Hard Times Essay #6 - Character Analysis: Louisa In the novel Hard Times, Dickens presents a character by the name of Louisa Gradgrind Bounderby who had suffered from her father’s education system. Mr.Gradgrind’s philosophy forced Louisa to “discard the word fancy altogether” (11) causing her to base experiences on facts and not from emotions. Throughout the novel, Louisa realizes that she does not have any emotional experiences to guide her. This is apparent when she had been presented with a proposal for marriage, and on her journey to visit her ill mother. By Louisa being able to recognize the need for emot