Stave One Flashcards
1
Q
“Hard and sharp as flint” (Scrooge)
A
- Adjective “hard” has connotations of being inflexible and static, hinting at Scrooge’s reluctance to change from a misanthropist to a philanthropist.
- Alternatively, “hard” signifies strength and resilience; perhaps the upper class mistakenly see their aloofness as a strength; they are not perceptive enough to see that softening and cooperating with others will benefit society.
- Simile “as flint” emphasises Scrooge’s stubbornness, since this is a hard, grey rock; perhaps the dull colour of flint reflects lack of vibrancy in capitalists’ lives as a consequence of shutting others out.
- On a deeper level, flint is used to make fire through creating a spark; perhaps foreshadows the “golden sunlight” of compassion buried within Scrooge that will burn brightly in Stave Five.
2
Q
“Solitary as an oyster” (Scrooge)
A
- Simile “as an oyster” indicates inability to connect with otjhers, since oysters have a hard outer shell; similar to an oyster’s shell, Scrooge uses his isolation as a form of protection; perhaps he fears that connection to others will lead to harm, just as presumably he was wounded by the death of his sister, Fan.
- Alternatively, “oyster” could hint at Scrooge’s avariciousness; oysters contain pearls, so perhaps indicates upper class’s miserly hoarding of wealth during the Industrial Revolution and inability to share with others. Can be seen when Bob’s “fire was so very much smaller”. Dickens uses Scrooge’s selfishness to discredit Adam Smith’s idea that wealth always trickles down through laissez-faire capitalism.
- On a deeper level, pearls could foreshadow Scrooge’s transformation; pearls are precious, so perhaps Scrooge can be prized open by the spirits to reveal a valuable philanthropist that can be a shining role model to others.
3
Q
“He carried his own low temperature always” (Scrooge)
A
- Metaphor of “low temperature” hints at Scrooge’s cold-heartedness; he lacks the warmth of joviality and is an antithesis to the Christian “glow” of Fred.
- On a deeper level, “low temperature” has connotations of freezing, so could signify inability of the upper classes to change and extend the warmth of compassion to others.
- Verb “carried” hints at heaviness and the idea of a burden; Scrooge’s reluctance to allow others into his life is harming him
- “Carried” could also be a subtle reference to the “chain” that Marley later claims Scrooge is forging; his sin of not showing compassion to others will culminate in punishment in the afterlife.
4
Q
“Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerk’s fire was so very much smaller” (Bob’s working conditions)
A
- Disparity in size between fires could symbolise exploitation of the working class by the upper class during the Industrial Revolution; factory workers typically paid little so that avaricious employers could live a life of luxury.
- Supports Dickens’s criticism of Adam Smith; wealth is hoarded by those highest in the hierarchy and will not trickle down.
- On a deeper level, “fire” could be seen as symbolising joy (jovial characters such as Fred are often said to “glow” and “sparkle”); therefore, perhaps this moment symbolises how Scrooge’s lack of joviality is making Bob’s working life miserable.
- Antithesis to Stave Five when Scrooge raises Bob’s salary and demands that he “make up the fires”; contrastingly, this could be a metaphor for the euphoria that stems from helping others; it spreads life fire through the world.
5
Q
“He was all in a glow… his eyes sparkled” (Fred)
A
- Semantic field of warmth in the phrases “glow” and “sparkled”; maybe symbolises Fred’s compassion towards others, even Scrooge, despite his refusal of his Christmas invitation.
- Alternatively, Fred’s warmth could be a reflection of his Christian spirit; fire is often associated with the sign of the Holy Spirit’s power and presence; Dickens is hinting that kindness towards others is morally good.
- Antithesis to the “low temperature” of Scrooge; Dickens uses the juxtaposition of the characters to exaggerate Scrooge’s dislikable character and criticise the cold avariciousness and lack of Christmas spirit of the upper classes.
6
Q
“A kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time” – Fred speaking about Christmas
A
- List of optimistic adjectives emphasises Fred’s adoration of Christmas.
- Adjective “charitable” in particular hints at Dickens’s message: Christmas is not about materialism and receiving; it is about giving to others.
- Alternatively, “charitable” is used to foreshadow a scene with portly gentlemen where Scrooge refuses to give to charity and asks “are there no prisons”; Dickens uses Fred to criticise Scrooge’s self-centred mindset.
- Dickens uses Fred to impart the message that you should never give up on family, no matter how lost they may seem; Fred’s persistence eventually yields results at the end of the novella when Scrooge accepts his invitation.
7
Q
“Are there no prisons?” – Scrooge speaking to the portly gentlemen
A
- Rhetorical question illustrates Scrooge’s misanthropic ways; he would rather the poor were imprisoned than give them any assistance; Dickens criticising the rich during the Victorian era, a time of particular disparity in wealth.
- On a deeper level, the noun “prison” reveals Scrooge’s harsh attitude towards the impoverished; Scrooge thinks of the poor as criminals and uses this to justify his lack of charitability towards them. Reflects a commonly held attitude at the time that most of the poor were undeserving of help; Scrooge echoing Malthusian sentiment that the poor should not receive assistance.
- Ironic, since Scrooge is adding to the “chain” that Marley alludes to later during this exchange; by insisting that the penniless are imprisoned, Scrooge is imprisoning himself in the afterlife.
8
Q
“Decrease the surplus population” – Scrooge speaking to the portly gentlemen
A
- Semantic field of scientific terminology in “decrease” and “surplus”; these dehumanising terms reveal that Scrooge does not see the poor as people, but as statistics.
- “Surplus population” reflects Scrooge’s Malthusian sentiment; Malthus also believed that poor should refrain from reproducing and that they should not receive assistance from the state; Dickens uses Scrooge as a hyperbolic selfish capitalist here to emphasise that this self-interested viewpoint is harmful to the welfare of the needed.
- Antithesis to “second father” of Tiny Tim in Stave Five; Scrooge must transform and realise that the poor are human beings with their own lives and families.
9
Q
“Foggier yet, and colder” – Dickens describing the weather
A
- Pathetic fallacy used to reflect Scrooge’s stubbornness; he is inflexible and will not show warmth or compassion.
- “Foggier” has connotations of limited vision; could reflect Scrooge’s moral blindness and inability to see that qualities such as being charitable and kind will benefit him; antithesis to the “golden sunlight” in Stave Five when he can see the importance of human connection clearly.
- “Colder” reflects Scrooge’s cold-heartedness; moreover, suggests a worsening over time; perhaps Dickens is suggesting that upper class require intervention to improve; left to their own devices, they will sink to deeper depths of unemotional selfishness.
10
Q
“Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it” – Dickens describing Scrooge
A
- Scrooge is able to afford light, so the scene reveals his miserly ways; too obsessed with money to enjoy it.
- On a deeper level, “darkness” symbolises Scrooge’s moral decay; at this point in the novella, he is the antagonist; antithesis to the “golden sunlight” in Stave Five when he is redeemed.
- Alternatively, Dickens using this moment to criticise Adam Smith; Smith believed that laissez-faire capitalism would lead to money trickling down to the poor since capitalists would not have any obstacles to contend with; Scrooge’s hoarding of money here, just as an “oyster” hoards its pearl, reveals that this theory is not effective in practice; the money will never trickle down as long as capitalists are self-centred.
11
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