If your last name starts with letters J-R (Hard Times p. 218-278)
Look at the titles of each chapter...
Are they significant? Why/why not? What would Dickens choose to title each chapter as such? Is there a significance to not only what they say, but how little they say?
The titles Dickens chooses for his chapters, especially in this section, are extremely significant of the themes and events of the whole novel. Some of the titles, like "The Starlight" and "Whelp-Hunting" deal directly with symbols and events mentioned in the chapters themselves. But other titles add a level of significance to the chapters. For example, the chapter in which Mr. Bounderby is unwillingly reunited with his mother is titled "Found". On the surface, this title could be considered as just a basic description of the events: Mrs. Sparsit "finds" Bounderby's mother, Mrs. Pegler "finds" her son. But I also think this title holds a deeper meaning. It also represents the fact that the truth about Bounderby has been "found" - it is in this chapter that his image really starts to fall apart, as his entire basis for his pride is destroyed when his mother reveals that he did not actually rise to greatness from a gutter. You could say this is when Bounderby is "found out" to be an excessively prideful and deceitful man. Another chapter I thought had a very significant title was the one called "Philosophical". In this chapter, we see two conflicting "philosophies": that of Bitzer (based on Fact), and that of Mr. Sleary (based on emotion). Surprisingly, it is the philosophy of uneducated, fanciful Mr. Sleary that holds the most truth. In the words of Sleary (minus the lisp, I don't feel like typing it that way), "There is love in the world, not all Self-interest after all..." (281). This statement is more meaningful and more "philosophical" than anything that Bitzer says, despite his powers of reasoning and his knowledge of Fact. The last chapter is simply titled "Final", but I think this title is significant because it is the opposite of what the chapter is about. This chapter is in no way finalizing in terms of the characters futures - although we as the readers get some hints at what is/isn't in store for them, the story ends with the characters musing about their futures. I think this is particularly significant because it brings the point of the novel full-circle: life is not run solely by Fact, and regardless of what the characters know at that point in time, it is the combination of Fact and emotion that will make their futures...if that makes any sense at all!
The titles Dickens chooses for his chapters are very important. It is important to remember how this book was originally written to really understand the importance of the titles. The chapters in this book were written as a series; a chapter was published once a week. The titles of the chapters would have acted, at least partly, as advertising to convince people to buy and read the chapter.
The title of chapter 2 is significant in that it represents exactly how Mr. Harthouse feels after talking to Sissy. "It would make a man so ridiculous, after going in for theses fellows, to back out in such an incomprehensible way" (225). Mr. Harthouse says directly to Sissy that he feels ridiculous that the only way he would be able to help Louissa is to leave Coketown forever.
The title of chapter 3 is also significant in that it represents how Mr. Bounderby feels about Louissa. When he learns from Mrs. Sparsit that Louissa might have committed an infidelity, he refuses to listen to Mr. Gradgrind when he tries to explain her situation. Mr. Bounderby threatens that he will no longer remain married to Louissa if she does not return home the next day, and he follows through on this threat. He resumes his premarital lifestyle. The reader can infer that he decided to do this when he first learned of Louissa.
Found also deals directly with the chapter in which it titles. Mrs. Sparsit “finds” who she believes could be an accessory to the bank robbery. She, however, really “finds” Mr. Bounderby’s mother. The title Lost acts in the same way. Stephen Blackpool claims that he will return home in a couple of days to clear his name, but he has not been seen in a week. As far as Rachael is concerned, he is “lost”.
The titles the Starlight, Whelp-hunting and Philosophical also deal with main ideas and symbols from their chapters.
The only chapter that I thought did not follow this rule was Final. It does serve the purpose of telling the reader that this is the last chapter of the book. It does not, however, conclusively tell the reader what will happen to each character. It leaves the reader to assume some things but I feel it is a little too vague with Louissa. It is known that she will never marry again but I would like to know more about what she will do with her time.
The titles for each chapter of book 3 are very important because they are able to give a brief insight of what is to come in each chapter. For example, the second chapter of book 3, "Very Ridiculous," shows how Harthouse felt after his encounter with Sissy after she told him to leave Coketown. Her actions are indeed "very ridiculous" because she doesn't have the power to control what people do and this also describes the way Harthouse felt after what he was told. I believe that Dickens chose to have the titles the way they are because he didn't want to really give away what was going to happen in the chapters. After you read the chapters you realize the titles do in fact tie into the chapters.
The titles of each of the books are certainly significat because they pertain to what the events in the books accomplish as a while. in the forst book the groundwork for the rest of the novel is layed. Settings, character personalities and scenarios are sprinkled all over this book like seeds over a plot of land. These "seeds" develop into more complex thingsin the second and third books. Mrs. Sparsit, for instance started out as a self absorbed old lady in the first book but develpoed into coniving crone in the second and third books. The title reap is relates to the events of the second book because the characters had to face or reap the aftermath of the "seeds" they layed in the first book. Mr. Harthouse, for example reaped a boot out of Coketown from his actions in the previous book where he courted Louisa. The final book is called garnering because the characters find that they must store away what they reaped from the things they sowed. Tom was garnered in this book. When the characters sent Tom away it was as if they were also storing away all the negativities that he weeped from his reckless gambling actions. Lousia tells Tom she forgives him and therefore puts behind her everyting that she was upsetwith him about. "They all confusedly went out-Lousia crying to him that she forgave him, and loved him still, and that he would one day be sorry to have left her so, and glad to thinkof these her last words, far away" (275). Lousia forgiving Tom showed all these negativities he reaped are now stored away and in the past. The single word titles of these books gives the reader a narrow (and possibly only one) set of possiblities of what each book is depicting. The one word titles make the meanings of each book clear very clear by keeping the reader from interpreting multiple meanings of the titles.one word titles allowed Dickens to get the meanings of the books across to the reader easily because he used a simple method that did not allow for a lot of lenience in interpretations.
Charles Dickins uses the chapter titles for a variety of reasons in furthering the meaning of the novel. On most occasions a simple title is used to give a basic plot overview to what is going to happen such as "Lost" and "found". In the chapter entitled "lost" Stephen Blackpool goes missing after being accused of robbery. After finishing this chapter and moving onto the next one may think that "Found" would refer to Stephen Blackpool being found. However, using an almost ironic literary technique to trick the reader, it ends up that Mr. Bounderby is FOUND to be a complete fraud with no special background as a self-made man. Other titles accomplish something completely different such as "Whelp-Hunting. A Whelp is a child, as found out using the dictionary, and in this chapter Louisa are trying to hunt Tom in order to clear Stephen Blackpool's name. They find Tom, "sulky to the last, whom [Gradgrind] had the misery to call his son," working for the circus. Tom's childhood spent on only facts may have retarded his imagination to the point that as an adult, he still acts like a child, or a whelp, and developed a gambling problem and problems with the law.
Sarah Kapelner (My first post answered the question incorrectly)
The titles of the chapter are significant because they give the reader an idea of what the events will be in each chapter and reveal to them the major events to focus on. The chapters highlight the events that are the most significant to the story. Chapters title after specific events like "Whelp Hunting" point out what important events to the story re going to be taking place in the chapter. The hunt for "the whelp" in this chapter certainly proved to be important to the story as a whole because it shows the consequences of events, character personalities and character relationships established in previous chapters. This particular title highlights the importance of the event it is naming and brings meaning to the events, characters, and character relationships from earlier chapters that are linked to it. Chapters that use descrptive words of the events in the chapter serve the same purpose as those that include events in the name but also describe what the events will be like in addition to what they are. The chapter "Philosophical" was a chapter strongly pertaining to thought. It is Mr. Gradgrind's philosophy that is supported in this chapter. It is revealed in the beginning of the chapter that Gradgrind believes everything is to be paid for. "it was a fundamental principle of Gradgrind philosophy that everything was to be paid for" (277). This theory is depictd in this chapter where Gradgrind feels that he has to pay Sleary for helping Tom. Gradgrind was shown to be a firm practicer of his philosophy in this quote, "All these little tokens of gratitude Gradgrind very willingly undertook to render . Though he thought them far too slight for such a service" (279). The fact that Mr. Gradgrind was so insistent on giving Seary a token of gratitude showed that his commitment to his philosophy was strong and that emphasizes the fact that phlosophy is important in this chapter and is one of the chapters heavy focuses. Because the characters focus heavily on philosophy so does the reader. The brevity of these titles is just as important as the allusions they make because they indicate to the reader what the main focus of each chapter is and allow the reader to orbit the smaller events of the chapter around that single focus. The brief titles allow the reader to focus on what the author meant for he or she to focus on.
Jeff Rossi Before saying anything that answers the question I would like to say that I wish Sleary would refain from speaking. I do not believe in censorship, but he should refrain from speaking. Thanks Dickens also. Good writing (Sarcasm) About the titles The titles of the stories are significant. They are concise, but introduce the subject enough for the reader to understand what is happening, or going to happen in the story. For example, the chapter Mr. James Harthouse, and Whelp-hunting explain the subjects of the chapter. Mr. James Harthouse introduces this character, and Whelp-hunting involves the people finding the Whelp, Tom Gradgrind. Some chapters don't only explain the subject of the chapter, but also the theme and symbols. Chapter X Mrs. Sparsit's staircase is a symbol for how she sees Louisa sinking lower and lower until she does something immoral (Lower and lower is chapter X1) The small amount of wording of the chapters is also significant, because throughout the book, Fact was the dominating idea which faded at the end. The chapters are significant of fact, because they concisely summarize the chapters like facts. A chapter that stands out is the last chapter titled "Final" which is properly named on the Dickens scale of naming, because it is the end, that is an undebated fact. THe last line of this chapter is significant reading, a message from dickens "It rests with you and me whether,in our two fields of action, similar things shall be or not. Let them be! We shall sit with lighter bosoms on the hearth, to see the ashes of our fires turn grey and cold." He is saying that all people are the same, and the world will be more loving and lighter. This contradicts the title of the chapter, because Dickens says that the world is more than fact and should be appreciated in that way
There is major significance within the chapter titles that Dickens uses. They are used in a variety of ways including theme characterization, and foreshadowing.
Ex. The Chapter "Very Ridiculous" relates to Harthouse as he is leaving as he is quoted as saying, "I must not only regard myself as being in a very ridiculous position but as being vanquished at all points." (226) This shows that he even recognizes that the situation of leaving that he has put himself into is a fickle one since he does not fully embrace the idea.
The Fourth chapter "Lost" has deeper implications than just the whereabouts of Blackpool since that is who is being searched for in the chapter. Rather, Bounderby too can be seen as lost as he is in a struggle to find Blackpool and is getting caught up in his attempt to frame him. Rachael also feels lost as she no longer has a connection to Stephen through her letters.
And the foreshadowing is present in the titles "Starlight" and "whelp-hunting" like haven said. Light is a symbol not only for Stephen's survival as he tries to make it out of the mine but also for the hope of society to come and better itself from its current state. "Whelp-hunting" is rather self explanatory as the focus of the chapter is the search for tom.
The last chapter titled "Final" is very appropriate as it is the final chapter of the book. Dicken's clearly used alot of meaning and insight behind it.
These chapter titles really do speak volumes about the section of reading and the book as a whole as just the one to two words set the stage for the pages to come.
The titles of each chapter are significant because they address the theme or symbols in the chapter. Dickens was careful to choose titles that were good representations of each individual chapter. Although some of the chapter titles flow logically, such as chapter 4 which was “Lost” and chapter 5 which was “Found”, the titles are specific to the individual chapter. In chapter 4, the person who was lost was Stephen Blackpool, while the person who was found in chapter 5 was Mrs. Pegler. Dickens also used the chapter titles to signify symbols. This was shown in chapter 6, “The Starlight”, which symbolized Stephen’s death.
Dickens chose to give the chapters concise, unambiguous names in order to parallel the Gradgrind education system which stressed the importance of facts. Each title has a clear purpose and is meant to inform the reader of the theme of each chapter.
Nidhi Nivarthi The titles of each of the chapters in this book are important because they convey to the reader an important part from the chapter. Dickens keeps the titles short, yet informative. For example, the title, "Very Ridiculous" explains that Sissy's idea that she can tell Harthouse to get out of Coketown is kind of ridiculous. She is a young girl and cannot tell someone that much older than her to just leave Coketown. Harthouse felt ridiculous when he heard this as well. Chapter 3 is titled "Very Decided." In this chapter both Gradgrind and Bounderby refuse to give in. Gradgrind doen not change his mind and Bounderby follows through on his words and abandoning Louisa, returns to how he lived his life before he married her. My favorite titles in this section are the titles for chapter 4 and 5. Chapter 4 was titled "Lost" referring to the time when Stephen Blackpool is lost. He cannot be seen and no one knows where he went. The next chapter is titled "Found." This is to represent the Mrs. Peagler, who is found. She is spotted by Mrs. Sparsit and Racheal. "Starlight" is the title of the chapter in which Stephen dies. He is barely hanging onto his life and finally, dies. Another example of a significant title is the last chapter, "Final." This one is quite self-explanatory as the final chapter of the book is titled "Final." Overall, Dickens connects his titles with the plot of the chapter. The short titles tend to leave a stronger impact on the reader and are able to state the major event of the chapter with as few as words as possible.
Dickens title selections tend to reflect the development of the characters pertaining specifically to those chapters. The chapter title "Another Thing Needful" for instance reflects both the content of the chapter and the progression of Louisa and Gradgrind's "recovery". This recovery, specifically, is the process of Gradgrind growing into an emotional human with the ability to love or show emotional tendencies. This ability, is what is the "needful" thing in this chapter--the only solution to Louisa's problem. This chapter title, however, is also quite significant to the story as a whole for it reflects Gradgrinds growth over the course of the entire story. His acceptance of emotions rather than pure solutions to problems is shown initially in the chapter titled: "Another Thing Needful". Dickens evidently used similar titles to not only show Gradgrinds necessity for change--approaching personal conflicts with an open mind, but to also express the purpose of the chapter.
I believe Dickens' simplistic titles are the mere basis for the purpose of that chapter. Widely prominent throughout Romantic writing is the value of purpose and the message or goal of the story. Dickens uses these purposeful titles to demonstrate and emphasize the ultimate goal of that chapter, and evince the desire for finding one's purpose throughout the characters. The ultimate goal of the book is to display the internal conflicts of the characters of Coketown and display their necessity for purpose, so thus , relying on his widely reflective titles, Dickens echoes "purpose" in many ways throughout the story.
Dickens chooses a certain title for each chaprter becuase it is significant and foreshadows what will happen during that chaprter. Although each chapter title may only be one word it is significant becuase that one word summarizes what happens. For example the title of chapter 3 is "Very Decided" this is significant becuase this is the chapter when Mr. Bounderby decides to become a bachelor again and Mr. Graddrind decides that Louisa will stay with him instead of giving into Mr. Bounderby's threat of not being married to her anymore. In chapter 4 the title is "found" this represents that Mrs. Pegler was found and the reader finds out Mr. Bounderbys true past, that it is not as special and wonderful as he makes it out to be. Dickens is extremely clever with his titles although you may think he isnt but they represent the main theme of each chapter.
In this section of the reading, I found that the titles were very significant. (Though that may seem like a common intro sentence, it actually is true! I never noticed the titles before and then in this section I actually took a gander at them.) Anyways, I especially enjored the title "Very Ridiculous" because that is what I found myself thinking while I was reading. It was very ridiculous that Sissy could merely ask Harthous to leave and he would pack up and leave. Dickens writes "A secret sense of having failed and been ridiculous-...so opressed him" (227) as Harthouse is packing up and leaving. He feels that he has failed in accomplishing what he wanted to accomplish in Coketown.
"Lost" was also significant in that the chapter is being spent looking for Stephen Blackpool. Everyone assumes that he was the one who robbed the bank so they want to find him so that he can pay for his crimes.
I was also glad that "Starlight" was the chapter of the title in which Stephen passes away. I thought it was symbolic of how "the star had shown him where to find the God of the poor" (264) and I also thought it was symbolic that the title is "Starlight" because I have always thought that Stephen was a character whose morals were above the others. Now that he has died, he is literally above the others, in heaven.
I also like the simplicity of the titles because they show how much Dickens can say without actually saying much! It makes the reader question the importance of symbols and themes, and makes the reader draw their own conclusions from the titles.
So im a little late but....With everything that Dickens write there is always a hidden meaning so the chapter titles should obviously be included. Most chapter names allude to what will happen in the chapter. For example the chapter entitled "Lost" alludes to Blackpool being suspected and fleaing. Another example would be "Whelp Hunting" refers to the search for Tom. For the majority of the time the chapters either refer to the plot of the chapter or furthur character devepoment that will occur during the chapter.
Dickens is one of the most well-known authors because he can employ a variety of techniques that increase the value of his writing. One of these is the choice of chapter titles. In the time that he wrote this book, a few chapters would be published at a time and people would buy them and then wait for the next section to come out. In order to keep his readers intruiged, he had to be able to give them a quick overview of what was to come in the following chapters or cleverly title them so as to keep his readers guessing. By naming his chapters significantly, he did just this. The title of Chapter 1 is "Another Thing Needful" and in this chapter Gradgrind realizes that he doesn't know how to help Louisa because he never learned how to love. The title is significant because it relates back to the very beginning of the book where we first meet the Fact-based Mr. Gradgrind. The title of that chapter is "The One Thing Needful." By doing this, Dickens is showing that all parts of the book are important. He is also demonstrating how Gradgrind is a dynamic character in that his sentiments from the beginning have changed. He now knows that Fact isn't the only thing to live by and that it cannot fill one's life. Another way that Dickens uses titles is to give a little hint at what is to come. In the chapter titled "Lost", Stephen cannot be found. Similarly in the chapter "Found" characters in the story find that Bounderby is a greedy and deceitful man just like Haven said. These titles give the readers a clue that can help them to see Dickens' message better.
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16 comments:
Haven Jones
The titles Dickens chooses for his chapters, especially in this section, are extremely significant of the themes and events of the whole novel. Some of the titles, like "The Starlight" and "Whelp-Hunting" deal directly with symbols and events mentioned in the chapters themselves. But other titles add a level of significance to the chapters. For example, the chapter in which Mr. Bounderby is unwillingly reunited with his mother is titled "Found". On the surface, this title could be considered as just a basic description of the events: Mrs. Sparsit "finds" Bounderby's mother, Mrs. Pegler "finds" her son. But I also think this title holds a deeper meaning. It also represents the fact that the truth about Bounderby has been "found" - it is in this chapter that his image really starts to fall apart, as his entire basis for his pride is destroyed when his mother reveals that he did not actually rise to greatness from a gutter. You could say this is when Bounderby is "found out" to be an excessively prideful and deceitful man. Another chapter I thought had a very significant title was the one called "Philosophical". In this chapter, we see two conflicting "philosophies": that of Bitzer (based on Fact), and that of Mr. Sleary (based on emotion). Surprisingly, it is the philosophy of uneducated, fanciful Mr. Sleary that holds the most truth. In the words of Sleary (minus the lisp, I don't feel like typing it that way), "There is love in the world, not all Self-interest after all..." (281). This statement is more meaningful and more "philosophical" than anything that Bitzer says, despite his powers of reasoning and his knowledge of Fact. The last chapter is simply titled "Final", but I think this title is significant because it is the opposite of what the chapter is about. This chapter is in no way finalizing in terms of the characters futures - although we as the readers get some hints at what is/isn't in store for them, the story ends with the characters musing about their futures. I think this is particularly significant because it brings the point of the novel full-circle: life is not run solely by Fact, and regardless of what the characters know at that point in time, it is the combination of Fact and emotion that will make their futures...if that makes any sense at all!
Rachel Kapelner
The titles Dickens chooses for his chapters are very important. It is important to remember how this book was originally written to really understand the importance of the titles. The chapters in this book were written as a series; a chapter was published once a week. The titles of the chapters would have acted, at least partly, as advertising to convince people to buy and read the chapter.
The title of chapter 2 is significant in that it represents exactly how Mr. Harthouse feels after talking to Sissy. "It would make a man so ridiculous, after going in for theses fellows, to back out in such an incomprehensible way" (225). Mr. Harthouse says directly to Sissy that he feels ridiculous that the only way he would be able to help Louissa is to leave Coketown forever.
The title of chapter 3 is also significant in that it represents how Mr. Bounderby feels about Louissa. When he learns from Mrs. Sparsit that Louissa might have committed an infidelity, he refuses to listen to Mr. Gradgrind when he tries to explain her situation. Mr. Bounderby threatens that he will no longer remain married to Louissa if she does not return home the next day, and he follows through on this threat. He resumes his premarital lifestyle. The reader can infer that he decided to do this when he first learned of Louissa.
Found also deals directly with the chapter in which it titles. Mrs. Sparsit “finds” who she believes could be an accessory to the bank robbery. She, however, really “finds” Mr. Bounderby’s mother. The title Lost acts in the same way. Stephen Blackpool claims that he will return home in a couple of days to clear his name, but he has not been seen in a week. As far as Rachael is concerned, he is “lost”.
The titles the Starlight, Whelp-hunting and Philosophical also deal with main ideas and symbols from their chapters.
The only chapter that I thought did not follow this rule was Final. It does serve the purpose of telling the reader that this is the last chapter of the book. It does not, however, conclusively tell the reader what will happen to each character. It leaves the reader to assume some things but I feel it is a little too vague with Louissa. It is known that she will never marry again but I would like to know more about what she will do with her time.
Nick Montimurro
The titles for each chapter of book 3 are very important because they are able to give a brief insight of what is to come in each chapter. For example, the second chapter of book 3, "Very Ridiculous," shows how Harthouse felt after his encounter with Sissy after she told him to leave Coketown. Her actions are indeed "very ridiculous" because she doesn't have the power to control what people do and this also describes the way Harthouse felt after what he was told. I believe that Dickens chose to have the titles the way they are because he didn't want to really give away what was going to happen in the chapters. After you read the chapters you realize the titles do in fact tie into the chapters.
Sarah Kapelner
The titles of each of the books are certainly significat because they pertain to what the events in the books accomplish as a while. in the forst book the groundwork for the rest of the novel is layed. Settings, character personalities and scenarios are sprinkled all over this book like seeds over a plot of land. These "seeds" develop into more complex thingsin the second and third books. Mrs. Sparsit, for instance started out as a self absorbed old lady in the first book but develpoed into coniving crone in the second and third books. The title reap is relates to the events of the second book because the characters had to face or reap the aftermath of the "seeds" they layed in the first book. Mr. Harthouse, for example reaped a boot out of Coketown from his actions in the previous book where he courted Louisa. The final book is called garnering because the characters find that they must store away what they reaped from the things they sowed. Tom was garnered in this book. When the characters sent Tom away it was as if they were also storing away all the negativities that he weeped from his reckless gambling actions. Lousia tells Tom she forgives him and therefore puts behind her everyting that she was upsetwith him about. "They all confusedly went out-Lousia crying to him that she forgave him, and loved him still, and that he would one day be sorry to have left her so, and glad to thinkof these her last words, far away" (275). Lousia forgiving Tom showed all these negativities he reaped are now stored away and in the past.
The single word titles of these books gives the reader a narrow (and possibly only one) set of possiblities of what each book is depicting. The one word titles make the meanings of each book clear very clear by keeping the reader from interpreting multiple meanings of the titles.one word titles allowed Dickens to get the meanings of the books across to the reader easily because he used a simple method that did not allow for a lot of lenience in interpretations.
Michael "Neezy" Nee
Charles Dickins uses the chapter titles for a variety of reasons in furthering the meaning of the novel. On most occasions a simple title is used to give a basic plot overview to what is going to happen such as "Lost" and "found". In the chapter entitled "lost" Stephen Blackpool goes missing after being accused of robbery. After finishing this chapter and moving onto the next one may think that "Found" would refer to Stephen Blackpool being found. However, using an almost ironic literary technique to trick the reader, it ends up that Mr. Bounderby is FOUND to be a complete fraud with no special background as a self-made man. Other titles accomplish something completely different such as "Whelp-Hunting. A Whelp is a child, as found out using the dictionary, and in this chapter Louisa are trying to hunt Tom in order to clear Stephen Blackpool's name. They find Tom, "sulky to the last, whom [Gradgrind] had the misery to call his son," working for the circus. Tom's childhood spent on only facts may have retarded his imagination to the point that as an adult, he still acts like a child, or a whelp, and developed a gambling problem and problems with the law.
Sarah Kapelner
(My first post answered the question incorrectly)
The titles of the chapter are significant because they give the reader an idea of what the events will be in each chapter and reveal to them the major events to focus on. The chapters highlight the events that are the most significant to the story. Chapters title after specific events like "Whelp Hunting" point out what important events to the story re going to be taking place in the chapter. The hunt for "the whelp" in this chapter certainly proved to be important to the story as a whole because it shows the consequences of events, character personalities and character relationships established in previous chapters. This particular title highlights the importance of the event it is naming and brings meaning to the events, characters, and character relationships from earlier chapters that are linked to it. Chapters that use descrptive words of the events in the chapter serve the same purpose as those that include events in the name but also describe what the events will be like in addition to what they are. The chapter "Philosophical" was a chapter strongly pertaining to thought. It is Mr. Gradgrind's philosophy that is supported in this chapter. It is revealed in the beginning of the chapter that Gradgrind believes everything is to be paid for. "it was a fundamental principle of Gradgrind philosophy that everything was to be paid for" (277). This theory is depictd in this chapter where Gradgrind feels that he has to pay Sleary for helping Tom. Gradgrind was shown to be a firm practicer of his philosophy in this quote, "All these little tokens of gratitude Gradgrind very willingly undertook to render . Though he thought them far too slight for such a service" (279). The fact that Mr. Gradgrind was so insistent on giving Seary a token of gratitude showed that his commitment to his philosophy was strong and that emphasizes the fact that phlosophy is important in this chapter and is one of the chapters heavy focuses. Because the characters focus heavily on philosophy so does the reader. The brevity of these titles is just as important as the allusions they make because they indicate to the reader what the main focus of each chapter is and allow the reader to orbit the smaller events of the chapter around that single focus. The brief titles allow the reader to focus on what the author meant for he or she to focus on.
Jeff Rossi
Before saying anything that answers the question I would like to say that I wish Sleary would refain from speaking. I do not believe in censorship, but he should refrain from speaking. Thanks Dickens also. Good writing (Sarcasm)
About the titles
The titles of the stories are significant. They are concise, but introduce the subject enough for the reader to understand what is happening, or going to happen in the story. For example, the chapter Mr. James Harthouse, and Whelp-hunting explain the subjects of the chapter. Mr. James Harthouse introduces this character, and Whelp-hunting involves the people finding the Whelp, Tom Gradgrind. Some chapters don't only explain the subject of the chapter, but also the theme and symbols. Chapter X Mrs. Sparsit's staircase is a symbol for how she sees Louisa sinking lower and lower until she does something immoral (Lower and lower is chapter X1) The small amount of wording of the chapters is also significant, because throughout the book, Fact was the dominating idea which faded at the end. The chapters are significant of fact, because they concisely summarize the chapters like facts. A chapter that stands out is the last chapter titled "Final" which is properly named on the Dickens scale of naming, because it is the end, that is an undebated fact. THe last line of this chapter is significant reading, a message from dickens "It rests with you and me whether,in our two fields of action, similar things shall be or not. Let them be! We shall sit with lighter bosoms on the hearth, to see the ashes of our fires turn grey and cold." He is saying that all people are the same, and the world will be more loving and lighter. This contradicts the title of the chapter, because Dickens says that the world is more than fact and should be appreciated in that way
Lane
There is major significance within the chapter titles that Dickens uses. They are used in a variety of ways including theme characterization, and foreshadowing.
Ex. The Chapter "Very Ridiculous" relates to Harthouse as he is leaving as he is quoted as saying, "I must not only regard myself as being in a very ridiculous position but as being vanquished at all points." (226) This shows that he even recognizes that the situation of leaving that he has put himself into is a fickle one since he does not fully embrace the idea.
The Fourth chapter "Lost" has deeper implications than just the whereabouts of Blackpool since that is who is being searched for in the chapter. Rather, Bounderby too can be seen as lost as he is in a struggle to find Blackpool and is getting caught up in his attempt to frame him. Rachael also feels lost as she no longer has a connection to Stephen through her letters.
And the foreshadowing is present in the titles "Starlight" and "whelp-hunting" like haven said. Light is a symbol not only for Stephen's survival as he tries to make it out of the mine but also for the hope of society to come and better itself from its current state. "Whelp-hunting" is rather self explanatory as the focus of the chapter is the search for tom.
The last chapter titled "Final" is very appropriate as it is the final chapter of the book. Dicken's clearly used alot of meaning and insight behind it.
These chapter titles really do speak volumes about the section of reading and the book as a whole as just the one to two words set the stage for the pages to come.
sorry i cant read/dont know the order of the alphabet
Lane
Megan Kasetty
The titles of each chapter are significant because they address the theme or symbols in the chapter. Dickens was careful to choose titles that were good representations of each individual chapter. Although some of the chapter titles flow logically, such as chapter 4 which was “Lost” and chapter 5 which was “Found”, the titles are specific to the individual chapter. In chapter 4, the person who was lost was Stephen Blackpool, while the person who was found in chapter 5 was Mrs. Pegler. Dickens also used the chapter titles to signify symbols. This was shown in chapter 6, “The Starlight”, which symbolized Stephen’s death.
Dickens chose to give the chapters concise, unambiguous names in order to parallel the Gradgrind education system which stressed the importance of facts. Each title has a clear purpose and is meant to inform the reader of the theme of each chapter.
Nidhi Nivarthi
The titles of each of the chapters in this book are important because they convey to the reader an important part from the chapter. Dickens keeps the titles short, yet informative. For example, the title, "Very Ridiculous" explains that Sissy's idea that she can tell Harthouse to get out of Coketown is kind of ridiculous. She is a young girl and cannot tell someone that much older than her to just leave Coketown. Harthouse felt ridiculous when he heard this as well. Chapter 3 is titled "Very Decided." In this chapter both Gradgrind and Bounderby refuse to give in. Gradgrind doen not change his mind and Bounderby follows through on his words and abandoning Louisa, returns to how he lived his life before he married her.
My favorite titles in this section are the titles for chapter 4 and 5. Chapter 4 was titled "Lost" referring to the time when Stephen Blackpool is lost. He cannot be seen and no one knows where he went. The next chapter is titled "Found." This is to represent the Mrs. Peagler, who is found. She is spotted by Mrs. Sparsit and Racheal. "Starlight" is the title of the chapter in which Stephen dies. He is barely hanging onto his life and finally, dies.
Another example of a significant title is the last chapter, "Final." This one is quite self-explanatory as the final chapter of the book is titled "Final."
Overall, Dickens connects his titles with the plot of the chapter. The short titles tend to leave a stronger impact on the reader and are able to state the major event of the chapter with as few as words as possible.
Olivia Lamb
Dickens title selections tend to reflect the development of the characters pertaining specifically to those chapters. The chapter title "Another Thing Needful" for instance reflects both the content of the chapter and the progression of Louisa and Gradgrind's "recovery". This recovery, specifically, is the process of Gradgrind growing into an emotional human with the ability to love or show emotional tendencies. This ability, is what is the "needful" thing in this chapter--the only solution to Louisa's problem. This chapter title, however, is also quite significant to the story as a whole for it reflects Gradgrinds growth over the course of the entire story. His acceptance of emotions rather than pure solutions to problems is shown initially in the chapter titled: "Another Thing Needful". Dickens evidently used similar titles to not only show Gradgrinds necessity for change--approaching personal conflicts with an open mind, but to also express the purpose of the chapter.
I believe Dickens' simplistic titles are the mere basis for the purpose of that chapter. Widely prominent throughout Romantic writing is the value of purpose and the message or goal of the story. Dickens uses these purposeful titles to demonstrate and emphasize the ultimate goal of that chapter, and evince the desire for finding one's purpose throughout the characters. The ultimate goal of the book is to display the internal conflicts of the characters of Coketown and display their necessity for purpose, so thus , relying on his widely reflective titles, Dickens echoes "purpose" in many ways throughout the story.
Allison Molinaro
Dickens chooses a certain title for each chaprter becuase it is significant and foreshadows what will happen during that chaprter. Although each chapter title may only be one word it is significant becuase that one word summarizes what happens. For example the title of chapter 3 is "Very Decided" this is significant becuase this is the chapter when Mr. Bounderby decides to become a bachelor again and Mr. Graddrind decides that Louisa will stay with him instead of giving into Mr. Bounderby's threat of not being married to her anymore. In chapter 4 the title is "found" this represents that Mrs. Pegler was found and the reader finds out Mr. Bounderbys true past, that it is not as special and wonderful as he makes it out to be. Dickens is extremely clever with his titles although you may think he isnt but they represent the main theme of each chapter.
Kelsey Mullin
In this section of the reading, I found that the titles were very significant. (Though that may seem like a common intro sentence, it actually is true! I never noticed the titles before and then in this section I actually took a gander at them.) Anyways, I especially enjored the title "Very Ridiculous" because that is what I found myself thinking while I was reading. It was very ridiculous that Sissy could merely ask Harthous to leave and he would pack up and leave. Dickens writes "A secret sense of having failed and been ridiculous-...so opressed him" (227) as Harthouse is packing up and leaving. He feels that he has failed in accomplishing what he wanted to accomplish in Coketown.
"Lost" was also significant in that the chapter is being spent looking for Stephen Blackpool. Everyone assumes that he was the one who robbed the bank so they want to find him so that he can pay for his crimes.
I was also glad that "Starlight" was the chapter of the title in which Stephen passes away. I thought it was symbolic of how "the star had shown him where to find the God of the poor" (264) and I also thought it was symbolic that the title is "Starlight" because I have always thought that Stephen was a character whose morals were above the others. Now that he has died, he is literally above the others, in heaven.
I also like the simplicity of the titles because they show how much Dickens can say without actually saying much! It makes the reader question the importance of symbols and themes, and makes the reader draw their own conclusions from the titles.
Garrett Klokman
So im a little late but....With everything that Dickens write there is always a hidden meaning so the chapter titles should obviously be included. Most chapter names allude to what will happen in the chapter. For example the chapter entitled "Lost" alludes to Blackpool being suspected and fleaing. Another example would be "Whelp Hunting" refers to the search for Tom. For the majority of the time the chapters either refer to the plot of the chapter or furthur character devepoment that will occur during the chapter.
Sammy McHugh
Dickens is one of the most well-known authors because he can employ a variety of techniques that increase the value of his writing. One of these is the choice of chapter titles. In the time that he wrote this book, a few chapters would be published at a time and people would buy them and then wait for the next section to come out. In order to keep his readers intruiged, he had to be able to give them a quick overview of what was to come in the following chapters or cleverly title them so as to keep his readers guessing. By naming his chapters significantly, he did just this.
The title of Chapter 1 is "Another Thing Needful" and in this chapter Gradgrind realizes that he doesn't know how to help Louisa because he never learned how to love. The title is significant because it relates back to the very beginning of the book where we first meet the Fact-based Mr. Gradgrind. The title of that chapter is "The One Thing Needful." By doing this, Dickens is showing that all parts of the book are important. He is also demonstrating how Gradgrind is a dynamic character in that his sentiments from the beginning have changed. He now knows that Fact isn't the only thing to live by and that it cannot fill one's life.
Another way that Dickens uses titles is to give a little hint at what is to come. In the chapter titled "Lost", Stephen cannot be found. Similarly in the chapter "Found" characters in the story find that Bounderby is a greedy and deceitful man just like Haven said. These titles give the readers a clue that can help them to see Dickens' message better.
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