Scrooge Stave 1-4 Flashcards
A quote highlighting Scrooge’s unfriendly characteristics and his selfishness.
“Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire.”
Simile - comparison to a stone suggests he has lost humanity/spark of life.
Almost all words are monosyllabic except generous - highlighting it. Contrasts with the rest of the sentence.
Recurring theme of generous fire - (more-so in candles) holy spirit, goodness of mankind. Maintains life - even the poorer (The Cratchits) have access to this.
Steel generates fire - Scrooge can generate his own ‘fire’ (goodness) which foreshadows his redemption.
A quote depicting Scrooge’s solidarity.
“Secret, self-contained. Solitary as an oyster.”
Secret - does not wish to reveal his true character. A secret is kept from other people, just like Scrooge.
Asyndetic list - matter of fact, emphasises sibilance as if he is spitting out the words, and also shows Dickens wishes to say more but appears to stop himself.
Simile - can empathise with Dickens. Has to use simile because it is unlikely that the reader has experienced someone like Scrooge before.
‘Oyster’ - harsh exterior - pearl symbolises Scrooge maintaining his wealth or rare and pure inside symbolising goodness, foreshadowing his redemption.
What follows Scrooge’s harsh description?
“But what did Scrooge care?”(“It was the very thing he liked.”)
‘Care’ - ironic because care is something he is currently incapable of.
Rhetorical question - Scrooge is made a mockery of which contrasts with his attitude.
Starts with a conjunction (“but”) which is usually used to connect contrasting/opposing points which suggests that Scrooge is a naturally contrasting/opposing character. Emphasises isolation.
What is Scrooge’s response to being asked if he would help the poor?
“Are there no prisons?” (…) “And the union workhouses?”
Rhetorical question - implies that he is mocking those that support helping the poor.
The conjunction “And” implies there is a wealth of job opportunities which highlights Scrooge’s naivety towards the plight of the poor after the 1834 poor law.
Scrooge compares regular jobs to prisons/workhouses by seeming to use them interchangeably. This juxtaposition that he is oblivious to suggests that he has little concern towards the plight of the poor.
Scrooge uses the full title ‘Union Workhouses’ which brings a sense of irony given that ‘Union’ implies people from all walks of life existing and thriving together whereas the workhouses were infamous for separating families such as Dickens’ when he was sent to work in a blacking factory to repay his family’s debt.
To what extent is the effect of external heat on Scrooge?
“External heat had little influence on him”
External - Implies heat is alien to his being. No heat within him
Solid in his ways - set - Scrooge and Marley for many years
Repeated motif of ‘generous’ fire - contrast to Fred ‘he was all of a glow, his face ruddy and handsome.
‘Him’ - Pronoun implies that the narrator is of a certain distaste to Scrooge. Shows he is inherently unlikeable.
Not saying Scrooge - too unpleasant to the narrator.
What did no one ever do to/regarding scrooge?
Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say, with gladsome looks, “My dear Scrooge, how are you?”
Contrast of gladsome looks with Scrooge’s character.
My/dear - no one holds him close to them - he is a stranger; isolated
Contrasts with society stoppin g in the street with distaste as opposed to affection.
How do Scrooge’s childhood friends treat him?
A solitary child, neglected by his friends, is left there still.
Use of three emphasises how Scrooges suffering seems persistent and never ending
Present tense verb
Mirrors solitary as an oyster quote which shows how he is set in his ways as he is presented with the same personality through the novella until his redemption
Neglected by his friends - irony as they can’t be his friends if they are treating him this way. may show how Scrooges perceptions are unusual
How do the businessmen comment on Scrooge’s death?
Old scratch has got his own at last, hey?
So I am told (…) Cold, isn’t it?
Old Scratch was another name for The Devil.
‘So I am told’ shows how people may not believe he is actually dead, suggests people can’t seem to get rid of him
Blunt manner of speaking - mirrors Scrooge’s.
Old scratch - scrooge is unwanted and persistent linking to the idea of a stubborn stain or an itch that you cannot scratch. ‘old’ shows how people feel he’s been around for so long.
Quick change in subject, scrooge was unimportant in life and now in death.
Little to say about Scrooge- no one really knew him well enough to say something about him, not that anyone cared anyway.
Subtly refers to Scrooge as well
