"'He fell into suspicion,' said Louisa, 'with his fellow weavers, becuase he had made a promise not to be one of them... Might I ask why he made it? [the promise]'"
Here Dickens is using Lousia to show that Stephen is dramatically different from the other hands. Therefore, individualism is possible, and that is most likely what allowed Stephen to be the weaver that connected with Louisa (someone from the upper class).
Stephen's ideals conflict with the conformist ideas of authority within the union and this is shown on page 157.
"'Well, ma'am,' said Stephen, making the best of it, with a smile; 'when I ha finished off, I mun quit this part, an try another. Fortnet or misfortnet, a man can but try; there's nowt to be done wi'out tryin' - 'cetp layin down an dying.'"
This is a contrast to the union because it is described on page 155 from Louisa's perspective, "she had scarsely thought more of separating them into units, than of separating the sea itself into its component drops."
Here Dickens uses the analogy of separating the sea into drops - a seemingly impossible and pointless task - to emphasize how the hands are all the same except Stephen who stands out with his beliefs. I believe the emphasis is on the fact that he believes, "Nowt to be done wi'out tryin'."
Louisa's curiosity as to why he is choosing to stand out as well as his contrasting views that got Lousia to notice him in the first place combine to suggest that labor institutions contribute to conformity which is difficult to break out of and can only be done with great self- sacrifice (as is seen in Stephen losing his job, money, and love).
I think that Stephen's rebellious actions in the factory are a direct example of the consequences of the fact based education that Stephen and the others (Louisa, Tom, etc.) have been raised to follow. It really shows that even though Gradgrind and Bounderby tried to "root out everything else" (9) except the facts from the minds of the children, that the persons individuality cannot be completely suppressed forever. The fact that their individuality cannot be suppressed forever is also shown by Louisa during her breakdown. Gradgrind and Bounderby tried setting everything up for her and have her grow with a lifestyle that they thought would be good for her, but she ended up breaking down and her true feelings came out about the way she has been raised. When Louisa says, "How could you give me life, and take from me all the inappreciable things that raise it form the state of conscious death?" (208) Louisa has realized that her father has drained anything that could bring her to think abstractly and become her own person. She has made it clear that she won't follow those ways anymore. Your post about Stephen does a great job showing that individuality cannot be completely taken away from an individual no matter much someone tries.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading the above passage I too felt that the metaphor of the sea was very revealing. Just thinking about it, one can really understand Louisa's narrowed perspective before actually meeting Stephen as an individual. I think the idea of individuality is an important one throughout the entire text and both Louisa and Stephen are examples of individuals who attempt to break from the constraints of the conformed society. In reference to Ally, I really like the quote about Louisa's life being a "conscious death". Literally, this would be a contradiction, but Louisa uses death to represent more than just being alive; she uses death to mean that she isn’t living as her own person-with individuality.
ReplyDeleteAbove comment was by Bret O'Brien
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