In Hard Times by Charles Dickens, what does James Harthouse symbolize?

Every single character in Charles Dickens’ Hard Times represents a trope or facet of Victorian society. Mr. James Harthouse is no exception. He represents the archetypal “rake,” or a wealthy, handsome man who takes advantage of women. Like all of Dickens’ characters, Harthouse is a gross exaggeration of these tropes, as he is also manipulative and uncaring. Moreover, he is an embodiment of a bored, listless member of the upper class. Harthouse acknowledges his constant boredom:

“I have not so much as the slightest predilection left. I assure you I attach not the least importance to any opinions. The result of the varieties of boredom I have undergone, is a conviction (unless conviction is to industrious a word for the lazy sentiment I entertain on the subject), that any set of ideas will do just as much good as any other set, and just as much harm as any other set. There's an English family with a charming Italian motto. What will be, will be. It's the only truth going!” (100).

He personifies the major tenets of the rake by pursuing Louisa, at this point in the novel an unhappily married woman. He does this not because he is passionate about her, but instead because he wants something to do. He pushes this relationship to the point that he could ruin Louisa’s name forever; he, of course, will be unaffected, but if they are caught, she will shoulder the majority of the blame. Sissy essentially runs the rakish Harthouse off, and he learns nothing from his experiences:

“The moral sort of fellows might suppose that Mr. James Harthouse derived some comfortable reflections afterward, from this prompt retreat, as one of his few actions that made any amends for anything, and as a token to himself that he had escaped the climax of a very bad business. But it was not so, at all. A secret sense of having failed and been ridiculous-- a dread of what other fellows who went in for similar sorts of things, would say at his expense if they knew it-- so oppressed him, that what was about the very best passage in his life was the one of all others he would not have owned to on any account, and the only one that made him ashamed of himself” (177).

Thus, Harthouse represents the unrepentant rake. He passes through his comfortable life with a sense of ennui and makes no effort to better himself.

My textual evidence is pulled from the 3rd Edition Norton Critical Edition.

What is the significance of the name James Harthouse in Hard Times?

Names in Hard Times often suggest prominent traits in their characters. For example, the harsh gr sound repeated twice in Gradgrind's name, as well as the word grind in the second syllable, together reflect the grating, machinelike quality of this character's utilitarian philosophy and personality.

Harthouse, with its breathy h sounds, likewise reflects the superficial, merely skin-deep qualities of this aristocrat on the make. The word hart, which sounds like heart, suggests that love might be central to this character. In fact, this part of his name is ironic, because Harthouse is a smooth operator who merely toys with lonely Louisa out of a passing infatuation. Rather than a person of strong sentiment or feeling, Harthouse is calculating and cynical. He is not really capable of love. He is out for what he can get for himself. He wants to enter politics and hopes for Bounderby's financial support. He hopes, too, that his winning surface personality can get him patronage and votes.

I am sorry, but according to enotes regulations I am only able to answer one of your questions and so have edited your question accordingly. Your question however identifies the way that Dickens chooses his names and how they play a central role in identifying aspects of the character, even before we have met them.

In this novel, James Harthouse plays the role of a dandy eager to find a new conquest. As shown by the way that he sets out to seduce Louisa, he has no moral compunctions that prevent him from engaging in unscrupulous practices - he is happy to manipulate and use other people, such as "the whelp," Tom, Louisa's brother, for his own ends and purposes, and clearly has no actual romantic love for Louisa. Based on this description, the word "hart" refers to a deer that is hunted, just as Harthouse likes to "hunt" and pursue innocent women, such as Louisa. I wonder too whether "Harthouse" could refer to the inaccessibility of his own heart - it is firmly locked away and cannot be touched. Harthouse is not one to let his heart become involved in his amusement. It is clear that he is a character that never engages seriously in anything, as he has only come to study politics to alleviate his "boredom," and with the way that he so quickly relinquishes Louisa we can see that his pursuit of her was just another diversion too.