Since the novel was written during the Industrial Revolution, I could see that throughout the novel Charles Dickens often referred to the different technologies used during that time period. A technology or way of travel, the steamboat, becomes a symbol of technological advances and the progress of Victorian society. The period of the novel was a time of drastic changes. England was in a phase of global expansion and was becoming a wealthy world power. At the time Dickens wrote his novel, the cultural responses of his readers in that period probably involved awareness of the problems of the poor, the convicts, and the efforts of a rising middle class to gain wealth and status. Additionally, I noticed the praise given to the aristocracy by characters like the cocky Pumblechook and the ridiculously empty Mrs. Pocket. If I placed this piece in the context of our time period, the novel would still have the same meaning and be perceived the same way. Depending on the period this novel is placed in, you may still get the same meaning. There are many different messages that you can get from the book, but the main message that would be perceived would be that the novel makes it clear that money cannot buy love, nor does it guarantee
tags