In the story, a woman was the one who nurtured the body and mind of her children and husband. Dickens' story takes a turn when he has Mr. Gradgrind take on this role. Mrs. Gradgrind is barely mentioned but continues to have a strong message in her character. Through harsh reality Gradgrind teaches both his students and his children the same things and removes the burden of ideal femininity from his daughter Louisa. Unfortunately, this leaves her unprepared to enter the world outside of her own progressive family. She is unable to fulfill the idealized roles of wife and mother and has no options for adulthood outside of these. This book shows the constant need for a female role model in the family, but fails to show its progress through history. Through satirical elements, Charles Dickens demonstrates the limited rights women had in the home in the 1800s. Mrs. Gradgrind, Rachael, and Louisa are perfect examples of women who faced this issue in society during this time. Gradgrind is the woman who faces inequality the most in her relationship with Mr. Gradgrind. Throughout their relationship she has no say in how their children are raised. Through hard facts, Mr. Gradgrind raised his children as he wanted. Dickens says Garcia 2“Mrs. Gradgrind was not a scientific character and usually sent his sons to studies with the general injunction to choose their pursuit. Indeed, Mrs. Gradgrind's store of facts in general was woefully deficient; but Mr. Gradgrind, in raising her to her exalted marital position, had been influenced by two reasons. Firstly, it was very satisfactory as far as figures go; and, secondly, it had "no nonsense" in it. By nonsense he meant fantasy; and truly... mid-paper... she is engaged to Mr. Bounderby; the man she doesn't love. His future has been decided. “From that moment she was impassive, proud and cold” (102). Dickens later describes Louisa as "stone". This is an example of the rights women had in the 1800s. Louisa had no say in whether she wanted to marry Bounderby or not. She had to face a miserable life alongside the man she hated, and just like her mother, she had to be submissive. The characters in Hard Times were based on people from Dickens' life. This book is one of those books that will never die. It shows the reader amazing examples of satire throughout the book and through these elements helps the reader understand the plot and the entire book. We saw how Mrs. Garcia 5Gradgrind, Rachael, and Louisa all suffered from limited rights in the 1800s and we see this theme develop throughout the book.