyone to believe. Far from having a hard childhood as he's always claimed, Bounderby had good, caring parents who gave him lots of love and support.

In the cases of both Mrs. Sparsit and Mr. Bounderby, one can see that, for all the great strides that were made in terms of social mobility during this period, it was still very difficult for most people to break out of the class into which they were born.

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