Isolation Flashcards
What are our initial impressions of Scrooge in terms of isolation?
'’s—— a- – o——–’’
'’s—— and s– c—–’’
’‘solitary as an oyster’‘
'’secret and self contained’‘
- Sibilance, similar to that of a snake, suggests something sinister. Perhaps it’s a biblical allusion as it alludes to the snake in the tree which tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Dickens may be suggesting that isolation can be deadly.
- Polysyndetic listening makes the adjectives used more powerful, with each adjective the reader is given a deeper undestanding of Scrooge
- '’Self-Contained’’ shows us that no one necessarily has pushed Scrooge away, he’s ostracised himself from society
How is Scrooge’s isolation shown through social interactions?
N—– — —– —- — — st—– t- s—… My d— Sc—- h– — —?
In the Victorian times people were extremely cordial with each other, greeting people was apart of the culture.
In Scrooge’s description it says that “Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say…My dear Scrooge, how are you?”, Scrooge purposefully isolated himself from society and this same behaviour is mirrored through the people around him.
The fact that people no longer try to greet Scrooge shows the extent to which he has isolated himself. The people in Scrooge’s neighbourhood were aware of the kind of person Scrooge was and so did not make an effort to try and involve him.
How does Fred treat Scrooge differently?
However, Fred his nephew never gives up on him, even after Scrooge insults him he invites Scrooge to “Come! Dine with us to-morrow.” Although Scrooge tries and is successful with isolating himself Fred is persistent with his uncle and in the end it pays off as Scrooge joins the dinner party which is a sign of his dramatic change.
In Scrooge’s change someone who was once as “solitary as an oyster” becomes a social butterfly attending Fred’s dinner party saying “It’s I. Your uncle Scrooge. I have come to dinner. Will you let me in, Fred?”.
The question holds a lot of tension as it contains in it all the insults Scrooge gave to Fred and the lifetime of exclusion but Scrooge is finally ready to come back.
Through Fred’s acceptance of Scrooge in Stave 5, what does Dickens illustrate?
Dickens illustrates that it is never too late to come back and that no one has to isolate themselves.
This is apart of his socialist ideology which is based on inclusion and making sure that everyone in society is valued and treated equally.
How are we made to feel sorry for Scrooge?
'’a s—— c—-, n——’’
Upon seeing this, Scrooge ‘’s——’’ and ‘‘w—-‘’
’‘a solitary child, neglected’‘
’‘sobbed, wept’‘
Firstly, Dickens shows us how a misanthropic person like Scrooge is created.
The emotive language gives the reader a chance to see Scrooge in a vulnerable state and see the major impact that loneliness has had on Scrooge.
While at the start the narrator tries to paint Scrooge as unfeeling saying that “External heat and cold had little influence on him”. This is the first instance which shows that Scrooge does have feelings, it also foreshadows more changes.
How does Greed cause isolation in A Christmas Carol?
'’a —— i—– h—- d——– m-‘’
While in his younger school boy days he did not necessarily isolate himself, later into his young adulthood the reader sees that his isolation is caused by greed. His fiancée at the time Belle says that an “idol” has displaced her a “golden one”, this means that his need for money has become a priority instead of nurturing the relationships he has in his life.
● Belle says that she hopes he “happy in the life you have chosen!”, this is the moment in which Scrooge finally chose money and greed over everything else. Through these scenes Dickens intends to show the readers how choosing greed can lead to isolation
How does Dickens challenge Capitalism through isolation?
In Stave 1 when the portly gentlemen arrive looking for money for charity Scrooge says that “It’s enough for a man to understand his own business, and not to interfere with other people’s.” This reflects the capitalist ideology which Dickens was highly critical of, instead he believed in charity and helping those in need.
This capitalist ideology leads to isolation as it means that people should only focus on themselves and not take interest in others. Scrooge’s choice of words is also very interesting here as he uses the word “business” to talk of a person’s life. Dickens intentionally creates this semantic field to show Scrooge’s disregard for others.
This suggests that Scrooge’s life was business he is noted as an “excellent man of business”, the focal point of Scrooge’s life was money and greed it is what motivated him and why he was never satisfied and very isolated.
