Hard Times · Chapter
XII: The Old Woman explained
Stephen Blackpool encounters a mysterious old woman who has traveled from the country to catch a glimpse of Mr.
What happens
Stephen Blackpool encounters a mysterious old woman who has traveled from the country to catch a glimpse of Mr. Bounderby. She is fascinated by the factory and Stephen's work there, and she kisses his hand. After she leaves, Stephen reflects on his troubled home life and his unspoken love for Rachael, feeling trapped by his marriage to a drunken wife.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Inequality
The old woman's reverence for Bounderby and the factory highlights the class divide and the worship of industrial success.
Compassion and Human Connection
Stephen's kindness to the old woman and his longing for Rachael's comfort underscore the need for human connection amidst industrial alienation.
Marriage and Gender Roles
Stephen's trapped marriage to a drunken wife and his unfulfilled love for Rachael illustrate the constraints of Victorian marriage laws and gender expectations.
Characters to notice
- Stephen Blackpool
Stephen meets an old woman outside Bounderby's house, then returns to work, later broods over his miserable home life and his feelings for Rachael.
- Rachael
Rachael is mentioned as the one person who can calm Stephen's anger; he waits for her but she has already gone.
- Josiah Bounderby
Bounderby is the gentleman the old woman came to see; Stephen describes him as portly, bold, outspoken, and hearty.
- Mrs. Pegler
The old woman is later revealed to be Mrs. Pegler, though not explicitly named in this chapter; she is the mysterious visitor.
Key passages
“I must kiss the hand that has worked in this fine factory for a dozen year!”
The old woman insists on kissing Stephen's hand because he has labored in the factory for twelve years.
This act shows her reverence for industrial labor and her sentimental view of the factory.
“Better to have no home in which to lay his head, than to have a home and dread to go to it, through such a cause.”
Stephen feels that having a home he fears to return to is worse than being homeless.
This reflects his despair over his alcoholic wife and his trapped domestic situation.
“He thought of the waste of the best part of his life, of the change it made in his character for the worse every day, of the dreadful nature of his existence, bound hand and foot, to a dead woman, and tormented by a demon in her shape.”
Stephen reflects on how his marriage has ruined his life, worsened his character, and left him tied to a woman who is like a dead weight and a torment.
This highlights the theme of marriage as a trap and the psychological toll of his situation.