Scrooge

Question 1

Quotes for Scrooge

Answer 1

-“A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!”
-“solitary as an oyster”
-“hard and sharp as flint”
-“I’m quite a baby.”
-“I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy, I am as giddy as a drunken man”

Question 2

Analyse “A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!”

Answer 2

-Asyndetic listing used as a description for Scrooge; to show the extent of his greed.
-Relentless verbs refer to him being miserly with his wealth; generalisation of the wealthy upper class
-Religious imagery ‘sinner’ used to suggest Scrooge’s bildungsroman journey and redemption

Question 3

Analyse “solitary as an oyster”

Answer 3

-Simile presents Scrooge as isolated and hostile
-Oysters are known for being reclusive and their hard exterior but carry something precious and valuable inside, a pearl. Could represent Scrooge’s potential to be redeemed, something within him which has the potential to shine like a pearl.

Question 4

Analyse “Im quite a baby.”

Answer 4

-Contrasts Scrooges earlier description as a “covetous old sinner!” in Stave 1
-Symbol of Scrooge’s redemption and change, turning from a ‘sinner’ to an innocent ‘baby’.
-Babies can also allude to the cycle of rebirth and, as an extension, his total transformation.

Question 5

Analyse “Hard and sharp as flint”

Answer 5

-Simile expresses him to have the characteristics of flint. Flints are common rocks; Scrooge is the representation of the upper class of 19th century Victorian England.
-Adjective ‘flint’ suggests that he is impenetrable and difficult to change, adjective ‘sharp’ suggests he is unapproachable and pushes away others such as Fred
-Dickens did this due to the theory of physiognomy, whereby people were judged on physical appearance
-Flints have the ability to ignite, which may hint at his ability to spread warmth (redemption)

Question 6

Analyse “I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel…”

Answer 6

-Repetition of ‘I am’ is a constant affirmation of Scrooges new found identity; a release from his old parsimonious ways into a life of philanthropy.
-Similes in Stave 5 contrasts simile in Stave 1 (hard and sharp as flint) which reveals the complete change Scrooge has undertaken, exemplifying even the ‘hard[est] flints’ are capable of redemption
-‘light’ and ‘feather’ symbolise how a massive weight has been taken of Scrooge and now he feels ‘as happy as an angel’