Abstract

This study aims to analyze the portrayal of deprivation and poverty in Hard Times by Charles Dickens, using a critical reading based on social and literary approaches. Published in 1854, the novel depicts the industrial society of Victorian England, where profit and utility often override human values. The research focuses on how Dickens represents the struggles of the working class through characters such as Stephen Blackpool and Rachael, highlighting the stark divide between the world of laborers and that of factory owners. It combines social analysis grounded in Bourdieu’s class theory and concepts of capitalist exploitation with a moral critique of institutions of power and education. The study also examines the impact of the Industrial Revolution on family bonds and their disintegration, as well as the symbolic dimensions of time and place in shaping the image of poverty. Furthermore, it draws connections between Dickens’s critique of 19th-century industrial life and contemporary poverty issues, using recent academic studies that reveal the persistence of exploitation and inequality. The findings show that Dickens goes beyond merely portraying the suffering of the poor he offers a reformist vision that calls for restoring human values and social solidarity. As such, the novel remains an important literary and social document, providing an early critique of capitalist industrial structures and inviting modern readers to reflect on the roots and enduring forms of poverty.