Hard Times · Chapter
Final explained
The final chapter resolves the fates of the main characters.
What happens
The final chapter resolves the fates of the main characters. Mr. Bounderby, in a fit of pique, dismisses Mrs. Sparsit, who retaliates with scorn. The narrative then projects into the future: Bounderby dies of a fit, leaving a vainglorious will; Mr. Gradgrind, humbled, bends his philosophy to include Faith, Hope, and Charity; and Louisa, watching the fire, sees visions of Rachael's quiet, compassionate life, her brother Tom's death in penitence, and Sissy's happy, loving family. The chapter ends with a direct appeal to the reader to choose a similar path of humanity and imagination.
Themes in this chapter
Hypocrisy and Self-Deception
Bounderby's self-aggrandizing dismissal of Mrs. Sparsit and his vainglorious will exemplify his lifelong hypocrisy and blindness to his own faults.
Compassion and Human Connection
The futures of Rachael, Sissy, and Louisa highlight the redemptive power of compassion, imagination, and human connection over cold fact and self-interest.
Characters to notice
- Josiah Bounderby
Dismisses Mrs. Sparsit in a fit of pride and bluster; later dies of a fit in the street, leaving a ridiculous will.
- Mrs. Sparsit
Is dismissed by Bounderby and responds with contempt; foreseen to fight a daily battle with Lady Scadgers.
- Thomas Gradgrind
Sits thoughtful, bending his inflexible theories to include Faith, Hope, and Charity; publishes exoneration of Stephen Blackpool and guilt of his own son.
- Louisa Gradgrind
Watches the fire with a gentler face; sees visions of Rachael's future, Tom's death, and Sissy's happy children.
- Sissy Jupe
Envisioned as a happy mother with loving children, teaching imaginative graces and beautifying lives of machinery.
Key passages
“It is a dangerous thing to see anything in the sphere of a vain blusterer, before the vain blusterer sees it himself.”
It is risky to perceive something in the domain of a boastful person before they themselves realize it.
Narrator's observation on Bounderby's reaction to Mrs. Sparsit's discovery of Mrs. Pegler.
“Nothing that a Noodle does, can awaken surprise or indignation; the proceedings of a Noodle can only inspire contempt.”
No action by a fool can shock or anger; it can only be met with scorn.
Mrs. Sparsit's final insult to Bounderby, calling him a 'Noodle'.
“Dear reader! It rests with you and me, whether, in our two fields of action, similar things shall be or not. Let them be!”
Dear reader, it is up to us to decide whether such compassionate and imaginative outcomes occur in our own lives. Let us make them happen!
Direct appeal to the reader to choose a path of humanity and imagination.