Grade 9 Analysis Flashcards
Christmas as a ‘business’
In Stave 1, Scrooge and Fred talk about Christmas as a business. Scrooge complains that it’s a time for “paying bills without money”, whereas Fred says that he hasn’t “profited” from Christmas. Scrooge measures everything’s value in money, whereas Fred takes a more utilitarian approach and thinks that Christmas’s value isn’t in money, but in family enjoyment.
Scrooge is unimaginative
Scrooge has “little of what is called fancy about him”. This implies that the events in his bedchamber are real, and hence adds tension to the chapter.
Scrooge leaves school
When Scrooge leaves his school, their carriage knocks snow “off the dark leaves”. This symbolises that his sister’s love has helped to thaw his frozen heart. This ties in with the theme of family and its link with happiness.
Thieves vs Scrooge
The thieves are uncompassionate about the man who has died; they only want to “profit” from him. This mirrors Scrooge’s behaviour and obsession with money and materialism.
Ignorance vs Scrooge
Ignorance and Scrooge both show ignorance. Scrooge shows deliberate ignorance towards others, forcing him to lose friends. However, Ignorance shows how a lack of education inevitably leave the poor trapped in poverty.
Bob Cratchit
‘Bob’ is slang for a shilling, but the Cratchits are very poor. However, he is very wealthy in his values: his happiness and his family. This is also backed up by the fact that Tiny Tim is as “good as gold”, implying that he is as valuable as money.
Joe’s shop vs Marley’s chains
The “heaps” of “chains” symbolise how both men are trapped in their lifestyles - the thieves are bound in poverty and Marley is bound in hell. The chains also symbolise the thieves’ “chains” of sins committed.
Scrooge’s redemption
There are hints that this is motivated by selfishness. One prominent example is when he asks the GCY2C how he can “sponge away the writing on this stone” in the graveyard.
Descriptions of food
Descriptions such as “pot-bellied baskets of chestnuts” reflect how food is abundant for the rich. However, the graveyard is “fat” with bodies, implying that money is worthless in death because the ground is filled with the bodies of all social classes.
