Innuendo: As Sharp as a Butter Knife

One of the most common and thinly-veiled forms of satire is innuendo. The cold definition of an innuendo is: an oblique allusion or equivocal reflection on character or reputation. Yet, the innuendo, despite its immature and baseless reputation, can take on many different forms and can effectively shield the satirist from immediate criticism. An innuendo can be in the form of an entire story or a simple name. An example of the former can be found in an episode of South Park, where the increase of hybrid cars in California has caused the state to issue Smug Alerts. The use of names, however, can best be attributed to Charles Dickens and his amazingly blunt war for social change.

It is beyond question that Dickens was very immature and direct when satirizing others. No clearer is this than in Hard Times. For most of the characters in the novel, Dickens gives an individual a name according to how he views their real life counterparts. One example of this is the schoolmaster, Mr. M'Choakumchild, which probably gives some insight into Dickens's opinion of the education system during the industrial revolution. Another example of this is the crooked Union leader, Slackbridge, which shows how Dickens views dishonest and uppity workers. In both cases, Dickens is able to provide social commentary in a single word and keep a prevalent thought in the mind of the reader. As the reader continues on with the novel, the blunt innuendo is repeated every time the character's name is mentioned and the reader is slowly turned towards Dickens's point of view. Dickens's masterful use of the innuendo steers readers towards social change by invoking their basest emotions.