A Christmas Carol

Question 1

Form and Structure

Answer 1

• Form is a novella - Dickens perhaps chose this form because its shortness allows for his message to be clearly communicated.
• Dickens uses a simple, linear plot, separated into staves
• Throughout, Scrooge experiences a redemption arc, which is made evident through his interactions with the ghosts, and the change in attitude and behaviour from stave 1 to stave 5 gives a sense of completion.

Question 2

“Solitary as an oyser”

Answer 2

The narrator in the first description of the protagonist, Scrooge, in Stave 1

• Simile comparing Scrooge to an oyster. Oysters have a hard shell, difficult to open - mirrors his metaphorical hardness (e.g lack of empathy towards the poor) and social isolation (e.g refuses to understand that he should help others, as demonstrated by his interaction with the charity workers). The adjective ‘solitary’ further emphasises this.
• Oysters are shut away and alone in the dark - opposing the motif of light that is used throughout the novella to signify Christmas and the Christian spirit. At this point however, Scrooge is associated with darkness and cold.
• Possibility of a peal - could symbolise his wealth. Because he’s a miser, he refuses to share it.
• Associated with value and beauty. Could symbolise his potential for redemption (as demonstrated throughout the novella and especially in Stave 5.

Question 3

“Good as gold”

Answer 3

Bob Cratchit in Stave 3, about his son Tiny Tim

• Simile comparing Tiny Tim to gold. Emphasises his good nature - he is hopeful and grateful despite the hardships he faces. He personifies innocence.
• Bob is a foil to Scrooge: he prioritises human relationships over material wealth. His character is used as a tool by Dickens to convey his message.
• Dickens - and the Ghost of Xmas Present - seem to use Tiny Tim and the Cratchit family to encourage the Victorian reader - and Scrooge - to understand that the working class are human and morally good.

Question 4

“Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?”

Answer 4

The Ghost of Christmas Present to Scrooge, when Scrooge asks whether anything could be done to save the allegorical children Ignorance and Want.

• Repetition of Scrooge’s earlier words in response to the charity workers. His empathetic reaction to the children contrasts with his worldview in Stave 1 - he has progressed along his redemption arc.
• Mimicking Scrooge’s words to highlight his prior cruelty and coldness in one amongst a number of tactics used by the ghosts to support Scrooge in his spiritual and psychological journey towards redemption (e.g the ghosts show him the Cratchit family, verbalise how he should act, show him his grave, etc)
• The two children are allegories for two of the main issues plaguing Victorian society - Ignorance (symbolising the poor’s ignorance due to a lack of education, resulting in the poverty cycle, and the rich’s ignorance in how they should be helping the poor) and Want (the poor’s lack of basic necessities and the rich’s desire for money). Scrooge not only feels sympathy, but wants someone to intervene

Question 5

“I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a school-boy”

Answer 5

• All similes highlight the lightness, warmth, peace and joy which Scrooge now feels - they underscore the personal benefits of taking responsibility.
• List of cliched and simplistic similes highlights the culmination of the linear plot: they, and Stave 5 as a whole, highlight Scrooge’s redemption arc, and convey his newfound perspective on personal and social responsibility , and love and respect for all, no matter their class.
• The similes also link to a number of the distinct episodes in Scrooge’s spiritual re-education, which enabled Scrooge’s redemption arc:
  The lightness of the feather contrasts with the weight of the chain which Marley warns Scrooge against, which result from leading a sinful and isolated life. The reference to ‘school-boy’ links to the message of the Ghost of Christmas Past: that Scrooge should reflect on their past and not lose touch of their identity and youthful joy.

Question 6

Context

Answer 6

• The novella is a moralistic parable on redemption, as well as political and social attack.
• It was written it a post-industrial society where they poverty gap had widened and unfair views about the poor solidified - a common attitude among the rich was that the lower class deserved to live in poverty because they were lazy.
• The Industrial Revolution also amplified the issue of child labour.
• Dickens understood the plight of the poor and the inequality of society firsthand - for instance, he worked in a factory when young after his father (who was a clerk like Bob) was sent to debtors’ jail.
• The book may have been a response to 1834 ‘The Poor Law’ which meant many had to rely on prisons and workhouses instead of financial support.