Charles Dickens’ Hard Times: Displacement and Dislocation of Child Characters

Abstract

Childhood has often been shadowed by adversity and misfortune, not confined to class divisions but spread across Victorian society. In Hard Times (1854), Charles Dickens dismantles the barriers of class, portraying with sensitivity the fragile psyche of children subjected to utilitarian ideals. These children become experimental 'human guinea pigs' in a philosophy that privileges material success over emotional nourishment. Deprived of imagination and affection, they endure psychological dislocation, which later aggravates their experiences of displacement and renders adaptation to the world of sentiments difficult. This paper analyses how Dickens dramatizes the displacement and dislocation of child characters—Louisa, Tom, and Sissy Jupe—and argues that psychological dislocation proves more injurious than physical displacement. Employing a qualitative approach, the study demonstrates how Dickens’ critique of Victorian utilitarianism retains striking relevance in today’s debates about education, parental ambition, and child psychology.