While Mr. Gradgrind insists that his children should always stick to the
facts,
Hard Times not only suggests
that fancy is as important as fact, but it continually calls into question
the difference between fact and fancy. Dickens suggests that what
constitutes so-called fact is a matter of perspective or opinion.
For example, Bounderby believes that factory employees are lazy
good-for-nothings who expect to be fed “from a golden spoon.” The
Hands, in contrast, see themselves as hardworking and as unfairly
exploited by their employers. These sets of facts cannot be reconciled
because they depend upon perspective. While Bounderby declares that
“[w]hat is called Taste is only another name for Fact,” Dickens
implies that fact is a question of taste or personal belief. As a novelist,
Dickens is naturally interested in illustrating that fiction cannot be
excluded from a fact-filled, mechanical society. Gradgrind’s children,
however, grow up in an environment where all flights of fancy are
discouraged, and they end up with serious social dysfunctions as a result.