# Josiah Bounderby — Hard Times character guide > Josiah Bounderby in Hard Times by Charles Dickens. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Mr. Bounderby, Bounderby, old Bounderby, Josiah Bounderby of Coketown **First appearance:** 0004-iv-mr-bounderby ## Snapshot A blustering Coketown banker and manufacturer who brags his way from rags to riches, then marries the daughter of the man who educated him on facts. ## Who they are Bounderby dominates Coketown as banker, mill owner, and self-proclaimed self-made man, forever thundering about his humble origins and his contempt for fancy. His loud certainty and his habit of treating people as investments collide with the Gradgrinds' cold system, and his pursuit of Louisa turns a business alliance into a domestic trap. He embodies the arrogance of the practical man, and his bluster drives much of the novel's social and marital tension. ## In the story ### [A Loophole](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/iii-a-loophole) Repeatedly invoked by Mr. Gradgrind as a moral benchmark: 'What would Mr. Bounderby say?' ### [Mr. Bounderby](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/iv-mr-bounderby) Introduced as a loud, boastful self-made man who constantly vaunts his humble origins and lack of refinement. ### [V: The Keynote](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/v-the-keynote) Accompanies Gradgrind, makes rough comments about Sissy's 'nine oils' and boasts about his own harsh upbringing, dismissing the circus people as idle. ### [Sleary's Horsemanship](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/vi-sleary-s-horsemanship) Accompanies Gradgrind to the circus, mocks the performers, and advises against taking in Sissy. ### [Mrs. Sparsit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/vii-mrs-sparsit) Bounderby boasts about his humble origins and uses Mrs. Sparsit's high connections to elevate his own status. He scolds Sissy for not showing respect to Mrs. Sparsit and discusses his plans for Tom Gradgrind Junior. ### [VIII: Never Wonder](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/viii-never-wonder) Referenced as the person Tom will go to live with, and whom Tom plans to manipulate using Louisa. ### [No Way Out](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/xi-no-way-out) Dismisses Stephen's troubles, lectures him on the cost of divorce, and accuses him of harboring ungrateful opinions. ### [XII: The Old Woman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/xii-the-old-woman) Bounderby is the gentleman the old woman came to see; Stephen describes him as portly, bold, outspoken, and hearty. ### [The Great Manufacturer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/xiv-the-great-manufacturer) Mentioned as meeting with Mr. Gradgrind at the Bank, likely to discuss Louisa's future. ### [Father and Daughter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/xv-father-and-daughter) Not present in the chapter, but his marriage proposal to Louisa is the central subject of the conversation between Gradgrind and Louisa. ### [Husband and Wife](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/xvi-husband-and-wife) Nervously informs Mrs. Sparsit of his marriage, buys smelling-salts, and later delivers a boastful wedding speech emphasizing his self-made origins. ### [Book the Second: Reaping](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/book-the-second-reaping) Prominent industrialist and banker, married to Louisa, represents the harsh capitalist ethos. ### [Effects in the Bank](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/i-effects-in-the-bank) Mentioned as Mrs. Sparsit's patron and the banker; his residence and marriage to Louisa are discussed. ### [II: Mr. James Harthouse](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/ii-mr-james-harthouse) Hosts Harthouse, boasts of his humble origins, and discusses his wife Louisa and the local political scene. ### [The Whelp](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/iii-the-whelp) Referenced as the husband of Louisa and Tom's employer, whom Tom openly disparages and manipulates. ### [Men and Brothers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/iv-men-and-brothers) Referenced as the owner of the mill where Stephen works, representing the oppressive employer class. ### [Men and Masters](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/v-men-and-masters) Aggressively interrogates Stephen, dismissing the workers as 'rascals and rebels' and threatening to transport union leaders, embodying the harsh, unyielding master class. ### [Fading Away](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/vi-fading-away) Bounderby is mentioned as the employer who rejected Stephen, and his name causes Mrs. Pegler to panic. ### [Gunpowder](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/vii-gunpowder) Bounderby boasts about his humble origins and enjoys his country estate, encouraging Harthouse's visits. ### [Explosion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/viii-explosion) Accuses Stephen Blackpool of the bank robbery, becomes sentimental under Mrs. Sparsit's consolations, and plays backgammon with her. ### [Hearing the Last of It](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/ix-hearing-the-last-of-it) Grows softer toward Mrs. Sparsit and harder toward Louisa, expressing irritation at his wife's perceived indifference. ### [Mrs. Sparsit's Staircase](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/x-mrs-sparsit-s-staircase) Discusses the bank robbery with Mrs. Sparsit, advising secrecy and patience. ### [Lower and Lower](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/xi-lower-and-lower) Is away on business; Mrs. Sparsit manipulates him with feigned concern. ### [Down](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/xii-down) Mentioned as Louisa's husband, who is away from home during Harthouse's visit. ### [Very Ridiculous](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/ii-very-ridiculous) Mentioned as being away from both the country house and the bank, contributing to the mystery of Louisa's whereabouts. ### [Very Decided](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/iii-very-decided) Furious and obstinate, refuses Gradgrind's plea to give Louisa space, insists on his own merits, and decides to separate from her. ### [Lost](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/iv-lost) Bounderby intensifies his investigation into the bank robbery, posting a reward placard for Stephen Blackpool and interrogating Rachael about her correspondence with Stephen. ### [Found](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/v-found) Exposed as a humbug when his mother reveals his true, loving upbringing, contradicting his self-made myth. ### [The Starlight](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/vi-the-starlight) Arrives at the scene with Gradgrind and Louisa. ### [Whelp-Hunting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/vii-whelp-hunting) Mentioned as a potential threat who might publicly pursue Tom in a 'bullying vein of public zeal.' ### [Final](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/chapters/ix-final) Dismisses Mrs. Sparsit in a fit of pride and bluster; later dies of a fit in the street, leaving a ridiculous will. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/characters/josiah_bounderby - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/hard_times_se/characters