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Akiko Takei, Chukyo University, JapanAbstract
Charles Dickens maintained a sustained engagement with contemporary education, specifically regarding its provision for the working class and individuals experiencing poverty. He interrogated the structural deficiencies of the education and teaching systems through his portrayals of diverse schools and teachers. In Hard Times (1854), he satirized the pupil-teacher system, established by the 1846 regulations, embodied in M’Choakumchild, whose mechanical and fact-driven pedagogy exemplified the shortcomings of utilitarian education. A decade later, in Our Mutual Friend (1864–65), Dickens revisited these concerns through Bradley Headstone—a complex central antagonist much different from M’Choakumchild, an unlikeable minor character. This more nuanced treatment signals the schoolteachers’ evolving social and professional standing, while reflecting the impact of the 1862 Revised Code. Shaped by economic imperatives and utilitarian ideals, the Code further instrumentalized education, increasing pressures on teachers. Headstone’s obsessive and violent traits can be interpreted as manifestations of the psychological strain imposed by these reforms. His tense relationship with Charley Hexam encapsulates the transition from apprenticeship-based pupil-teacher training to the mechanical and structured discipline ushered in by the Code.
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Conference: KAMC2025Stream: Literature
This paper is part of the KAMC2025 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Takei A. (2026) From Mr. M’Choakumchild to Bradley Headstone: Impact of Ongoing Educational Reforms on Schoolteachers in Hard Times and Our Mutual Friend ISSN: 2436-0503 – The Kyoto Conference on Arts, Media & Culture 2025: Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 47-59) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2436-0503.2025.6
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2436-0503.2025.6
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