Scrooge Analysis Flashcards
‘Scrooge! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner… secret and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster’
—> ‘squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, covetous’ —> uses asyndetic listing to create an extensive lexical field of selfishness and a rapacious attitude surrounding Scrooge. This is indicated by some verbs such as ‘wrenching, grasping’ which both indicate Scrooge’s stingy and capacious manner around collecting manner. This portrays a negative aspect of his character portraying him as lacking generosity and being obsessed with Materialism.
- ‘covetous old sinner’ —> ‘covetous’ —> adjective indicate his greed. This links to the seven deadly sins portraying Scrooge as immoral in the Christian faith. This links to noun ‘sinner’ —> where it is used as a derogetory term. —> Dicken wrote in Victorian England where the country was predominantly Christian and religious. In the Christian faith, the idea of ‘sinning’ was held in high disrespect,—> as a result, dickens uses It to create horror from the readership towards Scrooge’s immoral nature.
- ‘!’ —> strong dislike towards Scrooge is reinforced through the exclamatory language.
- ‘secret and self-contained, and solitary’ —> uses a syndetic triadic to create a lexical field highlighting Scrooge’s isolated and ostracised nature. This portrays him as a social outcast.
- sibilance —> creates an ‘s’ sound which can be used to foreshadow danger. This portrays Scrooge as a hostile figure.
- ‘solitary as an oyster’ —> ‘oyster’ —> noun creates imagery of Scrooge being unapproachable and unwelcoming as oysters are usually closed off and are deliberately shut. This mimics Scrooge’s self-imposed unapproachable nature. However, ‘oyster’ —> contains a pearl which is associated with social admiration, beauty and being valuable. —> highlights how Scrooge contains an improved character and has the potential to change and release the kinder and more compassionate character locked within him.
I don’t make myself merry at Christmas, and I can’t afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned - they cost enough: and those who are badly off must go there.
- ‘don’t make myself merry at Christmas’ —> indicates his lack of Christmas spirit and Joue de vivre. This portrays his lack of care and a lack of a celebratory attitude. This changes as the novella progresses.
- ‘cant’ afford to make idle people merry’ —> ‘cant’ —> modal verb ‘can’ within contraction ‘can’t’, indicates a sense of conviction in Scrooge’s belief that he cannot provide for the poor. This is ironic since he has the funds to provide for the lower classes, however, he chooses not to. This indicates the lack of empathy that he has.
- ‘idle’ —> adjective —> can be derogetory since ‘idle’ connotes to someone who is lazy and lethargic. This aims to ridicule the lower class for their poverty suggesting that it is self-imposed and due to their lack of commitment to work. This indicates a lack of sympathy for the plight of the poor. In this, he embodies the upper class in their apathetic manner towards lower class.
- ‘support the establishments’ —> refers to the ‘union workhouses’ and the ‘poor laws’. This in the Victorian Era refers to establishments which exploited poorer classes by giving them low quality conditions in exchange for gruelling and inhumane work. This reinforces Scrooge’s apathetic nature towards the lower class and how he is devoid of any emotions at the start due to his belief in this system.
‘If they would rather die…they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population’
- ‘they had better do it’ —> lack of any sympathy towards the lower classes —> illustrates his lack of morality and a selfish nature.
- ‘surplus population’ —> mercantile diction —> reference to the Malthusian theory. —> many upper classy Victorians used this as rational to justify not helping the struggling population and allowing them to die —> portrays Scrooge as an embodiment of the wealthy upper class.
- Dickens was opposed to Malthusian theory. As a result, perhaps Dickens creates the character of Scrooge who holds opposing views to his own to link to the allegorical nature of the story.
‘There was a boy singing a Christmas carol at my door last night. I should like to have given him something: that’s all’
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‘Speaking unconsciously like his former not later self, he has the power to render us happy or unhappy, to make our service light or burdensome, a pleasure or a toil’
- ‘speaking unconsciously like his former not later self’ —> adverb —> unconsciously portrays his lack of awareness of his process of change. In this, Scrooge is portrayed as acting kindly with the virtues of his youth, however, he is unable to realise he still possesses these good attributes.
- ‘happy or unhappy’ and ‘pleasure or toil’ —> antithesis —> indicates his understanding of the impacts of spending money and certain behaviours on others. This portrays him as insightful since he understands the impacts of people’s actions. This portrays a changing nature since Scrooge can relate to the behaviour of others.
‘submissively…’I went forth last night on compulsion, and I learned a lesson which is working now. Tonight if you aught to teach me, let me profit’
- ‘submissively’ —> adverb —> implies a change in his nature —> no longer as stubborn and opposed to an experience of reformation as previously. This suggests that he is incrementally changing in his attitudes.
- ‘I learned a lesson’ —> explicitly states that Scrooge has experienced a change since the verb ‘learned’ has connotations of development and gaining a new understanding of something. This portrays a positive change within his character.
- ‘let me profit by it’ —> mercantile diction —> ‘profit by it’ —> Scrooge suggests that he wants to learn and better himself now showing more of inclination towards improving his character and repenting his sins. However, ‘profit’ —> uses financial jargon —> implies he is still centered around money showing how his change is still incremental.
‘decrease the surplus population.’ ‘Scrooge hung his head to hear his own words quotes by the Spirit, and was overcome with penitence and grief’
- ‘…surplus population’ —> quotation of Scrooge’s previous words
- ‘hung his head’ —> uses body language —> indicates his disappointment in himself and his past. This portrays a sense of regret for his previous actions. This demonstrates progression in his character as he no longer aligns himself with his previous selfish beliefs.
- ‘overcome with grief and penitence’ —> verb —> ‘overcome’ —> illustrates the strength of his emotions of ‘penitence’ and ‘grief’. This portrays a change from earlier in the novella since he now openly displays his emotions when around others.
- ‘penitence and grief’ —> lexical field of regret —> portrays a sense of sorrow towards his precious behaviour. Reinforces his changing nature.
‘I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year… The spirits of all three shall strive within me’
- ‘I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keel it all the year’ —> modal verb —> ‘will’ —> demonstrates his conviction to ‘honour Christmas’. In the verb ‘honour’ —> verb —> connotes to the idea of respecting ‘Christmas’. This demonstrates his change throughout the novella since compared to stave on where he didn’t ‘make himself merry’, he now wants to celebrate Christmas ‘all’ the year where the adverb ‘all’ indicates the strength of his new spirit since he aims to main consistent with it throughout the year.
- ‘spirits of all three shall strive within me’ —> verb —> ‘strive’ —> connotes to endeavouring and aiming. This indicates how he aspires to retain the learnings of all the ‘spirits’. This suggests his want to change.
Splendid laugh, a most illustrious laugh. The father of a long, long line of brilliant laughs!’
- ‘a splendid laugh, a most illustrious laugh’ —> hyperbole —> ‘most’ —> use of hyperbole to describe his ‘laugh’ indicates to what extent he has changed from being misanthropic and lacking joy to having lots of joue de vivre. Also, the repetition of ‘laugh’ anchors the amount of joy that he contains.
- ‘father of a long , long line of brilliant laughs!’ —> personification of ‘laugh’ in the noun ‘father’ suggests that his ‘laugh’ will lead to other displays of joy. This implies that happiness breeds more happiness.
- ‘!’ —> exclamatory punctuation reinforces Scrooge’s passion and sense of joy.
- can allude to Dickens’ didactic beliefs of collective responsibility that people can positively influence each other resulting in a better community.
‘Never mind. I don’t care. I’d rather be a baby. Hallo! Whoop! Hallo there!’
- ‘baby’ —> creates imagery —> innocence, youth and alludes to the idea of a new beginning. This shows Scrooge’s change from being a ‘covetous old sinner’. This can show his reformation and transformation since it suggests the cycle of rebirth that Scrooge has experienced since now he has changed into becoming a new person.
‘Hallo! Whoop! Hallo there!’ —> consecutive exclamatory sentences and onomatopoeia —> shows his overwhelming joy as he is unable to express himself due to his extent of happiness.
