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Blackpool is a hand in one of Josiah Bounderby's factories and his life is characterized by his extreme poverty. However even in the face of such adversion, his character is also Dickens's model for integrity and compassion. As the factory workers try to develop a union, Blackpool refuses to join because it will not help the relationships between workers and employers. However, he is ultimately terminated from the factory by his employer, Bounderby, for not spying on his union co-workers. As an outcast from Coketown, he is consquently incriminated by Tom Gradgrind and suspected to be the criminal behind the bank robbery. Upon his return to clear his name he falls into one of the many large open mines and then dies.
Blackpool's character is Dickens's hero to the corruption and evil of characters such as Thomas Gradgrind and Josiah Bounderby. His character is a foil to both of these men as well as his co-workers, all of which are concentrated on self-interest. His clear resistence to both sides represents his strong virtue. As he dies following the mine incident, Dickens solidifies his virtue by giving Blackpool comfort in a lone star which represents his ability to rise above the cold, hard, and painful world. |
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