Scrooge Flashcards
Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grind-stone
‘Oh’ suggests the narrator has a very strong negative opinion on Scrooge and ‘tight-fisted’ emphasises his cheap and miserly qualities. A ‘grind-stone’ is rough and coarse just like he is and is one of many references to the Industrial Revolution
Solitary as an oyster
Simile. Scrooge is hidden within his shell and keeps himself isolated. He is dark and hard on the outside but like a pearl inside an oyster, he has treasure deep within. ‘Solitary’ highlights his isolation, presenting him as hostile. Dickens is telling the reader Scrooge is worth saving
A solitary child, neglected by his friends, is left there still
Dickens suggests one of the reasons Scrooge is the way he is, was because he was neglected by society as a child so he now knows no different
I should have like to have given him something: that’s all
Remorseful statement shows Scrooge is starting to realise his mistakes and wants to amend them. He doesn’t wish his childhood on anybody else
If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population
The Ghost is repeating back Scrooge’s words from Stave 1 and it shows how far Scrooge’s views have changed from the prior biased, judgemental ones. Thomas Malthus’s ideas. Dickens was anti-Malthusian
Scrooge was the Ogre of the family
Metaphor. He is seen as a monster but yet still recognised as part of the family as he provides for them. However, ‘was’ indicates a change of heart. The fact an ogre is green could link to his jealousy of their familial relationship that he never had
I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy
Instead of using complicated, negative symbolism like Dickens used in Stave 1, he uses positive similes and connotations to represent Scrooge’s joy
I don’t know anything. I’m quite a baby
Babies come into the world innocent with a clean slate and Scrooge insists through these supernatural encounters he has been reborn with a clean slate. Redemption is a key Christian idea