A Christmas Carol Flashcards
Background to Dickens
Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, and spent the first nine years of his life living in the coastal regions of Kent, a county in southeast England. Dickens’ father, John, was a kind and likable man, but he was financially irresponsible, piling up tremendous debts throughout his life. When Dickens was nine, his family moved to London. At twelve, his father was arrested and sent to debtors’ prison. Dickens’ mother moved seven of their children into prison with their father but arranged for Cha rles to live alone outside the prison, working with other child laborers at a hellish job pasting labels on bottles in a blacking warehouse.
The three months Charles spent apart from his family were severely traumatic. He viewed his job as a miserable trap–he considered himself too good for it, stirring the contempt of his worker-companions. After his father was released from prison, Dickens returned to school, eventually becoming a law clerk. He went on to serve as a court reporter before taking his place as one of the most popular English novelists of his time. At age 25, Dickens completed his first novel, The Pickwick Papers, which met with great success. This started his career as an English literary celebrity, during which he produced such masterpieces as Great Expectations, David Copperfield, and A Tale of Two Cities.
Dickens’ beloved novella A Christmas Carol was written in 1843, with the intention of drawing readers’ attention to the plight of England’s poor. (Social criticism, a recurring theme in Dickens’ work, resounds most strongly in his novel Hard Times.) In the tale, Dickens stealthily combines a somewhat indirect description of hardships faced by the poor with a heart-rending, sentimental celebration of the Christmas season. The calloused character of the apathetic penny-pinching Ebenezer Scrooge, who opens his heart after being confronted by three spirits, remains one of Dickens’ most widely recognized and popular creations.
A Christmas Carol takes the form of a relatively simplistic allegory–it is seldom considered one of Dickens’ important literary contributions. The novella’s emotional depth, brilliant narration, and endearing characters, however, offer plenty of rewards for literature students, Dickensian fans, and Grinches alike. Like A Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol has won much appreciation among general readers despite being dismissed by scholarly critics of Dickens’ work.
Quick plot overview
A mean-spirited, miserly old man named Ebenezer Scrooge sits in his counting-house on a frigid Christmas Eve. His clerk, Bob Cratchit, shivers in the anteroom because Scrooge refuses to spend money on heating coals for a fire. Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, pays his uncle a visit and invites him to his annual Christmas party. Two portly gentlemen also drop by and ask Scrooge for a contribution to their charity. Scrooge reacts to the holiday visitors with bitterness and venom, spitting out an angry “Bah! Humbug!” in response to his nephew’s “Merry Christmas!”
Later that evening, after returning to his dark, cold apartment, Scrooge receives a chilling visitation from the ghost of his dead partner, Jacob Marley. Marley, looking haggard and pallid, relates his unfortunate story. As punishment for his greedy and self-serving life his spirit has been condemned to wander the Earth weighted down with heavy chains. Marley hopes to save Scrooge from sharing the same fate. Marley informs Scrooge that three spirits will visit him during each of the next three nights. After the wraith disappears, Scrooge collapses into a deep sleep.
He wakes moments before the arrival of the Ghost of Christmas Past, a strange childlike phantom with a brightly glowing head. The spirit escorts Scrooge on a journey into the past to previous Christmases from the curmudgeon’s earlier years. Invisible to those he watches, Scrooge revisits his childhood school days, his apprenticeship with a jolly merchant named Fezziwig, and his engagement to Belle, a woman who leaves Scrooge because his lust for money eclipses his ability to love another. Scrooge, deeply moved, sheds tears of regret before the phantom returns him to his bed.
The Ghost of Christmas Present, a majestic giant clad in a green fur robe, takes Scrooge through London to unveil Christmas as it will happen that year. Scrooge watches the large, bustling Cratchit family prepare a miniature feast in its meager home. He discovers Bob Cratchit’s crippled son, Tiny Tim, a courageous boy whose kindness and humility warms Scrooge’s heart. The specter then zips Scrooge to his nephew’s to witness the Christmas party. Scrooge finds the jovial gathering delightful and pleads with the spirit to stay until the very end of the festivities. As the day passes, the spirit ages, becoming noticeably older. Toward the end of the day, he shows Scrooge two starved children, Ignorance and Want, living under his coat. He vanishes instantly as Scrooge notices a dark, hooded figure coming toward him.
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come leads Scrooge through a sequence of mysterious scenes relating to an unnamed man’s recent death. Scrooge sees businessmen discussing the dead man’s riches, some vagabonds trading his personal effects for cash, and a poor couple expressing relief at the death of their unforgiving creditor. Scrooge, anxious to learn the lesson of his latest visitor, begs to know the name of the dead man. After pleading with the ghost, Scrooge finds himself in a churchyard, the spirit pointing to a grave. Scrooge looks at the headstone and is shocked to read his own name. He desperately implores the spirit to alter his fate, promising to renounce his insensitive, avaricious ways and to honor Christmas with all his heart. Whoosh! He suddenly finds himself safely tucked in his bed.
Overwhelmed with joy by the chance to redeem himself and grateful that he has been returned to Christmas Day, Scrooge rushes out onto the street hoping to share his newfound Christmas spirit. He sends a giant Christmas turkey to the Cratchit house and attends Fred’s party, to the stifled surprise of the other guests. As the years go by, he holds true to his promise and honors Christmas with all his heart: he treats Tiny Tim as if he were his own child, provides lavish gifts for the poor, and treats his fellow human beings with kindness, generosity, and warmth.
SUMMARISE THIS
What happens in Stave 1?
- The reader is introduced to Ebenezer Scrooge who only cares about making money. It is Christmas Eve and he won’t pay to heat the office properly. This means that his clerk, Bob Cratchit, is very cold.
- Scrooge has four Christmas visitors: his nephew, Fred; two charity collectors; and a carol singer. Scrooge is rude to all of them and sends them away.
- That night the Ghost of Jacob Marley, his dead business partner, appears. He tells Scrooge that his mean way of life will lead to misery and that three Ghosts will visit him to show him the error of his ways.
The allegorical nature of A Christmas Carol leads to relatively simplistic symbolism and a linear plot. The latter is divided into five Staves, each containing a distinct episode in Scrooge’s spiritual re-education. The first Stave centers on the visitation from Marley’s ghost, the middle three present the tales of the three Christmas spirits, and the last concludes the story, showing how Scrooge has changed from an inflexible curmudgeon to a warm and joyful benefactor. Underlying the narrative and paralleling the more ostensible theme of moral redemption, lies an incisive political diatribe. Dickens takes aim at the Poor Laws then governing the underclass of Victorian England. He exposes the flaws of the unfair system of government that essentially restricts the underclass to life in prison or in a workhouse. (Dickens’ own father served time in debtor’s prison.) Dickens’ sympathetic portrayal of Bob Cratchit and his family puts a human face on the lower classes. Through Scrooge’s implicit defense of the Poor Laws (his argument that prisons are the only “charity” he cares to support), Dickens dismisses the excuses of the indifferent upper class as an irresponsible, selfish, and cruel defense.
What happens in Stave 2?
Summary
Scrooge awakes at midnight, which leaves him baffled–it was well after two a.m. when he went to bed. Initially, he thinks he has slept through an entire day or that it’s actually noon and the sun has merely gone under some sort of cover. He suddenly remembers the words of Marley’s ghost. The first of the three spirits will arrive at one o’clock. Frightened, Scrooge decides to wait for his supernatural visitor.
At one o’clock, the curtains of Scrooge’s bed are blown aside by a strange, childlike figure emanating an aura of wisdom and a richness of experience. The spirit uses a cap to cover the light that glows from its head. The specter softly informs Scrooge that he is the Ghost of Christmas Past and orders the mesmerized man to rise and walk with him. The spirit touches Scrooge’s heart, granting him the ability to fly. The pair exits through the window.
The ghost transports Scrooge to the countryside where he was raised. He sees his old school, his childhood mates, and familiar landmarks of his youth. Touched by these memories, Scrooge begins to sob. The ghost takes the weeping man into the school where a solitary boy–a young Ebenezer Scrooge–passes the Christmas holiday all alone. The ghost takes Scrooge on a depressing tour of more Christmases of the past–the boy in the schoolhouse grows older. At last, a little girl, Scrooge’s sister Fan, runs into the room, and announces that she has come to take Ebenezer home. Their father is much kinder, she says. He has given his consent to Ebenezer’s return. The young Scrooge, delighted to see his sister, embraces her joyfully. The aged Scrooge regretfully tells the ghost that Fan died many years ago and is the mother of his nephew Fred.
The ghost escorts Scrooge to more Christmases of the past including a merry party thrown by Fezziwig, the merchant with whom Scrooge apprenticed as a young man. Scrooge later sees a slightly older yet still boyish version of himself in conversation with a lovely young woman named Belle. She is breaking off their engagement crying that greed has corrupted the love that used to impassion Scrooge’s heart. The spirit takes Scrooge to a more recent Christmas scene where a middle-aged Belle reminisces with her husband about her former fiancé, Scrooge. The husband says that Scrooge is now “quite alone in the world.” The older Scrooge can no longer bear the gripping visions. He begs the Ghost of Christmas Past to take him back, back to his home. Tormented and full of despair, Scrooge seizes the ghost’s hat and pulls it firmly over top of the mystical child’s head, dimming the light. As the inextinguishable, luminous rays flood downward onto the ground, Scrooge finds himself zipped back in his bedroom, where he stumbles to bed yet again and falls asleep immediately.
Commentary
In the allegory of A Christmas Carol, the Ghost of Christmas Past represents memory. The aged appearance of the childlike figure touches on the role of memory as a force that connects the different stages of a person’s life. His glowing head suggests the illuminating power of the mind. The ghost initiates Scrooge’s conversion from anti-Christmas grinch to a poster boy for the holiday season. Each episode in the montage of scenes shows a younger Scrooge who still possesses the ability to love, a person who is still in touch with his fellow human beings. As the visions pass before him, Scrooge watches himself become ever more cold and greedy until the ultimate scenes. His all-consuming lust for money destroys his love for Belle and completes his reversion to a niggardly venomous recluse. The tour through his memories forces Scrooge to recall the emotional episodes of his past. This dreamlike series of hallucinatory home movies brings the otherwise hardened man to tears. This breakdown and the reconnection with his feeling self initiates the process of melting away Scrooge’s cold bah-humbug exterior.
An important aspect of A Christmas Carol (which is probably today’s most popular Christmas tale, save for the seminal holiday story of Christ’s birth) is its modern view of Christmas as a joyous holiday rather than as a solemn holy day. Eschewing the religious ideals of asceticism and austerity, the story promotes the more earthly values of universal brotherhood, communal good spirit, and prosperous celebration. It is not immoral to possess riches or to throw lavish Christmas party or to enjoy a great feast, precisely because these things have the potential to spread joy and happiness–the purpose of the holiday season. One violates the Christmas spirit of goodwill when his desire for material pleasure–money, luxuries, sex–prevents him from sharing himself with others. Dickens first sketches this perspective on moral standards with the Christmas party at Fezziwig’s shop, which includes an exhilarating dance that bears little relation to the Birth of Christ or the Christian tradition. The religious underpinnings of Christmas are always present in the story’s backdrop–like the church clock that keeps time throughout the tale–but, in general, Dickens uses them to refine and reflect his more contemporary conception of the holiday and his commentary on the plight of the poor.
What happens is Stave 3?
Summary
The church clock strikes one, startling Scrooge, who awakes in mid-snore. Glad to be awake, he hopes to confront the second spirit just as it arrives. The echoes of the church bell fade, however, and no ghost appears. Somewhat disappointed, Scrooge waits for 15 minutes after which a bright light begins to stream down upon him. Curious and a bit befuddled, Scrooge pads into the other room where he finds the second spirit waiting for him.
The figure, a majestic giant clad in green robes, sits atop a throne made of a gourmet feast. In a booming voice, the spirit announces himself as the Ghost of Christmas Present. He tells Scrooge that he has more than 1800 brothers and his lifespan is a mere single day. The spirit orders Scrooge to touch his robe. Upon doing so, the feast and the room vanish instantly and Scrooge finds himself alongside the spirit in the midst of the bustling city on Christmas morning. Blissful passersby take pleasure in the wondrous sights and smells abounding through the shop doors. People merrily shovel snow, tote bags of presents, and greet one another with a cheery “Merry Christmas!”
The spirit then takes Scrooge to the meager home of Bob Cratchit, where Mrs. Cratchit and her children prepare a Christmas goose and savor the few Christmas treats they can afford. The oldest daughter, Martha, returns from her job at a milliner’s. The oldest son, Peter, wears a stiff-collared shirt, a hand-me-down from his father. Bob comes in carrying the crippled young tyke, Tiny Tim, on his shoulders. The family is more than content despite its skimpy Christmas feast. Scrooge begs to know whether Tiny Tim will survive. The spirit replies that given the current conditions in the Cratchit house, there will inevitably be an empty chair at next year’s Christmas dinner.
The spirit takes Scrooge to a number of other Christmas gatherings, including the festivities of an isolated community of miners and a party aboard a ship. He also takes Scrooge to Fred’s Christmas party, where Scrooge loses himself in the numerous party games and has a wildly entertaining time, though none of the party guests can actually see him. As the night unfolds, the ghost grows older. At last, Scrooge and the ghost come to a vast and desolate expanse. Here, the ghost shows Scrooge a pair of starving children who travel with him beneath his robes–their names are Ignorance and Want. Scrooge inquires if nothing can be done to help them. Mockingly, the ghost quotes Scrooge’s earlier retort, “Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?”
The spirit disappears as the clock strikes midnight and Scrooge eyes a hooded phantom coming toward him.
Commentary
The Ghost of Christmas Present serves as the central symbol of the Christmas ideal–generosity, goodwill, and celebration. Appearing on a throne made of food, the spirit evokes thoughts of prosperity, satiety, and merriment. Similarly, the moral outlook of A Christmas Carol has little to do with the solemnity of a religious occasion. Christmas, in Dickens’ mind, should not bring about self-denial, renunciation, or emotional withdrawal. Christmas is a time of sharing one’s riches–emotional, spiritual, monetary, etc.–with the community of man. A feast is a wonderful thing but only if one has loved ones with whom to share it. In this sense, the Ghost of Christmas Present also represents empathy enabling Scrooge to not only see the Cratchits but to feel the sorrow and hardships of their daily toil. In essence, the celebratory aspects of Christmas that Dickens promotes are grounded in this empathetic generosity. Christmas should stimulate within people a concern for the wants and needs of others and a euphoric joy in fulfilling these desires.
The scene at Bob Cratchit’s unassuming little abode is pivotal to the development of the novella. Dickens uses the opportunity to put forth a poignant criticism of the unfeeling members of a disconnected upper class and to present a highly sentimentalized portrait of the lower classes. This picture is designed to address and undermine Victorian class prejudice and awaken Dickens’ readers to the harsh realities of poverty. In 1843, when A Christmas Carol was written, England had particularly stringent laws in governing the payment of debts and the condition of penury. These draconian rules forced many poor people into prisons and provisional workhouses. At the same time, many prominent politicians and theorists were attempting to justify these conditions with arguments designed to de-legitimize the rights of the underclass, a move that further hindered the ability of the poor to affect the governing of their own society.
Dickens was particularly disgusted with the writings of an economist named Thomas Robert Malthus, a wealthy man, who argued in his Essay on the Principle of Population (1798) that population growth would always outpace food supply resulting in unavoidable and catastrophic poverty and starvation. (His equations, long since debunked, postulate that population growth will occur according to a geometric sequence, while food supply will grow according to an arithmetic sequence.) In his pamphlet “The Crisis,” Malthus supported the Poor Laws and the workhouses, arguing that any man unable to sustain himself had no right to live, much less participate in the development of society. Dickens alludes to Malthus in Stave One, when Scrooge echoes the economist’s views on overpopulation in his rebuke of the portly gentlemen. The Cratchits are Dickens’ defense against this large-scale, purely economic, almost inhuman mode of thought–a reminder that England’s poor are all individuals, living beings with families and lives who could not and should not be swept behind a math equation like some numerical discrepancy.
What happens in Stave 4?
Summary
The phantom, a menacing figure clad in a black hooded robe, approaches Scrooge. Scrooge involuntarily kneels before him and asks if he is the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. The phantom does not answer, and Scrooge squirms in terror. Still reeling from the revelatory experiences with the last two spirits, Scrooge pleads with the ghost to share his lesson, hopeful that he may avoid the fate of his deceased partner.
The ghost takes Scrooge to a series of strange places: the London Stock Exchange, where a group of businessmen discuss the death of a rich man; a dingy pawn shop in a London slum, where a group of vagabonds and shady characters sell some personal effects stolen from a dead man; the dinner table of a poor family, where a husband and wife express relief at the death of an unforgiving man to whom they owed money; and the Cratchit household, where the family struggles to cope with the death of Tiny Tim. Scrooge begs to know the identity of the dead man, exasperated in his attempts to understand the lesson of the silent ghost. Suddenly, he finds himself in a churchyard where the spirit points him toward a freshly dug grave. Scrooge approaches the grave and reads the inscription on the headstone: EBENEZER SCROOGE.
Appalled, Scrooge clutches at the spirit and begs him to undo the events of his nightmarish vision. He promises to honor Christmas from deep within his heart and to live by the moralizing lessons of Past, Present, and Future. The spirit’s hand begins to tremble, and, as Scrooge continues to cry out for mercy, the phantom’s robe shrinks and collapses. Scrooge, again, finds himself returned to the relative safety of his own bed.
Commentary
Within the allegory, the silent, reaper-like figure of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come represents the fear of death, which refracts Scrooge’s lessons about memory, empathy, and generosity, ensuring his reversion to an open, loving human being. In A Christmas Carol, the fear of death connotes the anticipation of moral reckoning and the inevitable dispensation of punishment and reward–literally the split between heaven and hell. In this way, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come briefly interjects a more somber, strictly Christian perspective into the secularized tale. This serves to remind Scrooge of Jacob Marley’s fate, the horrific consequences of greed and selfishness–a fate that will doom Scrooge, as well, unless he can change his ways.
What happens in Stave 5?
Summary
Scrooge, grateful for a second chance at his life, sings the praises of the spirits and of Jacob Marley. Upon realizing he has been returned to Christmas morning, Scrooge begins shouting “Merry Christmas!” at the top of his lungs. Genuinely overjoyed and bubbling with excitement, Scrooge barely takes time to dress and dances while he shaves. In a blur, Scrooge runs into the street and offers to pay the first boy he meets a huge sum to deliver a great Christmas turkey to Bob Cratchit’s. He meets one of the portly gentlemen who earlier sought charity for the poor and apologizes for his previous rudeness, promising to donate huge sums of money to the poor. He attends Fred’s Christmas party and radiates such heartfelt bliss that the other guests can hardly manage to swallow their shock at his surprising behavior.
The following morning, Scrooge arrives at the office early and assumes a very stern expression when Bob Cratchit enters eighteen and a half minutes late. Scrooge, feigning disgust, begins to scold Bob, before suddenly announcing his plans to give Cratchit a large raise and assist his troubled family. Bob is stunned, but Scrooge promises to stay true to his word.
As time passes, Scrooge is as good as his word: He helps the Cratchits and becomes a second father to Tiny Tim who does not die as predicted in the ghost’s ominous vision. Many people in London are puzzled by Scrooge’s behavior, but Scrooge merely laughs off their suspicions and doubts. Scrooge brings a little of the Christmas spirit into every day, respecting the lessons of Christmas more than any man alive. The narrator concludes the story by saying that Scrooge’s words and thoughts should be shared by of all of us … “and so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless us, Every one!”
Commentary
This short closing Stave provides an optimistic and upbeat conclusion to the story, showing the new Ebenezer Scrooge starting off his new life with a comic display of happiness and Christmas cheer. It also rounds out the symmetrical structure of the novella, as Scrooge encounters, in sequence, the same people he treated with cruelty in Stave One. Only this time, the newly reborn Scrooge sheds his grumpy bah humbugs in favor of warm holiday greetings. He sends a turkey to the Cratchits and gives Bob a raise, atoning for his previous bitterness toward his clerk in Stave One. Scrooge also asks Bob to order more heating coals where previously, in Stave One, he forced Bob to suffer in the cold. He apologizes to the portly gentleman he meets on the street and pledges lavish contributions for his charity, where in Stave One he threw him out of his counting-house. Scrooge also happily attends Fred’s party, where, before the ghostly visits, he had told Fred that he would see him in hell before coming to the party.
The last comment holds a great deal of significance in Stave Five, as Scrooge has quite literally escaped hell by going to the party–or rather, by experiencing the moral conversion that compels him to look fondly on the holiday gathering. He is quite literally a saved man and the story of his redemption ends with a note of extraordinary optimism. The famous last words of the novel–“God bless us, Every one!”–conveys perfectly the fellow feeling and good cheer to which Scrooge awakens as his story unfolds and that A Christmas Carol so vehemently celebrates.
Who are the main, secondary, minor in a Christmas carol?
A Christmas Carol - Characters overview The main character in the novella is Ebenezer Scrooge. At first we see his miserliness in contrast with his humble clerk, Bob Cratchit, and his cheerful nephew, Fred. The ghost of his old business partner, Jacob Marley, warns Scrooge that he will be visited by three spirits.
The Ghost of Christmas Present, the Ghost of Christmas Past and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come all show Scrooge scenes that ultimately bring about his change of character.
He is particularly moved by Bob Cratchit’s family and his son, Tiny Tim, to whom he eventually becomes like a second father.
Main characters:
- Ebenezer Scrooge
- Bob Cratchit
- Scrooge’s nephew, Fred
- *Secondary characters:**
- The Ghost of Christmas Past
- The Ghost of Christmas Present
- The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come Tiny Tim
Minor characters
- Jacob Marley
- Belle
- The charity collectors
- Fezziwig
- Fan
How is Ebenezer presented as cold-hearted, miserly, ill-mannered, self-deluded?
Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol
- Miserable
- Tight-fisted
- Redeemed by the end
Scrooge is the main character of Dickens’s novella and is first presented as a miserly, unpleasant man. He rejects all offerings of Christmas cheer and celebration as ‘Humbug!’.
On Christmas Eve he is visited by the ghost of his old business partner, Jacob Marley, who warns that he will be visited by three ghosts. Each of the ghosts shows him a scene that strikes fear and regret into his heart and eventually he softens.
By the end of the story, Scrooge is a changed man, sharing his wealth and generosity with everyone.
Social and historical context
A courtyard of a Victorian workhouse
In Victorian times, when Dickens was writing, poor children would often be sent to live in workhouses.
In 1861, 35,000 children under 12 lived and worked in workhouses in Britain. Living conditions there were unpleasant and the work was tough such as ‘picking out’ old ropes. Discipline was harsh and punishments included whipping. Food was basic and barely enough to sustain the children.
The ‘portly gentlemen’ who visit Scrooge ask for a Christmas donation to help the destitute orphans.
Dickens life
Dickens’ Life Charles Dickens was born in 1812 in Kent and moved to London at the age of 9. When he was 12 years of age, his father was arrested and sent to a debtors’ prison. Dickens’ mother moved seven of their children into prison with their father but took Charles out of school and arranged for him to live alone outside the prison, working with other child labourers in a terrible job which involved pasting labels on bottles in a blacking (shoe polish) warehouse; he was poorly paid and the conditions were terrible.
After his father was released from prison, Dickens returned to school, becoming a law clerk and then a court reporter where he saw the harsh justice system first-hand. He used his own experiences of growing up in Kent and working as a court reporter in his stories. Dickens shocked audiences of his day with his novels, where ‘gentlemen’ (the ones with the wealth and education) are the least morally ‘good’ characters and a convict turns out to be the most like a gentleman. He campaigned for a fairer justice system, a reform of the workhouses, the rights of the poor (particularly children) to have access to education, effective sewers and reasonable housing; many of his novels deal with these topics.
With such colourful characters, riveting narratives and wonderfully descriptive language, Dickens became one of the most popular English novelists of his time, both in England and America. In 1870, he eventually collapsed from overwork and died.
What is the social and Historical Context of a Christmas carol?
Dickens was born into a time of great change in the way people lived. The industrial revolution was taking place and there was a sudden growth of the cities – the economy shifted from agriculture to industry and trade. Money from industry made the rich, richer and the rich/poor gap widened. Workers had to toil for long hours and little money. Out of necessity, children of all ages (even as young as five years old!) didn’t go to school and worked long hours for a wage in 1840s’ Britain.
The housing was appalling for working class families who lived in squalor, deprivation, disease and misery. They barely had enough money to buy food and the child mortality was very high. In the poorer quarters of Britain’s larger cities almost 1 in 5 children born in the 1830s and 40s had died by the age of five. The main causes of death were polluted drinking water, damp and tuberculosis, which claimed between 60,000 and 70,000 lives in each decade of Victoria’s reign. There was no healthcare – if you got ill and couldn’t work, your whole family was at risk of death.
For those who were unable to support themselves, there were the workhouses: these were not intended as pleasant places to stay. Men, women and families were separated and those who were physically able were expected to work for their keep. Similar to the workhouses were debtors’ prisons (those who were unable to pay a debt), such as Marshalsea, where Charles Dickens’ father spent time.
The wealthy few on the other hand, lived in luxury with large houses, plenty of money, food and clothes. Their children didn’t work, were educated, had expensive toys and often went on holiday. Being seen to be civilised and adhering to a strict set of morals was important to high society in the Victorian age. However, this was often criticised as being hypocritical for some of the reasons mentioned above. Controversially there was a call for a Sunday Observance Bill (by the MP, Andrew Agnew) which would ban any business or recreations taking place on a Sunday. Those who supported it believed that it would ensure that Sunday remained a spiritual day. Those who opposed it (Dickens was one of those – he wrote a scathing essay about Andrew Agnew) saw it as an attack on the poor who used Sundays to do what they liked. So, why do you think that Scrooge’s character attacks this idea when speaking to the Ghost of Christmas Present?
Themes
The supernatural: this was a part of the Christmas story-telling tradition that started in the 17th century. By the 19th century, there was an interest in spiritualism; people believed spirits who resided in the afterlife wanted to communicate with the living. Scrooge has 4 spirits who wish to communicate with him!
Generosity and compassion: this is the essence of the Christmas spirit. It’s a time when families and friends come together in the home to share food and exchange gifts but it’s also a time when we’re supposed to think of those who are less fortunate than us. Scrooge’s nephew and his clerk show compassion towards Scrooge which is in stark contrast to those who coldly dismiss Scrooge (fellow business people, his servants, the pawn shop owner) as he does them. Is there a message here, perhaps? A lack of compassion leads to a lack of compassion?
Redemption: This means seeing the error of your ways and being saved from sin or evil. Scrooge is transformed from a mean, greedy and lonely old miser, who was blind to his sin, into a generous, goodnatured, beloved character…and just in time! The moral message of the novella is that all human beings have the opportunity / can make the choice to behave in kinder ways towards each other and be saved from damnation (don’t forget the religious aspect!).
Social injustice: Just like An Inspector Calls, Dickens’ story is an attack on a society where there is an unequal distribution of wealth: the rich, who enjoy comfort and feasting at Christmas, ignore the dreadful living conditions of the poor; in fact, they effectively punish the poor for their poverty through such things as the “Treadmill” and the “Workhouses”. The thieves show how people were driven to steal from the dead. The Ghost of Christmas Present presents the children (Ignorance and Want) and states that “They are Man’s” responsibility.
Why does Scrooge change?
So…why does Scrooge change?
- He is upset at the thought that Tiny Tim might die.
- The Ghost of Christmas Present uses his own cruel words against him.
- He sees what he is missing in the family scenes of celebration.
Summarise the Character of Scrooge?
Character Summary Ebenezer Scrooge is the protagonist (main character) of ‘A Christmas Carol’. He is a banker or ‘moneylender’ of sorts who owned his own ‘counting house’ alongside his late business partner Jacob Marley.
In the opening of the novella, Scrooge is presented as a miserly and misanthropic (someone who dislikes other people) businessman with a strong aversion to Christmas and the society around him in general.
Dickens follows his journey of redemption as his character evolves into a “good” man who “knew how to keep Christmas well”. This is an impressive character development which becomes a defining feature of both the novella and Scrooge’s character. It could be argued that this serves two main purposes: firstly to highlight to the reader that anyone is capable of change and that they should actively try to alter any of their weaknesses, and secondly that Christmas is a time of compassion and charity so should be celebrated as such. Dickens achieves these goals by presenting Scrooge as an idealised man in the final stave, subtly informing readers on what he believed to be the model way of celebrating Christmas.
This is a suggestion which evidently worked, as Dickens is often credited with playing a major role in shaping Christmas celebrations due to his altruistic (selfless concern for others) and emotional approach, emphasised through the character of Scrooge.
How does the Character of Scrooge develop?
Character Development
The defining aspect of Scrooge’s character is his remarkable transformation, as he evolves from miserly businessman into a man as good as “the good old city knew”. Therefore, it can certainly be argued that he is used by Dickens to symbolise a greater message which transcends (goes beyond) his own character. It could be argued that he shows this change in order to inform the reader on how they too should change themselves to align with true Christmas values.
Dickens achieves this message by initially portraying Scrooge as unchanging. By emphasising his stagnant nature in the opening of the novella, Dickens heightens the impact of his eventual change which suggests to the reader that change is possible for anyone. His development is gradual rather than sudden, perhaps to increase the tension for the reader as the novel progresses. Alternatively, this may be to draw attention to each of the ways that Scrooge changes. A summary of his development is outlined on the next page.
Stave One: In the opening Stave the narrator is unsympathetic in his dealings with Scrooge, presenting him as wholly unlikeable through the use of an extended metaphor (a metaphor which is repeated) where Scrooge is likened to the weather.
- Dickens writes that “a frosty rime was on his head” and that it was the “cold within him” rather than external temperatures which “froze his old features”. This presents him as a cold, hostile and unappealing character.
- This description in some ways presents him as an archetypal villain (the classic and conventional portrayal of a villian).
- *Stave Two:** The Ghost of Christmas Past teaches Scrooge the value of reflection and causes the reader to sympathise with him, as we see the emergence of regret and a desire to change.
- For example, Scrooge reveals that there “was a boy singing a Christmas Carol” at his door and he regrets not giving him anything, highlighting the first stage of his repentance and therefore development.
- This furthered when he tells the Spirit that he wishes “to say a word or two” to Bob Cratchit, highlighting that he actively wants to make a change which establishes the start of his reformation.
- *Stave Three:** The Ghost of Christmas Present builds on the concept of change. He does this through showing Scrooge the Cratchit family on Christmas day.
- Here, the reader sees Scrooge develop empathy and display compassion towards Tiny Tim, an interest “he had never felt before”. This signposts the extent to which he has changed, as even he himself can recognise the change within.
Stave Four: The final Spirit teaches Scrooge that his actions have consequences, causing him to put his material obsessions into perspective as he realises that his wealth will not keep him company in the event of his death.
- The stave ends with Scrooge repenting profusely, promising that he will remember “the lessons” that the Spirits had taught him and change for the better.
Stave Five: The narrator reveals that Scrooge was “better than his word”, highlighting to the reader that his character has indeed transformed. Dickens emphasises this by drawing direct contrasts between Scrooge’s behaviour in the final and opening staves.
- He shows how Scrooge donated money to one of the “portly gentlemen” despite his refusal in the first stave.
- Furthermore, in the opening stave Bob was sure that if he tried to “replenish” the coal Scrooge would have fired him, but in the final stave Scrooge instructs Bob to “make up the fires”, again making his transformation clear.
How is the theme of Time, Poverty. redemption and Christmas Spirit represented through scrooge?
Time
The importance and significance of time is highlighted to Scrooge through his interactions with the Spirits, they teach him valuable lessons surrounding this concept in order to better himself.
➔ The Ghost of Christmas Past teaches Scrooge the value of reflecting on the past to become a better person. When Scrooge reflects on his time spent with Fezziwig he realises that he has been treating Bob Cratchit unfairly. He reveals to the Spirit that he wishes he could “say a word or two to his clerk right now”.
➔ In a similar fashion, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come highlights to Scrooge that the way you conduct yourself in the present will have consequences later on in time. This is exemplified by Scrooge’s charwoman, who steals things from him after his death. She justifies her actions by saying that if Scrooge “wanted to keep” his things he should have been more “natural in his lifetime”.
**Poverty** Dickens believed that society needed to come together in order to help stop the spread of poverty and so included this idea within the novella. He highlights this viewpoint by using a disapproving tone when describing Scrooge’s views on the poor in the opening stave. This is seen when Scrooge makes no distinction between the lower class and criminals - asking the charity collectors if there are any “prisons” they can send the poor to. Dickens later mocks this statement when Scrooge asks the Ghost of Christmas Present if there is any “refuge” for the children clutching at his robe, to which the Spirit echoes “are there no prisons?” evidently parodying his views.
Redemption
The novella closely follows Scrooge’s journey of redemption, a transformation which is made more impactful by Dickens’ description of Scrooge’s character in order to foreground this theme. Initially, Dickens presents Scrooge as a man who cannot change, alluding to his stubborn nature by clarifying that “No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him”. However, as the novel progresses we see Scrooge learn a number of lessons and evolve as a character, eventually repenting for his behaviour.
This is significant because Scrooge’s redemption does not stop at simple repentance as he goes on and actively tries to recompense for his actions. For example, while he was rude to the charity collectors in the opening of the novella, in the final stave he whispers to the gentleman the amount he would like to donate, shocking the man and allowing for a complete redemption.
Christmas Spirit
Dickens uses Scrooge’s character to highlight the ideal way of celebrating Christmas by introducing an emotional element to the celebration. He promotes the idea that Christmas is a time for charity and compassion through Scrooge’s behaviour in the final stave. He ensures that this is seen as the ideal www.pmt.education by asserting that “it was always said” that Scrooge “knew how to keep Christmas well”.
How is the Theme of family, Materialism, regret & Isolation represented through scrooge?
Family
The importance of family is highlighted through the crucial role it plays in allowing for Scrooge’s all important redemption. This is evident when he is with the Ghost of Christmas Present who shows him how Fred and his family celebrate Christmas. Scrooge realises that if he had spent time with his family he might have “cultivated the kindness of life”, highlighting the crucial role that a person’s family can play on their character.
Materialism
Dickens highlights how Scrooge’s materialism costs him significantly more than it benefits him - a theme first introduced by Jacob Marley in the opening stave when he refers to Scrooge as a “man of worldly mind”. This is shown to the reader when Scrooge visits his old fiancée Belle who tells him that she is leaving him because he has replaced her with a “golden […] idol”. She continues by saying he has become a man who “fears the world too much”, conveying the severe cost of Scrooge’s materialism.
This is later identified by Fred, who notes that Scrooge’s wealth is “of no use to him” as “he doesn’t do any good with it” showing the reader that his obsession with the material world is essentially useless if he doesn’t use his wealth properly.
Regret
Scrooge’s regret is instrumental in allowing for his redemption. This emotion not only makes Scrooge seem human but also endears the reader towards him. This is poignantly highlighted when Scrooge wistfully wonders what it would feel like to have children who “might have called him father”, causing his sight to grow “very dim indeed”. This implies that he has been brought to tears, showing the reader his regret while simultaneously causing them to sympathise with him. Ultimately this increases the readers involvement with his character, causing them to anticipate the end of the novella.
It is essential to Dickens’ message for the reader to like his character. If he lacked regret his reformation would not seem genuine and wouldn’t be convincing to the reader. This would weaken Dickens’ moral message
Isolation
Scrooge’s isolation from society is highlighted through Dickens’ lengthy descriptions of his relationship with those around him (see ‘Relationships: other members of society’ below). By ostracising (excluding) himself from society he can exist in a state of ignorance which allows him to be totally unaware of the state of the poor and other vulnerable members of society. He is both unaware and unbothered of Tiny Tim’s plight and only begins to care once Tiny Tim’s death is foretold by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. www.pmt.education Once Scrooge’s isolation decreases and he interacts with other characters he becomes more aware of the problems of others and transforms as a character. After his reformation Scrooge plays an active part in Tiny Tim’s life becoming a “second father” to him and preventing his death. It could be argued that this reflects the importance of engaging with wider society as it benefits all those who take part. Not only is Tiny Tim’s life preserved but Scrooge becomes happier and more content as a person. Here Dickens alludes to a sense of social responsibility, which he had a strong affinity to.
What are scrooges relationship like?
Marley: Dickens draws parallels between the two characters, likening them to such an extent that Scrooge “answered to both names”. He pays close attention to Marley’s isolation from society (which reflects similarly onto Scrooge) and shows that Scrooge was central to his life. He repeats that Scrooge was his “sole” executor, administrator, assign, residuary legatee, friend and mourner, and even he was not “so dreadfully cut up by the sad event”. Both characters are portrayed as unappealing by Dickens.
- This arguably causes the reader to feel an initial dislike towards Scrooge, as his lack of emotion towards the death of someone so central to his life characterises him as hard and unfeeling.
- In this way, his relationship with Marley helps the reader to gain a better understanding of his character, as they realise his isolation and apathetic nature.
Other members of society
Again, Dickens characterises Scrooge through his relationships with those around him. He reveals that “nobody ever stopped him in the street” to say hello and that “even the blindmen’s dogs appeared to know him”, avoiding him whenever they could. This highlights the extent of the community’s dislike towards Scrooge.
- The reader’s own aversion towards his character is built on and furthered, as their negative opinion of Scrooge is supported by those around him. Therefore, the reader likely feels as though they are making a fair and correct judgement of his character.
Bob Cratchit
Bob Cratchit: It could be argued that Bob Cratchit has two main roles with regards to Scrooge: firstly to explain why Scrooge is hated by those around him and secondly to spotlight Scrooge’s changed nature to the reader.
- In the opening of the novella Dickens describes “dismal” cell that Bob was made to work in, revealing that despite the cold conditions and small fire he could not “replenish” the coal for fear of being fired. This not only exemplifies the cruel working conditions that many lower-class workers faced in Victorian society but also acts as an example of Scrooge’s inhumanity, epitomising his cruelty.
- Towards the end of the novel, Scrooge’s newfound attitude is highlighted when he instructs Bob to “make up the fires” and buy “another coal scuttle” starkly www.pmt.education contrasting his earlier behaviour and so highlighting Scrooge’s changed nature to the reader.
Family
By choosing to include the character of Fanny during Scrooge’s time with the Ghost of Christmas Past, Dickens allows the reader to sympathise with Scrooge and so form an important attachment with the protagonist. This causes them to remain interested in the narrative.
- Fan is used as a catalyst for Scrooge’s reformation. When the Spirit reminds Scrooge that although she has passed away, she left behind a child, he begins to feel “uneasy”, highlighting to the reader that he is beginning to reflect on his actions.
Tiny Tim
Bob Cratchit’s son, Tiny Tim, is introduced to the novella when Scrooge is with the Ghost of Christmas Present. His character is used to highlight Scrooge’s developing empathy and so signpost the changes in his character.
- This is most apparent when the Spirit uses his own words against him - Scrooge asks about Tiny Tim’s future but the Ghost simply replies that if he was going to die he had “better do it” and “decrease the surplus population”. This prompts Scrooge to hang “his head” which shows his regret highlighting his regret, and so as an extension of this, the transformation of his character.
What is Scrooge like in comparison to Fred or Fezziwig?
Comparison to Other Characters It could be argued that both Fezziwig and Fred act as foils to Scrooge. Dickens uses these characters as a contrast to Scrooge’s negative characteristics in order to highlight the drastic transformation he goes through within the text..
Fred
Dickens carefully constructs a cold and hostile atmosphere in the opening of the novella through the semantic field (a group of words with a similar meaning or theme) of cold weather and the description of Bob Cratchit’s misery.
- This undertone is immediately contrasted with the introduction of Fred who wished his uncle a “merry Christmas” with a “cheerful voice”. This makes Scrooge’s misery appear increasingly bleak.
- Fred repeatedly responds to Scrooge’s bitter comments with optimism, teasing Scrooge by saying that he has no reason to be “morose” as he is “rich enough”. He then goes on to to directly contrast Scrooge’s miserly attitude saying that there are many things that he has benefited from even if he hasn’t “profited from them”, Christmas being one of them. By including a character with such optimism and appeal, Dickens furthers the effect of Scrooge’s pessimism, making him appear even worse.
Fezziwig
As an employer, Fezziwig directly contrasts Scrooge, seen most notably through his attitude and behaviour on Christmas Eve.
- While Fezziwig tells his apprentices that there will be “no more work to-night” as it is “Christmas Eve” Scrooge complains to Bob claiming that he is “ill-used” for having to pay “a day’s wages for no work”. This contrast highlights just how cruel Scrooge was as an employer, causing him to come to this realisation and change the way he acted with Bob.
In some ways it could be argued that including Fezziwig as a foil to Scrooge plays a role in his transformation as it catalyses feelings of regret and a desire to change.
What are key Scrooge quotes?
Key Quotes
● “A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!”. Dickens uses asyndetic listing (a list broken up by commas rather than conjunctions like ‘and’) in his description of Scrooge, perhaps to show the extent of his greed. The relentless verbs refer to him being miserly and selfish. In this way he is immediately and undeniably characterised as an unlikeable character. This makes it difficult for the reader to empathise with him while also drawing attention to the unsympathetic narration.
● “Solitary as an oyster”. This simile is interesting as although Dickens describes Scrooge as “solitary”, highlighting his isolation and so presenting him as hostile. The choice of an oyster is significant as despite an oyster being dark and hard on the outside they can contain something beautiful and valued on the inside; Pearls. Here, Dickens is suggesting to the reader that there is something worth saving within Scrooge, implying that as the novel progresses the Spirits will destroy his hard exterior to reveal the ‘pearl’ within.
● “I’m quite a baby.” This is interesting as it contrast Dickens’ earlier description of Scrooge as a “covetous old sinner”. He instead presents Scrooge as innocent through the connotations associated with a baby, highlighting the extent of his change. It is also interesting to note that by ending the novel with reference to Scrooge being a baby Dickens alludes to the cycle of rebirth and, as an extension, his transformation.
How does Dickens use simile and and repetition to describe scrooge?
Dickens uses the character of Ebeneezer Scrooge to criticise the divide between those who
have money, and those who do not.
We follow the change in the character, and we learn as a reader that we can change too.
Dickens’s use of repetition positions Scrooge as a lonely character at the start of the
novella when he summarises his role in relation to Marley: ‘Scrooge was the sole executor,
his sole administrator, his sole assign, his sole residuary legatee, his sole friend, and
sole mourner’.
The repetition of the adjective ‘sole’ emphasises the solitary nature of the lives ed by both men.
Dickens also uses the simile ‘Hard and sharp as flint’ to describe Scrooge.
The adjective ‘Hard’ suggests that he lacks warmth, empathy and compassion while
the adjective ‘sharp’ suggests pain, implying that Scrooge has no mercy towards others.
The comparison with ‘flint’ is interesting, however.
Flint is used to create fire. Dickens might be implying that there is the potential for a spark of warmth within Scrooge, who might yet change.
Scrooge is described with the simile as ‘solitary as an oyster’. At first glance, we have the impression that Scrooge, like an oyster, has a tough, hard
exterior and is closed to others.
The simile is effective because it emphasises how he has chosen to isolate himself.
It also suggests that there may be more to be discovered where Scrooge is concerned.
Just as, when forced open, an oyster may contain a pearl, so Dickens suggests there may be something worthwhile to be found within Scrooge. This imagery foreshadows the future positive change in Scrooge’s character.
Yet Dickens also uses humour in relation to Scrooge’s character.
For example, Scrooge tells Marley’s ghost: ‘You may be an undigested bit of beef, a
blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato.
There’s more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!’.
Dickens deliberately uses word play with the pun on ‘grave’ and ‘gravy’ to make
Scrooge’s character less two-dimensional. This makes the reader more likely to engage with Scrooge and celebrate his transformation
at the end of the novella- if we just think he’s an out and out idiot, we won’t realise
that the message he learns in the novella is also relevant for us as readers.
The reader begins to feel empathy for Scrooge when he returns to an almost childlike state
in the presence of the Ghost of Christmas Past.
When visiting Scrooge’s old school, the Ghost describes Scrooge as a ‘solitary child,
neglected by his friends’. When visiting Scrooge’s old school, the Ghost describes Scrooge as a ‘solitary child, neglected by his friends’.
The adjective ‘solitary’ reminds us of the ‘solitary as an oyster’, simile except that the child Scrooge was literally alone, and this was not his choice.
The juxtaposition of ‘neglected’ with ‘friends’ develops the reader’s empathy
towards Scrooge at this point in the novella.
When Scrooge ‘sobbed’ in response to the Ghost noting the young Scrooge’s neglect,
the reader understands that empathy and compassion have the power to elicit an emotional response from Scrooge. This signifies the start of his transformation. It is apparent that Scrooge is starting to realise that relationships, not money, bring happiness. By encouraging the reader to feel sorry for Scrooge, Dickens is inviting us to develop
an interest in his transformation and to celebrate with him at the end of the novella.
When the Ghost of Christmas Present appears, Dickens reminds us that Scrooge’s attitude
is changing: ‘I went forth last night on compulsion, and I learnt a lesson which is working now. To-night, if you have aught to teach me, let me profit by it.’ He is prepared for the lessons that await him. Interestingly, we still have imagery to do with money. The verb ‘profit’ links to financial transactions, so we are reminded that his transformation is ongoing – he is not yet completely transformed.
Dickens signals an important moment in Scrooge’s character arc when he shows empathy towards Tiny Tim. The Ghost of Christmas Present takes Scrooge to the Cratchit household, and Scrooge implores the Ghost to tell him of the boy’s future: ‘tell me if Tiny Tim will live’.
Dickens’s use of the imperative signifies that Scrooge genuinely seems to care about
the little boy’s fate. This contrasts with his earlier comments about the poor and, how if they die, this will ‘decrease the surplus population’.
His attitude is certainly changing, and we now see his hard, rational attitude to the
poor and needy being replaced with a genuine interest in their welfare. The climax of the novella is when Scrooge reads his own name on a gravestone and realises that he is the person whom everyone had been talking.
Dickens employs statements (declarative sentences) when Scrooge vows to ‘honour Christmas in
my heart, and try to keep it all the year.
I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future.
The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me.
I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.’
Dickens’s use of statements emphasises the significance of this moment and adds a tone
of solemnity.
In the final section of the novella, Dickens employs more similes to describe the change
in Scrooge: ‘I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as
a school-boy’.
These heighten the contrast with the ‘oyster’ and ‘flint’ similes from earlier in the
text.
The simile ‘as light as a feather’ leads the reader to infer that he has cast off the
chains of his earlier way of life (chains that are currently weighing Marley down).
Feathers also connote freedom and flight, implying that he is closer to Heaven than
he was previously.
This links to the ‘angel’ simile, contrasting with the early description of Scrooge as a
‘sinner’.
Angels connote goodness, signifying that Scrooge has become a better person.
We see that Scrooge is indeed a changed man; his spiritual journey is complete and we,
the readers, are left with the understanding that people can change.
Society is a better place if we all look out for one another.
Well I hope you found this video useful.
Everything I go through in this video series can be found in the second edition of Mr Bruff’s
Guide to A Christmas Carol.
The links are in the description - you can pick up a copy.
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How is Bob Cratchit Presented as obedient, generous, sensitive & fearful.
Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol
- Humble
- Hardworking
- Family man
Bob Cratchit is Scrooge’s clerk and works in unpleasant conditions without complaint. He obeys Scrooge’s rules and is timid about asking to go home to his family early on Christmas Eve.
When the Ghost of Christmas Present takes Scrooge to visit the Cratchits on Christmas Day, he sees Bob Cratchit carrying his sickly son Tiny Tim, and later raising a toast to Scrooge for providing the feast.
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows the Cratchits in a future where Tiny Tim has died and here we see how sensitive Bob Cratchit is. His love for his son is shown through his grief.
In the end, when Scrooge changes his ways for the better, Bob Cratchit is delighted. He welcomes Scrooge’s new-found generosity and friendship.
Social and historical context
Working life for a Victorian clerk was generally repetitive and dull. They typically spent whole days in the counting-houses working out calculations for the benefits of other men. Dickens features more than 104 clerks in his collected works. Most of his clerks are presented as downtrodden characters, almost always wearing black.
Summarise Bob Cratchit
Bob Cratchit, Scrooge’s Clerk, is introduced to the novella as a timid and nervous man. He remains unnamed for the first stave and is instead referred to as “the Clerk”. Perhaps Dickens only identifies Bob according to his occupation to highlight how the lower-class didn’t have an individual identity and were instead only recognised for their service. This illustrates the way in which the working class were defined by their positions in the workforce, which is where their value came from. In this way, it could be argued that Bob Cratchit’s role in the novella is to represent the plight of the poor, as he is an immediate source of sympathy in the novella.
However, when the Ghost of Christmas Present visits the Cratchit household with Scrooge the reader is exposed to a different side of Bob. Dickens depicts him as a loving father and husband, which could be interpreted as an idealisation of the lower class. Despite his poor wages and cruel employer, Bob Cratchit remains grateful and compassionate, celebrating Christmas in a way that the significantly richer Scrooge never could.
Dickens may have also wanted to depict Bob Cratchit more holistically to present the lower class in a different light. Usually in Victorian literature, the working class were depicted as peripheral, unimportant characters. In the works of Dickens he defies these expectations. presenting the lower class in a positive light and as multi-faceted characters. This is evident through the character of Bob Cratchit.
Context and Themes that Bob Cratchit represent
-
Context
During the Victorian era the word ‘bob’ was often used as a slang word for ‘shilling’. Therefore, it could certainly be argued that there is greater meaning behind Dickens’ choice for Bob Cratchit’s name. This is highlighted when he draws attention to it by the pun “Bob had but fifteen ‘Bob’ a-week himself”. Perhaps this is to serve as a constant reminder of how little Bob earns, or may be to represent the importance and power of money over the lower classes - so much so that it can alter life and death. This is seen in the case of Tiny Tim who, without Scrooge’s help, would have died.
**Poverty** The plight of the lower class is highlighted through Bob’s character. Dickens highlights Bob’s maltreatment in the workplace by contrasting his fear towards and dependence on Scrooge. He explores this theme in a sympathetic way towards the poor, challenging many of the prejudices and misconceptions that contemporary readers (readers at the time of publication) may have had.
- Instead of presenting the Cratchit’s as ungrateful and lazy, he repeatedly references their contentment (“nobody said or thought it was at all a small pudding for a large family”) and the fact that both Bob and Martha are working. He builds on this by revealing that Bob has a “situation (job) in his eye for Master Peter” too, which ultimately characterises the family as hardworking.
- Dickens does this to challenge the misconceptions of his Victorian readers as many would have believed that people lived in poverty because they were lazy.
Religon
Dickens explores the idea of religion through Bob. After returning from church with Tiny Tim he “trembled” as he told the family that Tiny Tim had told him that he hoped when people saw him they would remember Jesus, the man who “made lame beggars walk”. The verb “trembled” highlights his deep emotional connection with religion.
Furthermore, when his wife expressed her distaste for Scrooge during Bob’s toast, he reminds her that it is “Christmas Day” highlighting the respect and honour he gives the celebration. Here, Dickens presents Bob as a morally righteous man, as readers are likely to associate religion with a strong moral standing.
Family
Dickens highlights the theme of family through the characterisation of Bob by spotlighting the extent to which he values his family, presenting them as an essential part of his Christmas celebration. The family are described as united as Dickens details how they all joined in with the preparation of dinner - “Mrs Cratchit made the gravy… Master Peter mashed the potatoes… Miss Belinda sweetened up the apple-sauce…”. This unity is significant as Dickens had a greater agenda when writing the novella. He intended for it to teach and reform the way Christmas was celebrated.
Bob is presented as the ideal family figure who valued, loved and respected his family. He appreciates their efforts (calling the meal “the greatest success achieved by Mrs Cratchit since their marriage”) and worries when one of them is missing. In this way, Dickens introduces the idea that family should be an essential focus of the festive time.
How does Bob Cratchit develop?
Character Development
Bob begins the novella as an unnamed, poorly paid and maltreated Clerk, but, as Scrooge undergoes his own personal character development, (see ‘Character Profile: Ebeneezer Scrooge’) Bob too undergoes a change.
It should be noted that as Scrooge gets a deeper understanding of the lower classes so does the reader. Therefore, the supernatural experience is not just an educational experience for Scrooge but also for the reader. They are able to view Bob in the intimate setting of his family home, exposing them to the loving and compassionate side of his personality which wasn’t explored in the opening stave. With regards to finance, Bob ends the novella significantly more well off than at the start, as Scrooge announces he will “raise” his “salary” and “discuss” his “affairs” over lunch. It is interesting to note, however, that Bob’s character development is dependant on Scrooge. This is perhaps to symbolise the power and superiority of the upper class over the poorer members of society.
In addition to this, he does not develop in the drastic way that Scrooge does. Instead, he remains a compassionate and righteous character throughout the novella. This is significant as it contributes to the idea that Dickens carefully constructs Bob’s character to act as an idealised representation of the lower class, and so limits his faults.
What are Bob Cratchit’s relationship’s like?
Scrooge: In the opening stave of the novella Scrooge is cruel and merciless towards Bob. He makes him work in a “dismal little cell” and complains that he is “ill-used” for paying “a day’s wages for no work,’’ using an accusatory and aggressive tone towards the helpless clerk. It is interesting to note that the narrator is not sympathetic towards Scrooge but is sympathetic with regards to Bob, causing the reader to side with his character. This consequently characterises Scrooge as the villain. Following Scrooge’s transformation, Bob displays compassion as he forgives Scrooge for mistreating him, once again idealising his character.
Mrs Cratchit: The relationship between Bob and Mrs Cratchit again furthers the idealisation of his character as they cultivate love and happiness between them. This is emphasised when he remarks that she is a “good wife”.
- However, when Bob proposes a toast to Scrooge, the supposed “Founder of the Feast”, Mrs Cratchit does not approve. While this seems justified and so does not reflect badly on Mrs Cratchit, Bob replies in a “mild” way. He simply reminds his wife of “the children” and that it is “Christmas Day” elevating his position. This is because his behaviour presents him as remarkably patient and so heightens the righteousness of his character.
Tiny Tim: Bob’s youngest child, Tiny Tim, is described as a “cripple”. He is arguably used by Dickens to showcase the loving aspect of Bob’s character and causes the reader to sympathise with him more as we understand the intricate difficulties of his life.
- This is seen most notably following Tiny Tim’s death in Stave Four, where we witness Bob trying to remain peaceful despite his grief. He reminds his family not to “quarrel easily” amongst each other in order to honour Tiny Tim’s memory.
- In addition to building sympathy towards Bob, Tiny Tim’s character is also used to foreground Bob’s virtue. Dickens details how Bob returned from church with “Tiny Tim upon his shoulder’’ . This adds religious weight to his goodness, presenting his character as morally righteous, which is solidified by the pastoral image of him holding his child.
Remaining Cratchit children: Similar to his relationship with his wife, Bob maintains a loving and endearing relationship with his children which Dickens refers to throughout the text. For example, he seems distraught when the children pretend that Martha cannot make it for Christmas Day, repeating “not coming!” with a sudden “declension in his high spirits”. This highlights the extent to which Bob values his family which is a quality Dickens presents as ideal, perhaps as a lesson to the reader so they too aspire to be like the Cratchit family
Key Quotes relating to Bob Cratchit
- “He tried to warm himself at the candle” This is interesting as it conveys a lot to the reader about Bob’s characterisation and the cruel treatment he faces at work. By using the pitiful verb “tried”, Dickens creates a sense of helplessness. This causes us to sympathise with Bob and acknowledge his powerlessness before Scrooge. Furthermore, the anticlimactic “candle” highlights the poor provisions in place for Bob at the workplace, as he has nothing but a lone candle to warm himself. Dickens follows this line with the blunt and matter-of-fact: “he failed”. This illustrates the nonchalant attitude that many of the rich held towards the appalling working conditions of the lower class.
- “I’ll give you Mr Scrooge, the Founder of the Feast!” By including this toast to Scrooge despite the terrible way he treats Bob, Dickens exemplifies Bob’s patience and compassion, as he is grateful and good-natured towards his employer regardless of the way he is treated. It is also interesting to note that Bob refers to Scrooge with a title (“the Founder of the Feast”) elevating his position and attributing importance to him, even though he does not necessarily deserve it. It could be argued that Dickens does this to once again highlight the superiority of the rich over the lower-class, as even in his apparent absence Bob gives Scrooge a sense of respect and honour.
- “Oh, a wonderful pudding! Bob Cratchit said, and calmly too, that he regarded it as the greatest success achieved by Mrs. Cratchit since their marriage… Everybody had something to say about it, but nobody said or thought it was at all a small pudding for a large family. It would have been flat heresy to do so” This exclamatory remark highlights Bob’s appreciation towards his family and embodies the gratefulness of the Cratchits - despite the size of the pudding nobody even “thought” it was “small”. Once again, this presents Bob and the Cratchits as an idealised representation of the lower class. The pudding is an important image as it represents the hard work and unity of the family, although small, it is still well received.
What does Mr and Mrs Cratchit represented through dialogue?
Scrooge’s clerk, Bob Cratchit, represents the exploited, underpaid, yet hard-working
employee.
Despite Scrooge’s miserly ways, Bob toasts him, declaring him ‘the Founder of the Feast’.
With this action, Dickens draws the attention of the reader to Bob’s Christian generosity
of human spirit in the face of financial hardship and ill treatment.
This is heightened by Mrs Cratchit’s contrasting attitude to Scrooge: ‘I wish I had him here.
I’d give him a piece of my mind to feast upon, and I hope he’d have a good appetite for it.’
Her righteous indignation is only calmed by her husband reminding her that it is Christmas.
Through dialogue, Dickens sets expectations about forgiveness and goodwill to others at
this time of year.
Dickens depicts Bob as a dedicated employee, even though Scrooge treats him badly.
At the start of the novella, we see how he is unable to keep himself warm at work.
Bob wears a ‘comforter’ (scarf) and tries ‘to warm himself at the candle’.
We also learn that ‘Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerk’s fire was so very much
smaller that it looked like one coal.
But he couldn’t replenish it, for Scrooge kept the coal-box in his own room’. By showing us what Bob is wearing, what Bob is doing and explaining why he is so cold,
Dickens invites the reader to feel empathy for Bob and to criticise Scrooge, who clearly
has no concern for Bob’s comfort or welfare.
Despite being a downtrodden employee, Bob has resilience. Leaving Scrooge’s office at the end of the day, he ‘ran home to Camden Town as hard as he could pelt, to play at blindman’s-buff’.
He finds comfort and joy in his family and is excited about Christmas.
Dickens introduces Mrs Cratchit by drawing attention to her poverty: she is ‘dressed
out but poorly in a twice-turned gown, but brave in ribbons, which are cheap and make
a goodly show for sixpence’.
Despite wearing a dress so old that it has been taken apart, turned inside out and resewn
twice, she still makes an effort with her appearance. Her effort to mark Christmas day with ‘ribbons’ contrasts with Scrooge’s cold, bare rooms and lack of decoration. Her role is defined by others as Bob’s ‘good wife’. Bob reports after the future Tiny Tim’s death that Fred has expressed his condolences:
‘I am heartily sorry for it, Mr. Cratchit,’ he said, ‘and heartily sorry for your good wife.’
By the bye, how he ever knew that, I don’t know.”
“Knew what, my dear?”
“Why, that you were a good wife,” replied Bob.
“Everybody knows that!” said Peter.
“Very well observed, my boy!” cried Bob.
“I hope they do.
‘Heartily sorry,’ he said, ‘for your good wife.
This conversation conforms to contemporary attitudes of the time towards married women,
who were judged by their role in relation to a husband. An obedient wife was praised. Dickens might be drawing attention to this point because of his experiences with his mother who, seeing the value of an extra income, was very reluctant for him to leave his job at Warren’s Blacking Warehouse after his father had been released from debtors’ prison. Dickens later wrote: ‘I never afterwards forgot, I never shall forget, I never can forget, that my mother was warm [lukewarm] for my being sent back [home]’. These feelings of being betrayed by his mother contribute towards his beliefs that a husband should be the decision maker, and his wife should be obedient and submissive.
Nevertheless, Mrs Cratchit does have an opinion about Scrooge, which she freely expresses
at the Christmas dinner: ‘I wish I had him here.
I’d give him a piece of my mind to feast upon, and I hope he’d have a good appetite for it’.
At the time, it was commonly believed that women were ruled by their emotions and not
capable of ‘rational’ thought.
When Dickens describes Mrs Cratchit’s emotional outburst, this therefore conforms to contemporary
ideas about women.
We have already discussed how her comment contrasts with Bob’s, emphasising Bob’s Christian generosity of human spirit in the face of financial hardship and ill treatment.
Dickens also positions Mrs Cratchit with her righteous indignation as a loyal wife.
It is understandable that she dislikes Scrooge because she sees how hard her husband works
for him, yet he is not rewarded for his effort.
In order to appreciate her character more fully, we need to look at Bob’s response
to her criticism of Scrooge: “My dear,” was Bob’s mild answer, “Christmas
Day.” She only backs down when her husband—head of the household, moral leader, capable of
logic—reminds her of the religious significance of the day.
Her wedding vows would have been to ‘love, honour and obey’ her husband.
Reluctantly, she obeys her husband, as every (in Dickens’s opinion) ‘good wife’ should.
Let’s consider the historical context here: In 1843, married women had no legal rights:
• A woman was first the legal possession of her father and then that of her husband
(this is the origin of the tradition of a bride being given away by her father at a
church wedding).
• When a woman married, everything she owned belonged to her husband.
* If she earnt any money, she was not allowed to keep it—she had to pass it to her husband.
Being the mother of six children would have made it difficult for Mrs Cratchit to work
outside the home—if her husband had allowed her.
Financially, she is totally dependent upon her husband.
This shows how important it is for Bob Cratchit to keep his job.
Who is Martha and Peter Cratchit?
Character Summary
Martha is Bob Cratchit’s eldest child. She first appears in the novella when she arrives home late on Christmas Day as she had a great deal of “work to finish up” the night before and had to “clear away” in the morning. This instantly characterises her as hard-working which challenges Scrooge’s misconception that the poor in society are “idle”. Furthermore, some readers may feel sympathy for her character, particularly after she reveals that she needs a “good long rest”. This advances the idea that the novella aims to educate readers about the plight of the poor and so instigate social change.
Dickens explores her character further when he describes how she hid when Bob Cratchit came home but ran out early as she “didn’t like to see him disappointed”. This presents her as playful yet compassionate. Therefore, while she plays only a minor role within the novella, her character represents a much greater message. Through Martha, Dickens is able to challenge the Malthusian perspective (see ‘Context: Poverty’), which dismisses the lower class as the “surplus population”. Instead, he presents the Cratchit children with their own, individual personalities. This translates to Victorian society, as it seems as though Dickens is trying to make a statement about the individualism (a social outlook which emphasises the importance of each person) of the poor in society, highlighting that they cannot, or should not, be dismissed or ignored
**Context** Dickens explores her character further when he describes how she hid when Bob Cratchit came home but ran out early as she “didn’t like to see him disappointed”. This presents her as playful yet compassionate. Therefore, while she plays only a minor role within the novella, her character represents a much greater message. Through Martha, Dickens is able to challenge the Malthusian perspective (see ‘Context: Poverty’), which dismisses the lower class as the “surplus population”. Instead, he presents the Cratchit children with their own, individual personalities. This translates to Victorian society, as it seems as though Dickens is trying to make a statement about the individualism (a social outlook which emphasises the importance of each person) of the poor in society, highlighting that they cannot, or should not, be dismissed or ignored. Context Dickens informs the reader that Martha is a “poor apprentice at a milliner’s”, an interesting choice due to the social stigma that surrounded these places. In 1843, the year in which the novella was written, milineries (a place which made and sold hats) were one of the few places which would hire women, however, they were also one of the worst. Women were forced to work in dirty, unsafe conditions under cruel supervisors and were often underpaid. This forced many of them to turn to prostitution in order to survive. As a result, these women were assigned the same low social status as prostitutes and so were generally looked down on. Therefore, it can certainly be argued that it is significant that Dickens chose to have Martha apprentice at a milliner’s but still present her positively, as it is evident that he is trying to challenge widespread prejudice against the poor.
Peter Cratchit
Character Summary When Peter Cratchit, Bob Cratchit’s oldest son, is first introduced to the novella he is described as wearing his father’s shirt “in honour of the day”. The narrator notes that the collar was “monstrous”, but Peter “rejoiced” irrespective of this, as he was happy to be so “gallantly attired”. This heartbreaking description is likely to cause the reader to pity his character, particularly due to the negative connotations of the adjective “monstrous”. This is because the reader is aware that his clothes are too big for him but see that he is delighted regardless. It could be argued that Dickens creates this sympathetic portrayal of his character so the reader understands the complexity of the challenges which arise from poverty. This may cause them to be more sensitive to the troubles which the lower-class face.
In a similar way to Martha Cratchit, Dickens explores the individuality of Peter by developing and exploring his characterisation. Dickens writes that he “mashed the potatoes with incredible vigour”, presenting his character as energetic and spirited. Furthermore, when Bob reveals that he has a “situation in his eye for Master Peter”, Dickens adopts a light-hearted and humorous commentary.
He describes how the two younger Cratchits “laughed tremendously” while Peter “looked thoughtfully” at the fire, as if he was contemplating which “investments he would favour”. This tone further develops Peter’s characterisation, as we are able to get a better understanding of his comical personality, despite his relatively minor role within the novella. Ultimately, it could be argued that this contributes to the theme of poverty in the novella, as Dickens uses his character to make the reader sympathise with the Cratchits due to their deprivation, while also admiring their spirit and character
How is Tiny Tim presented as Kind, Thoughtful and patient?
- Kind
- Disabled
- Thoughtful
Tiny Tim is one of Bob Cratchit’s sons. He walks with a crutch and has ‘his limbs supported by an iron frame’. Despite his physical difficulties, he is a positive and generous child. He thinks of others and is well-loved by his family.
Scrooge is affected by the child and when he is shown the Cratchit family Christmas by the Ghost of Christmas Present, he worries whether Tiny Tim will live. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows a possible future in which Scrooge’s fears are realised and Tiny Tim has died.
At the end of the novella, after Scrooge changes his character, we learn that he becomes like a second father to Tiny Tim.
Summarise Tiny Tim and the Themes he represents.
Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit’s disabled son, is a minor but significant character as he fulfills important roles within the novella.
Dickens uses his character to highlight the transformation of Scrooge, which is central to the narrative. When Bob proposes a toast to Scrooge on Christmas Day “Tiny Tim drank it last of all” and “didn’t care twopence for it” which highlights his dislike towards his father’s boss. However, following Scrooge’s reparations, he becomes a “second father” to Tiny Tim, epitomising his character development (see ‘Character profile: Ebenezer Scrooge’).
It is also interesting to note that Dickens was a strong advocate for the poor in London and so it could be argued that he intended to create a sympathetic embodiment of the suffering of children through the character of Tiny Tim. His character allows Dickens’ to engage with the reader’s emotions and so catalyse social change. Dickens achieves this presentation by carefully constructing his descriptions of Tiny Tim: he presents him to be “as good as gold”, emphasising his good nature in order to appeal to the reader. This is built on by his heartbreaking description of Tim “feebly” crying “Hurrah!” on Christmas day in an attempt to join in with the festivities, establishing a sense of pathos (something which causes sadness or pity) about his character.
Key Themes
Poverty
Dicken’s explores the theme of poverty through Tiny Tim by idealising his character, presenting him as hopeful and grateful despite the distressing situation he is in. He also presents this theme by exploring the relationship between Tiny Tim and Scrooge, highlighting to the reader in an allegorical manner (a metaphor where a character or event is used to convey a broader message about the real world) that the rich have a duty towards the lower classes.
Class tensions
The relationship between Scrooge and Tiny Tim could be interpreted as symbolic of the connection between the upper and lower class, a reading which is synonymous with Dickens’ overarching narrative surrounding social responsibility. When Scrooge is ignorant of the plight of the lower class, dismissing them as simply “the surplus population”, Tiny Tim’s tragic death follows. However, when Scrooge becomes aware of his greater social responsibility, he becomes a “second father” to Tim and this future is averted. It is interesting to note that Dickens presents www.pmt.education this relationship as mutually beneficial, as Scrooge regrets not having children. Indeed, he weeps as he wonders what it would have been like for a child who “might have called him father” . This longing is satisfied through his relationship with Tiny Tim.
What are Tiny Tims Relationship like with other people?
Key quotes
Relationships
● Bob Cratchit: Tiny Tim’s relationship with Bob is another example of the pathos which surrounds his character, particularly in the aftermath of Tim’s death. The poignant image of Bob Cratchit walking “slower” than he used to due to the absence of “Tiny Tim upon his shoulder” evokes pity from the reader and establishes a sombre tone to the remainder of the stave. This may perhaps be because Tiny Tim personifies innocence, and so his death is perceived as a loss of innocence from the novella. Therefore, when it is revealed in the final stave that Tiny Tim “did not die” the reader most likely feels relief, as this acts as a restoration of order within the novella.
Key Quotes
● “God bless us, Every one!” The religious focus of Tiny Tim’s statement presents him as an exemplary child who embodies the spirit of Christmas. This is heightened by the phrase “every one” which highlights that he is compassionate and caring, both of these are traits which further the endearing nature of his character. Dickens quotes this line for the final words of the novella, attributing a sense of importance to his character and leaving the reader with the image of Tiny Tim as a symbol of hope and the positive outcomes which can be achieved through both personal and social reform.
● “‘My little, little child’ cried Bob. ‘My Little child!’” Dickens uses epimone (the repetition of a word or phrase to emphasise a point) in order to further the frail and weak characterisation of Tiny Tim. This causes the reader to sympathise more with the situation as they realise the tragic nature of the death of a child. The reader understands the strong emotions Bob must be feeling, as he is at a loss for words and can describe Tim as nothing but “little”. The term connotes ideas of innocence and helplessness, furthering the injustice of the situation.
● “He told me, coming home, that he hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas day who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see.” This allusion to Jesus highlights Tiny Tim’s role as a moral compass within the text. He acts as a Dickens’ mouthpiece of goodness, similar to how Jesus acted as God’s messenger to impart the importance of morality to humanity. This phrase also emphasises the Christmas message of tolerance and hope.
How does Tiny Tim encourage Biblical stories and religon?
Inspired by Dickens’s nephew (who sadly did not live to adulthood), Tiny Tim represents
children in Victorian society who were vulnerable because of disabilities.
Tiny Tim is loved by Bob, who carries ‘Tiny Tim upon his shoulder.’, and all the family
members.
This illustrates Dickens’s view, later reiterated in the 1850 Christmas edition of his magazine
Household Words, that, in the eyes of God, all children, including those with disabilities,
have value.
Dickens shows the reader that, despite his difficulties, Tim and his family have kept
their faith in God.
Dickens emphasises this through dialogue when Bob Cratchit says: ‘He told me, coming home,
that he hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and it might be
pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk, and blind
men see’. The character of Tiny Tim, depicted as a good, almost angelic child, is used to encourage
Christians to reflect on religion and biblical stories in which Jesus does not ignore the
disabled.
This provides a moral message for the reader.
Tiny Tim is also a symbol of the consequences of Scrooge’s change in attitude and behaviour
in the story. At the end of the novella, his condition improves drastically (he ‘did not die’) thanks to money that Scrooge gives to the family.
Dickens therefore uses the character of Tiny Tim and the possibility of his future death
as a device to force Scrooge to change his selfish ways, and to challenge readers to do the same.
Peter Cratchit, Bob’s eldest son, is on the verge of manhood. He has everything to look forward to. Bob has found him a ‘situation’, a job. This transition to manhood is symbolised by his new shirt, a shirt that is too big for
him, as its collar is ‘monstrous’. By drawing attention to the size of the shirt, perhaps Dickens is suggesting that Peter is too young to be entering the world of work.
Furthermore, the shirt is second-hand, ‘Bob’s private property, conferred upon his son and
heir in honour of the day’, which underscores the poverty of a family who cannot afford
new clothes. Despite wearing an oversized second-hand shirt, Peter ‘rejoiced to find himself so gallantly
attired, and yearned to show his linen in the fashionable Parks’.
Here, we have a reference to the parks of London where the fashionable upper classes
would ride and show off their finery.
Dickens implies that Peter would love to join them in showing off his new clothes.
Of course, this would be impossible.
Perhaps Dickens uses Peter to represent the hopes and dreams of the working classes to better themselves.
This idea is developed when, after the future Tiny Tim dies, Bob hopes that Fred will find
him a ‘better situation’.
Martha Cratchit, Bob’s oldest daughter, is ‘a poor apprentice at a milliner’s’
(a milliner makes and sells hats).
She represents exploited, underpaid female apprentices. We do not know how old she is apart from the fact that she is Bob’s oldest daughter, but she joins in the fun and hides from Bob before he arrives, which hints that she is
young. Her income is necessary to the Cratchit family, as it supplements Bob’s meagre pay.
Through her character, Dickens reminds the reader of the working conditions for apprentices.
She is late at her parents’ house because she works long hours and is even required
to work on Christmas Day: ‘We’d a deal of work to finish up last night…and had
to clear away this morning’.
She relates ‘how many hours she worked at a stretch, and how she meant to lie abed to-morrow
morning for a good long rest’. Dickens emphasises the extent to which she is exploited through irony: ‘she had seen
a countess and a lord some days before’—she makes hats for the rich, hats that she will
never be able to afford for herself.
The 1847 Factory Act (which said that women and children aged between 13 - 18 should work
a maximum of 10 hours a day) only applied to women and children who worked in factories.
We can assume, bearing in mind Dickens’s purpose, that ‘A Christmas Carol’ is set
in 1843, so Martha would have had no protection from the law.
The first time that we meet Belinda, she is performing a domestic task, helping her mother: Then up rose Mrs. Cratchit, Cratchit’s wife, dressed out but poorly in a twice-turned gown,
but brave in ribbons, which are cheap and make a goodly show for sixpence; and she laid
the cloth, assisted by Belinda Cratchit, second of her daughters, also brave in ribbons […]
The repetition of ‘brave in ribbons’ implies that she is a younger version of her mother,
learning gender-assigned roles in the house.
She ‘sweetened up the apple-sauce’ and changed the plates between courses.
Interestingly, when the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come takes Scrooge to Bob Cratchit’s
house in stave 4, she is not mentioned by name. We can assume that she is one of the ‘daughters…engaged in sewing’ and one of the ‘girls’ who
speaks.
In this scene, only Bob Cratchit, Peter Cratchit and Tiny Tim are mentioned by name.
Mrs Cratchit is defined by her role as wife and ‘mother’. The future Belinda is denied a name or identity. We do not learn the names of the younger Cratchit children. However, if we add them to Martha, Belinda, Peter and Tiny Tim, we learn that Mr and Mrs
Cratchit have six mouths to feed. This number draws attention to Bob’s situation as poorly paid employee. It also explains why Martha works and why Peter has just been found a ‘situation’.
Summarise Marley’s ghost
Marley’s Ghost is the first apparition who appears to Scrooge. He warns Scrooge that if he does not change his ways he too will experience the damning consequences of his sinful behaviour in the afterlife.
Dickens establishes the friendship between Scrooge and Marley from the opening of the novella. The narrator says that they were “partners for I don’t know how many years” which highlights to the reader that they have a time-honoured relationship. He develops this further by likening their characters, revealing that Scrooge “answered to both names”. Therefore, it can be argued that Marley’s characterisation reflects onto Scrooge. As a result, the descriptions of his isolation and suffering inform the reader about Scrooge’s fate if he doesn’t take action and repent.
Marley’s character is also important as he outlines the structure of the novella. He warns Scrooge that he will not be the only Ghost to visit, informing him that he will be “haunted…by Three Spirits”. He goes on to tell him to “Expect the first to-morrow, when the bell tolls One”. This establishes a timeline of events which adds a sense of structure to the chaotic supernatural events that Scrooge experiences, informing both the reader and Scrooge of what to expect from the novella. This could be interpreted as a dramatic technique, as readers expect and anticipate upcoming events which increases the tension.
What is Fred’s purpose and how does he compare to Scrooge?
Fred is presented as a foil to Scrooge, which means that he contrasts his character in order to emphasise certain qualities. Therefore, by emphasising Fred’s goodness, Dickens amplifies the negative qualities within Scrooge.
His character is first used to juxtapose the atmosphere in the opening stave. Dickens contrasts the bleak and miserable descriptions of the setting with the “glow” that Fred brings. This serves to both emphasise Fred’s virtue and cause Scrooge’s dismal attitude to appear worse. Consequently, Fred and Scrooge are presented as the antithesis (direct opposite) of each other in the opening stave.
*This is also used by Dickens to emphasise Scrooge’s isolation. His seclusion is highlighted when he stands with the Ghost looking into Fred’s party. The proxemics (the amount of space a person chooses to keep between themselves and others) here illustrates Scrooge’s outsider status.
How is Fred positive, persistent & Enthusiastic?
- Cheerful
- Generous
- Kind-hearted
Social and historical context
Many of the Christmas traditions that we enjoy today began during the Victorian era. Before the 19th-century, Christmas was not celebrated in the way that it is today. It was not even considered a holiday by many businesses.
The practice of sending Christmas cards began during the Victorian times, as did the giving of elaborate and increasingly luxurious gifts on Christmas Day.
The Christmas feast has a longer history, though the popularity of turkey can be attributed to the Victorians. The focus on family and spending time with loved ones also came about in the 1800s.
A Christmas Carol was written during this time and played its part in making these new traditions popular.
How is the Ghost of Christmas Past presented as Ephemeral, Gentle, quiet and firm?
- Young and old
- Commanding
- Streaming with light
The Ghost of Christmas Past is the first spirit to visit Scrooge after the ghost of Marley. It arrives as the clock chimes one. It is an ephemeral spirit that appears to be both old and young at the same time with light streaming from the top of its head.
It takes Scrooge to scenes from his own past, showing him visions of his own childhood, of his young adulthood and of happier times. The final scene he presents is one that Scrooge cannot bear to witness: his lost love, Belle, with her family.
Scrooge turns on the ghost and demands to be shown no more. He attempts to extinguish the ghost’s light with its own cap, wrestling it to the ground. However, the light that shines from the ghost cannot be put out.
How is the Ghost of Christmas Present presented as Jolly, Welcoming, Honest and Prophetic
- Jolly
- Welcoming
- Prophetic
The Ghost of Christmas Present is a huge and vibrant character who appears as the bell, once again, strikes one. It appears in Scrooge’s room, surrounded by a feast. The generous nature of this ghost is reflected in the abundant vision of food.
Scrooge is more humble in the presence of this second spirit and is willing to learn any lessons the ghost will show.
It shows Scrooge visions of the world on Christmas Day, including heart-warming scenes of celebration at the homes of Bob Cratchit and Scrooge’s nephew, Fred.
Before it leaves Scrooge, the Ghost shows him two ‘yellow, meagre’ children who are hiding under its cloak. These are called Ignorance and Want and are a warning to Scrooge to change his ways.
How is the Ghost of Christmas Yet to come presented as Silent, Frightening & Demanding?
- Silent
- Dark
- Ominous
The final Ghost is frightening and eerie. It doesn’t say a word to Scrooge, but glides along and points out scenes to him.
The spirit first shows Scrooge a funeral scene, with businessmen wondering about the money that the dead man has left. The Ghost then takes him through dark alleyways to a scene of three people picking through the belongings of the deceased. Scrooge recognises that his own death could be met this way.
Next the Ghost takes him to the Cratchit household where Scrooge is upset to realise that Tiny Tim has died.
Finally the Ghost shows him a tombstone engraved with the name: Ebenezer Scrooge. Clutching at the spirit’s robes, Scrooge pledges to change his ways if he can avoid this solitary death. The Ghost disappears and leaves Scrooge clutching at his bed curtains.
