Louisa, the main character of Hard Times
by Charles Dickens, cannot be blamed directly for her seemingly- endless
depression and tendency for apathy in the story.
The fact
is that Louisa has never had the opportunity to learn how to channel, display, accept,
nor understand her emotions. She is not a woman who can boast to come from a loving
home, nor from a healthy upbringing where her emotional needs are consistently
met.
Instead, she is educated in a cold and matter-of-fact
environment which molded and programmed her to see life under her own scope, rather than
help her develop into a good, virtuous, and nurturing Victorian
woman.
Eventually in the story we know that there is a
chance for Louisa, and that she needs more exposure to other female models for her to
establish a better pattern of behavior. Nevertheless, it must be nerve-wracking to know
that there is a myriad of emotions that can help her feel better and happier, yet she is
not able to experience it.
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