kindness generosity acc Flashcards
Dickens uses Marley’s ghost to represent the idea that people will be punished for not having a generous attitude in life.
Marley wears chains and refers to
himself as “captive bound” and “double ironed” in the extract.
metaphor - symbolise the idea that greedy and selfish attitudes will ultimately weigh us down rather than allow us to be free and happy.
- failing to be generous punishment
Charles Dickens was a devout Christian and here he may be suggesting that an attitude of charity and generosity is God’s will and the only way to find true peace and contentment.
In the Victorian era, usurers like Marley and Scrooge were able to exploit the poor without any legal controls or punishment. Here Dickens may be trying to emphasise to his readers that whilst selfishness may be allowed in life, selfish people will face judgment in the end.
Marley expresses intense regret that he did not have a morem charitable attitude in life.
there are frequent exclamations like “Oh!” and “Such was I!” and Dickens characterises him to be “wringing his hands”.
create a tone of pain and despair about Marley. tortured by the regret that he did not live a kinder life and he is aware that he has wasted his time on earth.
“the dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business”.
money lending trade as a “drop” he implies it is minor and unimportant yet he devoted his life to it. he lists “charity” and “mercy” as part of a “comprehensive ocean” of his business - that there is a huge and urgent need to be charitable and generous.
Oceans are vast and cover huge parts of the world - suggesting that we should prioritise these attitudes in our lives rather than getting distracted by minor and selfish needs.
Dickens uses Scrooge to powerfully introduce the idea that many Victorians had negative attitudes towards charity and generosity.
he declares that he would rather let them die to “decrease the surplus population.”
Scrooge views the poor with outright contempt. Scrooge’s attitude at this stage in the novella is driven entirely by greed. He does not believe in helping the less fortunate but implies that they are simply numbers to him rather than human beings and are not needed; they are the leftovers of societ
Shockingly, this attitude mirrors the attitudes of many in the Victorian era with the Reverend Thomas Malthus publically arguing that it was right to let the poor die. Through Scrooge, Dickens criticises this selfish and irresponsible attitude by demonstrating the harm it can cause.
the writer uses the Cratchit family to demonstrate how many of the most vulnerable people in society were able to maintain charitable and generous attitudes depite their suffering.
the Cratchits represent the millions of poor working class people that lived in London in this era
The Cratchits do not only think of themselves but are kind and charitable towards others. This is famously symbolised by Tiny Tim whose exclamation “God bless us everyone!” highlights how Tiny Tim is perhaps the most vulnerable character in the story yet he never pities himself and thinks about others often.
In the Victorian era, many people assumed that the poorest people in society were in their situation because they were immoral or lazy. The fact that Tiny Tim is able to think of others despite his poverty demonstrates how this attitude was false and we should be more charitable towards the poor.
Structurally, Dickens chose repeat Tiny Tim’s line at the end of the novel and they are the very final words that are read. This perhaps emphasises their importance as they remind the reader that we have no excuse not to have a charitable and generous attitude if somebody like Tiny Tim is able to.
Dickens uses Scrooge’s incredible transformation to convey how anybody can discover a kind and charitable attitude in life.
Scrooge realises that “best and happiest of all, his Time was his own to make amends him”. The use of capitalisation of “Time” shows the importance Scrooge now places on his time on earth as this is what will give him the chance to make up for his previous mistakes. Perhaps he idolises time like a god.
He is no longer fixated on materialistic things like money but on spiritual values of kindess and generosity.
the superlative “happiest” - realisation will finally provide him with true, genuine contentment. Ultimately, the writer uses Scrooge as an allegory for the transformation he believed Victorian society needed to go through; if it did not discover its sense of kindness and generosity, it would never be a truly happy place.
