Crachits Flashcards
bob cratchit an emblem of neglected poor
-bobs short exchange of dialogue in stage 1 represents how the poor lower classes were silenced and oppressed by the upper classes “if quite convenient”
-reffed to as the ‘clerk’- lack of name highlights how the poor were stripped of their individual identities consequently causing them to all be seen as one by the upper class- the upper class don’t see them as individual humans rather than a group of lazy people who don’t contribute enough to the economy
“My little, little, child!” Cried Bob “my little child!”
-pathos and compassion is evoked for bob when tiny Tim dies
-D uses Tinytims death an angelic presentation of innocent children to emphasise bobs virtuous and compassionate nature, make the reader see the unjust punishments the poor face because of societal misconceptions
-repeated adjective connotes fragility, innocence children are frequently victims ti the belligerent cycle of poverty, without social change the unjust issues of poverty will continue
“a second father”
-D provides a solution to breaking the unrelenting cycle of poverty. The shows through the development of a collective social conscience as Scrooge becomes a ‘second’ father to tiny Tim, society can unite and alleviate the neglection and suffering for the poor
“Dressed out but poorly in a twice turned gown, but brave in ribbons”
-D makes poverty synonymous with gratitude through the cratchits
-the alliteration on ‘twice turned gown’ emphasises their poverty, Mrs cratchit is not able to afford new clothes however it is a gown that suggests that she admirably is able to make the best out of the little she has
-festivity of ribbons being all over her dress highlights how the foundations of Cratchit, may be impoverished. However they celebrate and glorify the little they have as they display gratitude for each other
“such a bustle ensued that you might have thought a goose the rarest of all birds; a feathered phenomenon”
-immense gratitude highlighted through the colloquial phrase
-‘bustle’ creates an image of elation and commotion emphasising how the cratchits are overjoyed with how they are blessed enough to eat this
-the superlative ‘rarest’ serves as irony as witching the Victorian period as it was a cheap bird that was a replacement for a turkey. This compounds their gratitude as they celebrate the small amount they can share together- the antithesis to Scrooge who is ungrateful for the abundance of wealth
“I’ll give you Mr.Scrooge, the founder of the feast”
ultimate sign of bobs gratitude is still praising and cherishing Scrooge- his minuscule wage from S allows him to put what he believes in a ‘great success’ of a spread on the table
-‘founder’ connotes creator alluding to how Bob sees S in a god like woah as he believes S is the creator if Bobs ability to have what he sees as luxuries
-highlights how the poor are blindly grateful to the same individuals who exploit them:key indictment of Do’s in high political diatribe as D exposes that it is the rich who propagate poverty by preserving their own wealth
-bob and cratchits are the epitome of moralistic and virtuous members of society
-provided the reader a model example of morality and show that an abundance lifestyle does not come from materialism but unity and benevolence
Motif of child victimisation
-innocence of children was a typical trope within D work. This as aligned with the focus on the angelic portrayal of children in Victorian literature. This is juxtaposed the portrayal prior to the Victorian era where children were seen as sinners due to not finding god yet
-Critic Laura C. Berry say typically in the Victorian society, children were represented as innocent and then becomes victims of society
“Decease the surplus population” - Scrooge
-tiny Tim highlights this victimisation as he is a victim to poverty, although his health conditions are not because he is poor it raises the question of would his death of been so imminent if he had access to healthcare like the rich?
-D highlights how child neglection is a by product of having malthusian views. When S demands ti quote the actuality of these demands means that the surplus population maybe be decreases at the expense of innocent life
“He tried to warm himself at the candle”
-it conveyed to the reader about bobs characterisation and the cruel treatment he faces at work. By using the pitiful verb ‘tried’ D creates a sense of helplessness. This causes us to sympathise with bob and acknowledge his powerlessness before S
-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, D 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 applying working continue of the lower class.
“Nobody said or thought it was at all a small pudding for a large family”
-instead of presenting the cratchits as lazy and ungrateful, D repeatedly references their contentment and the face that both bob and Martha are working
-he builds on this by revealing that bob has a “situation in his eye for master Peter” too which ultimately characterises the family as hardworking
-D does this to challenge the misconceptions of his Victorian readers as many would have believed people lived in poverty because they were lazy
Bob and tiny Tim
-bob and Tim are emblems of the belle the poor: both display nothing but virtuous characteristics yet endlessly suffer
-juxtaposes Scrooge who undergoes no suggesting yet is the epitome of a victorian miser
-Dickens’ social commentary is critical of this hypocritical treatment of the classes.
-treatment if an individual should be bases in their their character not their finical status
