Scrooge Flashcards
“A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!”.
Dickens uses asyndetic listing (a list broken up by commas rather than conjunctions like
‘and’) in his description of Scrooge, perhaps to show the extent of his greed. The relentless verbs refer to him being miserly and selfish. In this way he is immediately and undeniably characterised as an unlikeable character. This makes it difficult for the reader to empathise with him while also drawing attention to the unsympathetic narration.
“Solitary as an oyster”.
“Solitary as an oyster”. This simile is interesting as although Dickens describes Scrooge as “solitary”, highlighting his isolation and so presenting him as hostile. The choice of an oyster is significant as despite an oyster being dark and hard on the outside they can contain something beautiful and valued on the inside; Pearls. Here, Dickens is suggesting to the reader that there is something worth saving within Scrooge, implying that as the novel progresses the Spirits will destroy his hard exterior to reveal the ‘pearl’ within.
“I’m quite a baby.”
This is interesting as it contrast Dickens’ earlier description of Scrooge as a “covetous old sinner”. He instead presents Scrooge as innocent through the connotations associated with a baby, highlighting the extent of his change. It is also interesting to note that by ending the novel with reference to Scrooge being a baby Dickens alludes to the cycle of rebirth and, as an extension, his transformation.
“cultivated the kindness of life”,
The importance of family is highlighted through the crucial role it plays in allowing for Scrooge’s all important redemption. This is evident when he is with the Ghost of Christmas Present who shows him how Fred and his family celebrate Christmas. Scrooge realises that if he had spent time with his family he might have “cultivated the kindness of life”, highlighting the crucial role that a person’s family can play on their character. Metaphor - Emotional connection
Scrooges Materialism How does it Cost him?
Dickens highlights how Scrooge’s materialism costs him significantly more than it benefits him - a theme first introduced by Jacob Marley in the opening stave when he refers to Scrooge as a “man of worldly mind”. This is shown to the reader when Scrooge visits his old fiancée Belle who tells him that she is leaving him because he has replaced her with a “golden […] idol”. She continues by saying he has become a man who “fears the world too much”, conveying the severe cost of Scrooge’s materialism.
This is later identified by Fred, who notes that Scrooge’s wealth is “of no use to him” as “he doesn’t do any good with it” showing the reader that his obsession with the material world is essentially useless if he doesn’t use his wealth properly.
Scrooge wistfully wonders what it would feel like to have children who “might have called him father”, causing his sight to grow “very dim indeed”.
Scrooge’s regret is instrumental in allowing for his redemption. This emotion not only makes Scrooge seem human but also endears the reader towards him. This is poignantly highlighted when Scrooge wistfully wonders what it would feel like to have children who “might have called him father”, causing his sight to grow “very dim indeed”. This implies that he has been brought to tears, showing the reader his regret while simultaneously causing them to sympathise with him. Ultimately this increases the readers involvement with his character, causing them to anticipate the end of the novella.
It is essential to Dickens’ message for the reader to like his character. If he lacked regret his reformation would not seem genuine and wouldn’t be convincing to the reader. This would weaken Dickens’ moral message.
“refuge” “are there no prisons?”
Dickens believed that society needed to come together in order to help stop the spread of poverty and so included this idea within the novella. He highlights this viewpoint by using a disapproving tone when describing Scrooge’s views on the poor in the opening stave. This is seen when Scrooge makes no distinction between the lower class and criminals - asking the charity collectors if there are any “prisons” they can send the poor to. Dickens later mocks this statement when Scrooge asks the Ghost of Christmas Present if there is any “refuge” for the children clutching at his robe, to which the Spirit echoes “are there no prisons?” evidently parodying his views.
