bob / cratchits

Question 1

“clerk”
S1
- selfishness
- social injustice

Answer 1

• bob cratchit , initially referred to simply as the “clerk” in stave 1 which is symbolic of the dehumanisation & marginalisation experienced by the working class during the Victorian era
• the deliberate omission of his name shows the societal attitude that stripped the poor of their individuality , reducing them to mere cogs in the machinery of an industrialising society
• bobs anonymity highlights the motif of social inequality & the power dynamics between the upper & lower classes - he is under the oppressive thumb of Scrooge , a ruthless embodiment of capitalist greed
• thus, he is perceived as a faceless member of the exploited poor who unfairly faced prejudicial treatment due to stereotypes of laziness & being viewed as economic burdens

Question 2

“I’ll give you Mr Scrooge , The FOTF

Answer 2

“Founder” connotes creator , alluding to how bob sees Scrooge in a god like way as he believes Scrooge is the creator of bobs ability to have what he sees as luxuries. This highlights how the poor are blindly grateful to the same individuals who exploit them - this being a key indictment of dickens in his political diatribe as dickens exposes that it is the rich who propagate poverty by preserving their own wealth

Question 3

“such a bustle ensued that you might have thought a goose the rarest of all birds ; a feathered phenomenon “
S5

Answer 3

the colloquial phrase highlights the elation & commotion around being able to share the “phenomenon” together. The superlative “rarest” serves as irony as within the Victorian period , as it was a cheap bird that was a replacement for Turkey
- this compounds their gratitude as the celebrate the small amount they can share together - the anthesis to Scrooge who has ungrateful for the abundance of wealth he has

Question 4

“my little , little child” cried bob “my little child”
S4

Answer 4

• pathos & compassion is evoked for bob
• repeated adj “little” connotes fragility & innocence , reinforcing that innocent & fragile children are frequently victims to the belligerent cycle of poverty- without social change , the unjust issues of poverty will continue

Question 5

“my little , little child!” Cried bob. “My little child” (family)
S4

Answer 5

• bobs distress , despite him being an moralistic family man , makes the reader see the unjust punishments the poor face because of societal misconceptions
• it also reinforces how the poor value their family tremendously , as this is all they have