Jacob Marley Flashcards
who is Jacob Marley
Scrooges dead business partner and the first ghost to appear
what is the significance of the quote “Marley was dead to begin with” 5)
1 shocks the reader
2 follows the title of the stave Marley’s ghost
3 promises supernatural
4 creates anticipation
5 introduces the idea that time is turned upsidedown
How does Dickens leave the reader in no doubt that the first time we see marley he is a ghost
1 he uses repetition to show he has passed away
2 quote “Marley was as dead as a door nail”
3 followed by reference to his funeral and how Scrooge is the soul mourner
When is the first time we see Marley’s face why has Dickens done this (3)
the aparition on the door knocker
1 develops the supernatural
2 begins to create tension
3 forshadows the arrival of the ghost later
Dickens uses a list to describe what Marley is wearing , chain made of ……what is in the list and what is their significance
“cashbox, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds” all the items relate to business and money and symbolise his greed in life. they serve as a warning to Scrooge that he too will be punished if he doesn’t change his ways.
how does Dickens use religious reasons for Marley’s torment (4)
1”i wear chains I forged in life …….doomed to wander through the world”. He is suffering in the afterlife because of his bad behaviour in life.
2 This is reference to the Christian belief of Purgatory as a place of purification after death
3 The verb doomed implies he has been judged and condemmed and has no hope of heaven
4 The aliteration wander and world slows down the sentence to emphasise his eternal punishment
How does Dickens show that Marley regrets his actions of profit over people when he was alive.
How does relate to an earlier simile
1Dickens describes Scrooge as Marley’s only friend highlighting how lonely they were in pursuit of money
He was “sadly the sole mourner” at Marley’s funeral - the adjective soley emphasises the solitary nature of their work and how Marley and Scrooge with their own profits not with relationships with people.
2 This echoes “solitary as an oyster” similie used to describe Scrooge earlier in the novella - There is no hidden pearl of redemption for Marley.
How does Dicken use Marley as a structural device
1 He tells Scrooge and the reader he will be visited by 3 spirits this helps to guide the reader through the plot.
2 Dickens uses Marley as a mouth piece to emphasise the importance of social responsibility and the need to look after others as it is the only way to avoid eternal punishment
