scrooge redemption essay grade 9

Miss Huttlestone's GCSE English

Because a whole class of wonderful minds are better than just one!

Model Grade 9 ‘ACC’ essay: Christmas as a Joyful Time

Starting with this extract, explore how far Dickens presents Christmas as a joyful time. (30 marks)

Throughout Dickens’ allegorical novella, his aim is to passionately highlight how such a joyful season can create positive role models for Scrooge. The constant succession of images relating to joy around Christmas may well have been utilised to demonstrate how readers too can learn and improve from the inspirational characters during the novella.

Primarily, within stave 1 of the novella, Dickens utilises the characterisation of Fred as the embodiment of the Christmas spirit with all the positive virtues associated with Christmas. This is evidenced when Fred is described as coming in ‘all in a glow’ with ‘his face ruddy and handsome; his eyes sparkled.’ Here the use of the noun ‘glow’ connotes light and warmth which is strongly linked to hope and purity. This highlights the contrast between Fred and his uncle Scrooge, who was described as ‘hard and sharp as flint.’ Structurally, introducing Fred immediately after Scrooge focuses the reader’s attention on the clear variation between the two and all of the positive qualities that Scrooge lacks. Furthermore, Fred highlights the belief that Christmas is a time for unity within the social hierarchy although it ‘never puts a scrap of gold or silver’ in his pocket and he frowns upon his uncle, completely consumed in the greed for money. Dickens may have done this to foreshadow Scrooge’s transformation into a better man as a result of the inspirational role models around him during the novella. Alternatively, Dickens may have used Fred and Scrooge together to challenge the situation in Victorian Britain during the Industrial Revolution. Scrooge highlights all of the negative traits of upper class men during this time and Fred is a caring and benevolent character, who cares for people lower down on the social hierarchy.

Secondly, within the extract, Dickens utilises the characterisation of Fezziwig to suggest a clear contrast in the two employers. This is evidenced when Fezziwig ‘laughed all over himself, from his shoes to his organ of benevolence.’ The use of the abstract noun ‘benevolence’ suggests the joy and love Fezziwig has for Christmas time. Fezziwig’s kind, caring personality is another role model and catalyst for Scrooge’s transformation. Furthermore, Dickens presents Christmas as a joyful time through Fezziwig’s Christmas party. ‘Fuel was heaped upon the fire’ and the warehouse was transformed into a ‘snug, and warm’ ballroom filled with light. The use of the adjective ‘warm’ connotes kindness and comfort. The detail here in Fezziwig’s scene overwhelms the senses; his generosity is physical, emotional and palpable. As an employer he is the foil of Scrooge and presents all of the positive virtues that Scrooge lacks. Dickens may have done this to highlight a different side to capitalism. Alternatively, presenting Fezziwig as the embodiment of Christmas suggests the importance of Christmas and all of its positive qualities on everyone in society.

Thirdly, within the novella, Dickens utilises the Ghost of Christmas Present to personify Christmas itself. When the ghost appears it has set up an impressive feast of lights and food. This is evidenced when Scrooge’s room is filled with ‘the crisp leaves of holly, mistletoe and ivy reflected back the light, as if so many little mirrors had been scattered there, and such a mighty blaze went roaring up the chimney.’ The scene is hyperbolic and creates a clear contrast with the frugal state of Scrooge’s past Christmases. The use of the light imagery here provides a clear and undeniable tableau of the joyful Christmases Scrooge can afford but chooses to shun. Dickens may have done this to portray Christmas as a bright and familiar celebration which everyone should celebrate in harmony. A modern reader may feel hope that Scrooge will use his wealth to celebrate Christmas with all of the festivities that Christmas should include and celebrate it with the people that care for him, like his nephew Fred.

Finally, in ‘A Christmas Carol’ Dickens reinforces the theme of Christmas spirit through the Cratchit family. Dickens utilises Bob Cratchit to symbolise the true spirit of Christmas and the importance of family. This is evidenced at the Cratchit’s dinner where nobody remarked that it was ‘a small pudding for a large family’. The adjective ‘small’ emphasises the Cratchit’s lack of luxury and yet their enthusiasm in the scene is palpable. This highlights that this ‘small’ pudding was seen as an indulgence to them which is something Scrooge takes for granted. Furthermore, the Cratchit’s ‘four roomed house’ is filled with an overwhelming sense of energy and excitement, which exists as an antithesis of Scrooge’s ‘old…dreary’ abode. This is evidenced as the youngest Cratchit children ‘danced about the table’ this suggests the sense of energy despite their lowly status in society on this festive day. Dickens may have done this to suggest the importance of Christmas to all members of society. Although the Cratchit family are less fortunate than Scrooge or Fred their Christmas is filled with the love they have for each other. A reader may feel delighted to see this family enjoying Christmas day, contented with what they own and hope that Scrooge will see this family as a role model for his transformation.

Share this:

Published by.

gcseenglishwithmisshuttlestone

Secondary English teacher in Herts. View all posts by gcseenglishwithmisshuttlestone

Leave a comment Cancel reply

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar

• An Inspector Calls – Timeline
• Inspector Goole
• Arthur Birling
• Social Class
• An Inspector Calls – Exam Answer
• Romeo & Juliet – Timeline
• Romeo Montague
• Juliet Capulet
• Romeo & Juliet – Exam Answer
• Romeo and Juliet – Extract Question Lesson
• A Christmas Carol – Timeline
• Ebeneezer Scrooge
• The Cratchit Family
• Redemption & Change
• A Christmas Carol – Exam Answer
• Macbeth – Timeline
• Lady Macbeth
• The Supernatural
• Macbeth – Exam Answer
• Lord of the Flies – Timeline
• Lord of the Flies – Exam Answer
• The Merchant of Venice – Timeline
• Prejudice & Hate
• The Merchant of Venice – Exam Answer
• Jekyll & Hyde – Timeline
• Reputation & Repression
• Jekyll & Hyde – Exam Answer
• The Sign of The Four – Timeline
• Sherlock Holmes
• The Sign of The Four – Exam Answer
• Animal Farm – Timeline
• Animal Farm – Exam Answer
• Animal Farm – Teaching Resources

How to get a GCSE grade 9 using just three quotations from A Christmas Carol

Ebeneezer Scrooge is a character who is famous for his miserly ways and hatred of Christmas. Yet he is also famous for the changes that he undergoes; across the novella, we witness his complete transformation, becoming a man who is generous in action and in spirit and who wholeheartedly embraces Christmas. He is in practically every page of the book but you don’t have to learn hundreds of quotations. Three should do it nicely! Below are three short quotations that are easy to remember and can be used to analyse characters and themes, explore language and add in context.

‘Very small fire’ ‘one coal’

Scrooge barely heats his counting-house with a ‘very small fire’ and allows his clerk, Bob Cratchit, just ‘one coal’ for his fire.

Dickens uses fire and warmth as a symbol throughout the novella to reflect characters and explore the theme of generosity. Here, Scrooge’s ‘small fire’ reflects his miserly character, with the intensifier ‘very’ emphasising just how meagre the literal fire is and so how limited the generosity is in Scrooge’s personality. Scrooge’s meanness extends to his clerk, Bob Cratchit, who is allowed only ‘one coal’ for a fire.

One of Dickens’ purposes in writing the novella was to raise awareness in his  readership of the dreadful working conditions in which the poor suffered. Through the cold, miserable environment of the counting-house, Dickens reminds us how it is important for employers to be responsible for their employees.

Scrooge changes as the Christmas ghosts take him on a journey of self-discovery.

‘No, no… oh no… say he will be spared’

Scrooge’s agony over the predicted death of Tiny Tim illustrates how much he is changing.  The repetition of ‘no’ reflects Scrooge’s horror as he tries to deny the future that the ghost shows him.

There is a sharp contrast with his deep concern over a poor boy and his dismissive attitude to the surplus population at the start of the novella. Scrooge is learning compassion; he is connecting with humanity again.

The Industrial Revolution had forced many people into London looking for work, but wages were low and conditions were terrible. Through no fault of his own, Tiny Tim is victim to these circumstances, and Dickens uses the small boy to show Scrooge and the readership that the poor are part of humankind and should be protected, not ignored or despised.

‘I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a school-boy’

At the end, Scrooge’s transformation is complete as he states how differently he feels.

The repetitive sentence structure of similes highlights his newfound positivity. There is a sense of Christian goodness with the comparison to an angel and genuine joy in the comparison to a school-boy. The simile ’light as a feather’ captures how he is now free from the great burden of greed.

With this new attitude, Scrooge proceeds to correct the mistakes he made in Stave One by giving money to charity and improving Bob’s Christmas; Dickens uses a mirrored structure to highlight the huge change in Scrooge.

  Dickens’ aim in writing the novella was to show how the Christmas Spirit can change an individual, and also society, for the better. Scrooge’s transformation shows the reader how it is easy to change and just how much happiness that can bring.

Maximise your grade  

These three quotations can take you down the path to a grade 9. Another way to help you secure a top level mark is to look at alternative view of a character or theme. With Scrooge, you could ask:

Is Scrooge a more memorable and engaging character at the start of the novella?

Scrooge’s trademark ‘Bah! Humbug!’ at the start establishes him as a character who we pity but who is also greatly entertaining. The whole idea that anyone who says ‘Merry Christmas’ should be ‘boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart’ is amusing and many readers will fondly remember the cantankerous old man rather than the jolly chirpy fellow at the end. And before we condemn his early self too harshly, we should remember that he does contribute to his society, paying his taxes to support the institutions that help the poor. 

The whole purpose of the novella is to illustrate how the Christmas spirit can transform us into generous, happy people. There is nothing but pure joy for the reader in witnessing Scrooge’s mischievous side as he plays a trick on Bob and in witnessing him becoming part of a family as again as he takes on the role of a kindly ‘second father’ to Tiny Tim.

• TOP CATEGORIES
• AS and A Level
• University Degree
• International Baccalaureate
• Uncategorised
• 5 Star Essays
• Study Tools
• Study Guides
• Meet the Team
• English Literature
• Prose Fiction
• Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol

Aim: how is the theme of redemption explored in a christmas carol.

Aim: How is the theme of redemption explored in A Christmas Carol ?

INTRODUCTION

        A Christmas Carol was written by Charles Dickens in the mid nineteenth century depicting the social and economic life of the working people in London. The appalling conditions under which the people had to work is in sharp contrast with the ways the rich people lived in luxury. Most of the people, especially the poor, lived in a rejected environment and had to work long hours with little wages, thus enduring hardship. Children, as young as six, are made to work in order to support their families expenses. Although the rich people had a lot of money, they did not help the poor. They thought that people became poor because they were lazy and did not do enough work.

        Dickens chose to call his story a song because of the Christmas hymn, ‘Tis season to be jolly.’ He wants us to remember the poor by giving and sharing in the special time of Christmas. He wants to express the spirit of Christmas from a Christian’s point of view. This includes hymns and charities as well as remembering the joyful time about the birth of Jesus Christ. Also, he wants us to know the meaning of true Christmas. Finally, Dickens chose the Christmas setting for his novel to help us explore the character of Scrooge. The novel consists of staves instead of chapters (a stave is a musical score). The different staves are like parts of the tune, which makes up the whole song, and the book is the ‘song.’ This might be another reason why he chose this title.

STAVE ONE, MARLEY’S GHOST

        The main character in this book is called Ebenezer Scrooge. In the beginning of the book, this character arouses a curious ambiguity in the reader’s response towards him. In stave one itself, the writer promptly describes him as ‘a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster.’ His attitude is so bad that  ‘Even the blindmen's dogs appeared to know him; and when they saw him coming on, will tug their owners into doorways and up courts; and then will wag their tails as though they said, ‘No eye at all is better than an evil eye, dark master!’’ This cold-blooded, miserly, rude, greedy and extremely selfish old man   works in a counting house in London. Although he is rich, he is very tight with his money. He pays his employee, Bob Crachit, little wages and leaves the latter shivering in his office because he refuses to spend money on coal for a fire on anyone except himself. Moreover, he hates Christmas. Because of this, he is reluctant to give Mr Crachit a day off for Christmas. It shows how callous he is in ignoring basic rights for workers. He is also rude to his nephew, who comes to invite him to a Christmas dinner party. Scrooge refuses the invitation and calls Christmas a ‘humbug.’ He then forces his nephew out of his office. His attitude towards the poor is also repulsive. He has no consideration for them. He treats them as a dozen of lazy people and wonders why he should provide for them. Scrooge looks down upon  the charity collectors because he simply states that the poor should die because they are simply useless to the world. He argues that prisons are the only ‘charities’ he cares to. Through Scrooge’s implicit defense of the poor laws, Dickens dismisses the excuses of the indifferent upper class as irresponsible, selfish and cruel. Dickens has used both simple and sophisticated language to present and develop Scrooge’s character. He uses anti-Christian terms whenever he has Scrooge speaking. For instance, he spits out an angry word ‘Bah Humbug,’ in response to his nephew’s sincere ‘merry Christmas.’ Also, when he enters his apartment after seeing Marley’s ghost on the door knocker, he says, a disgusted ‘Pooh-pooh!’

This is a preview of the whole essay

         Even before the arrival of Marley’s ghost, the atmosphere is fairly tense. Dickens describes Scrooge as a thoroughly unhappy person . Scrooge ‘took his melancholy dinner in his usual melancholy tavern.’ This means that Scrooge is already in a low spirit. Scrooge then passes the yard, which the writer describes as, ‘so dark, that even Scrooge who knew its every stone was afraid to grope with his hands,’  he then approaches the door of his apartment; there he suddenly comes face to face with Marley. At first, he could not believe his eyes and thinks it is some kind of hallucination. Can it really be Marley? But he is not  ‘dead as a door nail.’  When he enters his house, he checks the back of the door knocker, but could not find anything, apart from the bolts that held the door knocker in place. He shakes his head and runs up the stairs. He double locks his door to his room and is about to take the gruel for his cold. When, at that moment, he senses a chill blowing through the rooms and the papers start to fly around. His apartment is described as a ‘gloomy suite of rooms’  which are ‘old’  and  ‘dreary.’  The wind gets stronger, the clock strikes and the disused bell rings. The door to his room flings open, Marley’s ghost, dressed in chains, appears and stood in front of him. Instantly, Scrooge receives a terrific shock and he screams. He kneels down before Marley and wants to know what the deceased has come here for. The arrival of Marley’s ghost may scare young readers, but it definitely makes us realise that material wealth is not everything on earth, because it helps to increase our burden in the life thereafter, ( the life to come after resurrection ). This gives Scrooge a sense of realisation about his bad nature and persuades him to make a change before it is too late. Although Scrooge is dumbfounded with fear, this visit makes him think back of all the bad things he has done to the community.

STAVE TWO, THE FIRST OF THE THREE SPIRITS

        During Marley’s visit, Scrooge is told that he will have the visit of three spirits. The first spirit, called The ghost of Christmas Past, comes on the same night. The first spirit is described as a strange figure, it is old, but its look is like that of a child. It also has a ray of light shining from its head. This spirit takes Scrooge into his past. Within seconds, he comes to the place where he used to live in his childhood. There, he sees himself in his old school. He is neglected by his friends. His sister comes to collect him home and promises that he will never need to go back there. Next, the spirit takes him to his old work place- The Fezziwig. His boss, Mr Fezziwig is a different character. Contrary to what become Scrooge, his boss is a jovial, kind-hearted and generous person. As an apprentice, Scrooge could have easily been influenced by this happy and kind-hearted man and treats his clerk, Bob Crachit better. Instead, he turns out to be an opposite character. The spirit then takes him to his sister’s deathbed. She is very weak as she gives birth to Fred, (Scrooge’s nephew). She tells him to take good care of her child after her death. She dies very shortly in Scrooge’s arms, but he can not bear the shadows of death anymore. He starts to cry and begs the ghost to take him back to the present. However, he is told by the spirit that he will have to visit one more shadow. The last place where the spirit takes him is to his sweetheart, Belle. She is a woman who is very fond of Scrooge; but she leaves him because his lust for money eclipses his ability to love others. This scene shows us that money has an overwhelming power to destroy love and everything around you- even your family. Overall, this stave shows that the attitude of Scrooge is changing and that his character is undergoing a gradual metamorphosis.

STAVE THREE, THE SECOND OF THE THREE SPIRITS

         The imperceptible changes in Scrooge’s attitude are becoming gradually pronounced when he visits the Crachit’s house and his nephew’s Christmas party during the second journey of shadows. This journey’s guide is by another spirit, The Ghost of Christmas Present. Unlike the previous spirit, this one is a majestic giant which wears a green fur robe. The spirit takes Scrooge to a number of places where people are happy with the little money they have. He takes Scrooge through London to unveil Christmas as it will happen that year. Firstly, they come to a London street: the air is cold but everybody is gleefully helping to shove snow from the pavements, and all the shops are close for Christmas. Secondly, they arrive at the Crachit’s house. Even though the family is poor, they are still contented and are preparing a miniature feast in their small home. In this scene, he sees Bob Crachit’s son, Tiny Tim. This boy is on crutches. Scrooge is told that Tiny Tim will die in the near future if no help is given. This shocks Scrooge, because Tiny Tim is such a nice humble boy. His kindness and humility warms Scrooge’s heart. He begins to realise that the condition of the house and suffering of Tiny Tim is caused by himself because he is not paying Mr Crachit enough. Mr Crachit is unable to get medical attention for his son. Next, the ghost takes Scrooge to a place where miners live. Although they are suffering from lack of money, they are still very contented with the very little things they have. They celebrate Christmas by singing Christmas hymns. Afterward, they come to the keepers of the lighthouse and a ship at the sea. There, Scrooge sees happiness amongst the people, especially the sailors. They are wishing each other a merry Christmas and hope to see their families back on shore. They also remind each other about the festive season and shares the good time by humming a tune. The next shadow which Scrooge and the spirit visit is his nephew. There, he witnesses a Christmas party. Scrooge finds the happy gathering very delightful. He pleads the ghost to stay until the end of the party. While they are still there, the spirit reminds Scrooge of his youth. Now he feels remorse: he wished that he had paid more attention to his kind-hearted nephew. The final places that Scrooge visits are the sick beds, foreign lands, almshouses, hospitals and jails. In the sick beds, everybody is cheerful, despite the fact that they are sick. In the other places, the people are happy. Everybody celebrates Christmas at this time of the year, and this brings people together in the true holiday spirit. In the final moment, the spirit produces two children from his robe,- a boy and a girl. The boy symbolises doom, meaning that ‘ignorance,’ written on his brow, is the doom of society. The girl represents want. Scrooge is told that unless something is done, the society will remain in eternal darkness. The whole idea of this stave informs us that Christmas is a time of happiness. This visit makes Scrooge realise how selfish he has been, and that love and friendship are required for happiness, not money. The Ghost of Christmas Present symbolises the many opportunities to care for others. He also symbolises the world. That is why the ghost displays the abundance that is slowly dying. He also represents charity, empathy and the Christmas spirit.

STAVE FOUR, THE LAST OF THE SPIRITS

         In this stave, the spirit takes Scrooge on the final trip of shadows. He is called The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come. This set of shadows is probably the most important one for Scrooge’s rapid change of character because they have shown what his future will be like (when he is dead). The scene set for this stave is tense, scary and dark. The ghost looks more frightening than the previous two because its figure is shrouded in black garment and he does not speak at all, this is because the future is yet unknown and it is not under our control- we cannot guess what will happen. All communications between the spirit and Scrooge is mostly by means of gestures. It is Scrooge who speaks to the spirit and implores him to lead. When he enters the world of shadows, he finds, to his dismay where his future lies. Now, Scrooge can perceive that if he does not change his attitude, he will have to force dire consequences in afterlife. In other words, ‘Death’ welcomes him. He sees that after his death, his neighbours show no respect and no one grieve for him. They bereft him of all his money and belongings. As for his funeral, they just settle for a very cheap one. Their only interest in attending Scrooge’s funeral is for free lunch. The spirit and Scrooge come to places which Scrooge has never seen in his lifetime and listen to people, whom he has never met or heard before. At last, he comes to know the profound truth only in the shadows of his death. During his journey to the future, he also goes to the Crachit’s family. There, he sees the little Crachits sitting by the corner. They are very still and quiet whilst Peter reads the part of the bible for the mourning of Tiny Tim’s death. The book also hints that no scene ‘touches the heart more than the death of Tiny Tim.’ The phantom then takes Scrooge to a churchyard. There, he sees his own name on a headstone. He is totally shocked out of action when the spirit points to the grave and back at him repeatedly while waving his arm. Scrooge cries that he is not that person in the tomb, and promises to honour Christmas in the past, present and future. He begs the spirit to tell him that the shadows will not be real in the future. He informs the spirit that he will not forget the lessons the three spirits has taught him. The spirit prays for Scrooge to have his fate reversed. The spirit disappears into the bedpost and Scrooge is in his room. Overall, this stave tells us that Scrooge has totally changed his attitude. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come symbolises the fear of death. Scrooge fears death in this stave because his afterlife will be a punishment, not a reward. After this stave, Scrooge realises that his future will depend on the way he acts on earth. He also accepts the idea of Christmas, this is emotionally connected to the kindness of Tiny Tim. Scrooge, acting as a second father, adopts Tiny Tim  towards the end of the story because he feels sorry for the boy’s suffering.

STAVE FIVE, THE END OF IT

        After The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come disappears into the bedpost, Scrooge wakes up. Realising that it is still Christmas Day, he prances about with joy and is overwhelmed with happiness at the thought of having a chance to redeem himself. He is so happy that he does not know what to do at first. Dickens describes him ‘as happy as an angel and as merry as a schoolboy...’ He scrambles out of bed and exclaims that he will live in the Past, Present and Future. He also prays to his deceased partner, Jacob Marley, that the three spirits shall strive within him. His behaviour in that morning is so unusual that one could describe him as a mad person. He goes into different parts of the house pointing out what has happened in that very place in the previous night. Also, he is so desperate to share his newly found Christmas spirit that he does not realise he is saying hello to everybody. He promptly purchases a giant turkey for the Crachits in the same morning. Later he attends his nephew’s Christmas dinner party. As his former self hated Christmas, all the guests are very surprised by his presence, even his nephew. He sees his nephew’s wife and accepts her. The next day, Scrooge goes back to his office very early. He  tries to catch Bob Crachit arriving late to work as so to make a joke out of it. Scrooge raises Bob’s salary and helps his struggling family, especially Tiny Tim. He adopts Tiny Tim and acts as a second father for the latter. Ever since, Scrooge has kept his Christmas promise and had totally reformed his character by changing from his wicked, negative personality into a positive, kind and welcoming person. He has also stopped using anti-Christian terms when speaking. He has become nice to the poor and is very willing to help. He has learnt that money is not as important as loyalty, friendship and happiness, therefore he makes up with this nephew and offers charity as from now on.

        The moral of this story is that generosity and happiness come first, not money. Also, Dickens is trying to put forward the idea of Christianity which is all about love and commitment. He is telling us that we must be kind to others, and he also makes us understand that if we are doing wrong, we will pay for it sometimes in our life. In other words, you reap what you saw.

Document Details

• Word Count 2969
• Page Count 6
• Subject English

Related Essays

a christmas carol essay Explore the theme of a change in Christmas carol by...

A Christmas Carol - summary of theme and narrative

How Does Dickens Portray Poverty In A Christmas Carol.

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — A Christmas Carol — Scrooge’s Transformation in “A Christmas Carol”

Scrooge's Transformation in "A Christmas Carol"

• Categories: A Christmas Carol

About this sample

Words: 859 |

Published: Aug 24, 2023

Words: 859 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

Table of contents

Scrooge's initial characteristics and attitude, meeting the ghosts: the catalyst for change, reflections on past regrets and lost opportunities, embracing the present and empathy for others, facing the future and confronting mortality, transformation and redemption, impact on others and community, internal motivations and sustaining change, conclusion: scrooge's journey to redemption.

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Verified writer

• Expert in: Literature

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

3 pages / 1428 words

1 pages / 538 words

2 pages / 887 words

6 pages / 2692 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on A Christmas Carol

Generosity is a prevailing theme in Charles Dickens' timeless novella, "A Christmas Carol." The narrative revolves around the transformation of the protagonist, Ebenezer Scrooge, from a miserly and self-centered individual to a [...]

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has been a beloved holiday classic for over a century, and the story of Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformation from a miserly old man to a generous and kind-hearted individual is well-known to many. [...]

Charles Dickens' novella, "A Christmas Carol," is a timeless tale of redemption and transformation. At its heart is the character of Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly and cold-hearted man who undergoes a profound change over the [...]

When it comes to timeless holiday tales, Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" stands as a beloved classic. This novella, written in 1843, has been adapted into numerous films and TV specials over the years. Two of the most [...]

A Christmas Carol was about a man named Ebenezer Scrooge who is a businessman that is greedy, rude, unhappy, and completely focused on making profits. Scrooge has a series of ghosts appear to him that show him his ways and [...]

“These are but the spirit of things that have been.” The metaphorical words of the Ghost of Christmas Past are typical of Dickens’ melodramatic writing style. Set in Victorian England, a time rife with greed and social [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

How Scrooge Changes

How is scrooge presented as being selfish, the point behind the paragraph ao1 - big picture (plot) ao2 - zooming in (language) ao3 - context, during the opening of the novel, scrooge is presented as a selfish, closed character who only thinks of himself. the first section of the novel takes the form of a long piece of description where dickens highlights just how selfish scrooge is. he’s described as being “squeezing,” “wrenching,” and “grasping.” all these active verbs suggest different ways that he takes things. squeezing suggests that he holds things close to himself and won’t let them go. “wrenching” means to take things; to snatch them. this might refer to how he runs his business, snatching back what’s his own, as though he’s a selfish spoilt child who won’t share. “grasping” means to reach desperately for something, which isn’t something we’d associate with someone as wealthy as scrooge. equally, he’s described as being “solitary as an oyster.” this wonderful simile perfectly illustrates just how closed off scrooge is: he has a hard shell to keep himself away from the rest of the world. throughout the rest of stave 1 we see more examples of his selfishness: he refuses to go to fred’s house, arguing that christmas is a “humbug;” he refuses to give to the portly gentleman’s charity, saying that the poor should go to workhouses, prisons or simply die if they can’t afford to live and he resents giving bob cratchit the day off for christmas, thinking himself “ill-used.” scrooge clearly thinks only of himself. he doesn’t “make merry” at christmas, and he “can’t afford” to make anyone else merry either. here, dickens uses scrooge to shine a light on the selfishness of the victorian upper classes, who would happily sit by their firesides eating rich food while their poorer brothers froze in the dirt outside. it is also worth remembering, however, that the issue of poverty is not one that is consigned to victorian england; it’s very much alive today, and we would all do well to look outside of our bubbles to see those who suffer in the world around us ., the text above would represent one paragraph from an essay about scrooge being presented as selfish. the second paragraph would look at how scrooge learnt to be less selfish, while the last would focus on how scrooge was presented by the end. each paragraph would have a point, some language analysis (ao2), some key moments of plot (ao1) and a reference to context (ao3)., the extract, during the opening of the novel, and in the extract, scrooge is presented as a “tight-fisted hand at the grindstone.” this is to say that he doesn’t like sharing – he is tight fisted – while the “grindstone” image represents him at work. this image suggests that he drives people hard at work but doesn’t pay them much for it. and this is certainly true of scrooge. dickens also uses a string of verbs to describe his miserly hero: “squeezing, wrenching, grasping, clutching;” all of them imply that he is taking things and holding on to them. he’s described as “hard and sharp as flint” – which implies that he is difficult and even dangerous – “from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire” which implies that one thing flint does well is something scrooge is incapable of, because fire is warm and looks after others. most interestingly, however, scrooge is described as “edging his way along the crowded paths of life, warning all human sympathy to keep its distance.” this is an interesting image as it implies a certain strange compassion from scrooge. in fact, he isn’t just rude or obnoxious, it’s as though he recognised that he is socially and emotionally dysfunctional and now “warns” other humans to keep away., by the end of the book, however, he has changed and he does this by realising a few very important things., firstly, he understands that people and emotions are more important than money. at the beginning of the book scrooge things money equates to happiness – he says that “i can’t afford to make idle people merry,” suggesting that happiness can only be provided through financial means. during his visits with the ghost of christmas past, however, he sees his old manager fezziwig throwing a party and comments that “the happiness he gives is quite as great as if it had cost a fortune.” here, he shows the beginnings of an understanding that happiness isn’t just financial. throughout stave 3, also, scrooge sees people enjoying christmas without any money. he is taken across the country from the poor tin-mines in cornwall to the most distant lighthouses and even across the sea to where he sees people singing and laughing and making merry despite being on meagre means. he also sees the cratchitts enjoying christmas with next to nothing – with their chipped glasses and broken custard cups holding the drinks as well as “golden goblets.” dickens repeatedly uses references to gold in the book, and at one point bob mentions that tiny tim is “as good as gold and better.” here, bob is clearly celebrating the key theme of the book: that people and human relationships are more important than money. by the end of the book, with the third spirit, scrooge seems changed. he says “lead on, time is precious to me.” here he recognises that time – which is irreplaceable – is actually the most valuable commodity on earth and he seems changed., also, scrooge is changed by the compassion he sees other’s treating him with. when belle speaks to him, she does so with “tenderness” – suggesting that even at this moment of deepest sadness, she feels sorry for him, and not resentful. also, bob toasts him over their dinner, raising a glass to celebrate him. through this scrooge is forced to reflect on the fact that he is supported and loved despite his behaviour. his nephew, fred, also insists on defending him – albeit that he playfully teases him in the group’s game – when he says that he insists inviting scrooge to dinner every year – “for i pity him.” again, the compassion and sympathy felt by others would have affected scrooge and softened him, melting his cold and bitter heart, rather than making him angry and isolated. finally, scrooge allows himself to become absorbed in society when he becomes tiny tim’s “second father.” this final statement shows clearly that scrooge is now a fully-fledged member of society, and even though he had no relationship with his own family, he has an adopted, extended family that he can be a part of., it’s also worth noting, that the first person scrooge feels compassion for is himself. in the school room, when he “wept” to see his “poor forgotten self” scrooge shows sympathy for his own plight. it could well be that his father – the father that fanny didn’t have to feel “afraid” of anymore – was the source of scrooge’s anger and resentment. in this respect, you could easily argue that scrooge was deserted by those who were closest to him and, in turn, deserted those around him; however, by the end, an extended family of society have proven that they care for scrooge and can forgive him, and in this way he learns to feel compassion again., a christmas carol and death, a churchyard. here, then; the wretched man whose name he had now to learn, lay underneath the ground. it was a worthy place. walled in by houses; overrun by grass and weeds, the growth of vegetation’s death, not life; choked up with too much burying; fat with repleted appetite. a worthy place, the spirit stood among the graves, and pointed down to one. he advanced towards it trembling. the phantom was exactly as it had been, but he dreaded that he saw new meaning in its solemn shape., “before i draw nearer to that stone to which you point,” said scrooge, “answer me one question. are these the shadows of the things that will be, or are they shadows of things that may be, only”, still the ghost pointed downward to the grave by which it stood., “men’s courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead,” said scrooge. “but if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. say it is thus with what you show me”, the spirit was immovable as ever., scrooge crept towards it, trembling as he went; and following the finger, read upon the stone of the neglected grave his own name, ebenezer scrooge., the extract is from the end of stave 4 and explores scrooge’s final realisation of his fate as the ghost of christmas yet to come points to his grave. overall, death is a prevalent theme in the novella, one which haunts scrooge at every turn, enough to finally transform him for the better., at the beginning of the novel, scrooge’s encounter with the terrifying spectre of death, his old business partner jacob marley sows the early seeds of receptiveness to a new way of life. at first, scrooge refuses to believe that anything dead could return, joking ‘there’s more gravy than the grave about you’ however, the chilling horror of marley’s appearance ‘i wear the chains i forged in life’ –which are constructed of financial elements: purses, and sales ledgers, suggest an unhealthy obsession with money and the way one’s profession will manifest itself and weigh you down after death. also, the clear warning to scrooge ‘mankind was my business’ and the image he shows outside scrooge’s window of dead people desperately trying in vain to change their ways and reconcile themselves with their families, is a message that once one is dead, there is no opportunity for redemption and change. in this section, dickens draws on his knowledge of the gothic genre –churches, door knockers that turn into the face of marley, and marley’s stories from beyond the grave that to chill the victorian reader to the core. of course, they would also be only too aware of the potential of hell, something that dickens was sceptical of, but a huge proportion of his readership would have believed in., another aspect of death that strikes a chord with scrooge early in the novella is when the ghost of xmas past reveals the scene when his sister, fan came to take him home from the boarding school for christmas. this is clearly a treasured memory for scrooge and the reader learns of what a strong bond the two had. ‘fan, fan, dear fan’ and she reminds him ‘father has changed’. the ghost reminds scrooge of the fact she has died and has only one surviving relative, her son, fred. scrooge instantly feels guilty about how he treated fred at the beginning when he received his usual invite to xmas dinner. dickens conveys here how a memory of a death has a significant impact on scrooge’s gradual transformation into a more caring person., in the extract, the reader is presented with the final scene from the ghost of xmas future and scrooge’s terror reaches a dramatic peak. the setting is described as ‘a worthy place’ with this adjective from dickens’ narrator serving to identify the bleak spot as one which scrooge heartily deserves. pathetic fallacy is used to convey the place with lines like ‘overrun by grass and weeds –the growth of vegetation’s death’ indicating how the unwanted weeds, a clear metaphor for death, have destroyed any flowers, and made the location one that resembles the fate that potentially awaited scrooge: one where no-one would tend his grave. it is even ‘walled in by houses’ and at the start the reader learns ‘the furniture was not the same’ in his office. this suggests that in death, everything continues on as normal –someone will take scrooge’s place as a loan shark, and no-one will notice or visit his grave as it is hidden from view., the mood of this piece builds in dramatic tension as scrooge desperately implores the ghost to speak and to reassure him that ‘if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. say it is thus’ but the short sentence ‘the spirit was as immovable as ever’ conveys how dickens allies death with silence and that perhaps it is not god or anyone else who will change our life’s path, only by reaching within one’s self that a genuine transformation can occur., further evidence of scrooge’s doom laden panic as he faces up to the reality of his own death is found in the verb ‘trembling’ as he approaches his own grave, the question ‘am i the man who lay upon the bed’ and the repeated exclamations ‘no, spirit oh, no’ overall, it is an extract that encapsulates the horror of facing up to one’s death, and the added fear for scrooge that no-one will remember him. it is the final catalyst in making him change his ways., the cratchits, cratchits extract, intro / “happy, grateful pleased” vs scrooge at school “not afraid” // “shut out the darkness” vs fred welcoming scrooge // “in a glow” vs belle’s family // grave / as good as gold, charles dickens wrote a christmas carol during the victorian times, when the gap between rich and poor was very big. in the novel dickens shows that money is not as important as family when it comes to happiness. he was inspired partly because his father had been taken into debtors’ prison when he was younger, something that would have left dickens understanding just how much more important family was than money., the first paragraph of this extract deals with the cratchits, who are not wealthy – as shown by their “scanty” clothes – but are happy. dickens uses four key adjectives to describe them: “happy, grateful, pleased” and “contented.” these adjectives show that despite the fact that they didn’t have any of the things that victorian society would have valued, they are still capable of being happy in a range of different ways. this contrasts directly with scrooge’s younger years, where he was “forgotten” by his family and left in school. scrooge is rescued by his younger sister, fanny, who comes to tell him that he is welcomed back because their father doesn’t make her feel “afraid” anymore. this adjective gives us a suggestion that their father may have been abusive to them, and would go some way towards understanding why scrooge rejects family so firmly later in his life., despite fanny’s death – another desertion that would have affected scrooge – her spirit lives on through her son, scrooge’s nephew fred, who repeatedly invites scrooge to his house for christmas dinner. scrooge repeatedly refuses with his famous “bah humbug” line, but fred insists that he will keep inviting him for “i pity” him. the fact that fred pities scrooge for being rude, shows just how far family will go to remain loyal to each other. this idea is also shown in the extract, where the families prepare to close their curtains so they can “shut out the darkness.” in many ways, these curtains could be seen as metaphoric blinds that help keep families together; they keep out the outside and sometimes even blind each other to our failings in order that the family unit is kept happy., the second paragraph also describes some “handsome girls, all hooded and fur-booted” who enter a house “in a glow.” here, dickens makes the point that family is not just for poor people, but is something that unites us all (like the “trip to the grave” that fred mentions in a speech earlier in the book.) the fact that they are “in a glow” suggests that they aren’t just happy, but are actually glowing – a symbol of light that is used repeatedly through christmas carol. also, the preposition “in” suggests that they are within this glow, protected by it, in the same way that families protect us all. in one of the most heart-breaking scenes in the book, scrooge is taken to see his former girlfriend with her new family, a family that could have been his own, had scrooge not chosen worship his “golden idol” above her., in the end though, it is the lack of respect given to his death that really changes scrooge for the better. once he’s seen his own “neglected” grave, he understands the true cost of being alone and understands the reasons why tiny tim’s father calls him, proudly, “as good as gold – and better”.

In this extract, we see how the Cratchit family are happy despite their poverty. The novella was published in 1893 which was in the middle of the Industrial Revolution, so many people were moving into cities, leading them to become overcrowded and therefore poverty-stricken. This poverty is evident here in the quote ‘ the family display of glass’ which we then learn consists of ‘two tumblers’ and a ‘custard cup without a handle’. The word ‘display’ shows just how little they own, as they seem proud to showcase these small dilapidated objects off, as this is all they have. However, they seem content as such trivial matters don’t change how they feel towards each other. Dickens compares the cups to ‘golden goblets’ which to me suggests that the Cratchits feel enriched simply by each other’s company, which is worth more to them than anything materialistic.

Earlier in the same scene, we learn first how vibrant the scene is among this family when Dickens personifies even the potatoes, saying they were ‘knocking’ to get out of their pan, as if the joyous atmosphere was so desirable to be amongst that even inanimate objects wanted to be part of the festivities. In the extract, we are told that the chestnuts cracked ‘noisily’ which conveys the same ideas, building a feeling of community despite the poverty in the scene.

The Ghost of Christmas present first takes Scrooge to see the Cratchits Chirstmas, which makes him realise the importance of family at this time, then continues this theme of company by showing him other scenes brought to life by Christmas spirit. For example, when the ghost takes him to a lighthouse, the poor workers there are described as having ‘horny hands’. This suggests that they have struggled through great hardships and have suffered more in their life than Scrooge ever would, and yet their show of unison when they all sing together at Christmas let them disregard their struggles for a time. By comparing the Cratchits and these workers, Dickens shows how the poor could overcome their lack of materialistic value and settle for things of emotional value.

One member of the Cratchit family who strongly highlights the struggles of the poor is Tiny Tim. In this extract his hand is described as a ‘withered little hand’ suggesting it has prematurely withered like a flower with no light. As the word ‘withered’ has connotations of a flower, to me, this could perhaps be seen as a metaphor for how something beautiful has been hindered and killed by the tight fistedness of the rich in society which is something that Dickens was strongly trying to convey in this novella. Light is often a symbol of hope so this flower could be shrivelled due to a lack of light, which is the lack of generosity from the upper classes. Dickens may have untended ‘withered little’ as a juxtaposition, as we would normally associate ‘withered’ with age and ‘little’ with childhood. This contrast highlights how wrong it is that an innocent child should be so shunned by society due to his wealth and status, and this demonstrates Dickens’ frustration over the inequality.

Dickens uses a similar adjective to describe the hands of the children Ignorance and Want. The word ‘shrivelled’ is used here, which compares these children, who are also victims of the struggles of poverty [sic] to Tiny Tim. It creates a similar image of premature decay to highlight the neglect of lower classes in society. The boy in this scene represents Ignorance and the ghost of Christmas Present tells Scrooge to ‘most of all beware the boy’. This strongly conveys Dickens’ message about poverty and the poor, as he is trying to tell society that ignoring the struggles and problems of the poor will be their downfall .

This is demonstrated in Stave 4 when Tiny Tim dies, and the Cratchits say that when Bob had Tiny Tim on his shoulders he walked ‘very fast indeed’. When we have a weight on our shoulders, the phrases normally implies a burden and a worry. However here I think that Tiny Tim represents the burden that the rich think the poor put upon society. Here, Dickens could be saying that if we only realised the potential of the poor they may actually prove helpful and contribute to society, however they are seen only dead weight on the shoulders of society due to the ignorance of the rich.

A Christmas Carol and Family

Question: How does Dickens present family as important to society in A Christmas Carol?

Dicken’s presents family as incredibly important in his allegorical novella ‘A Christmas Carol’ as Dicken’s own father was put in prison when he was young, having a profound effect on him. Scrooge juxtaposes other characters as he rejects the possibility of his own family, we see joy in the Cratchitt’s (despite their poverty) and finally Fred’s kindness is also shown towards his family.

In Stave 2 Scrooge rejects his fiancée by not protesting that he will love her and care for her. Belle uses the metaphor “a golden idol has replaced me” when she “releases” Scrooge from his engagement to her. This suggests that money and wealth are infinitely more important to him than his own family. The Ghost of the Past is instrumental in showing Scrooge what could have been when Belle is described as a “comely Matro” by the omniscient narrator to suggest that she has aged well, is happy and content due to her family. Furthermore, she is “surrounded by children” which shows her large family and how this could have been Scrooge’s fate if he had not loved wealth as much. Family was comforting in the Victorian society as the Welfare State was not in existence meaning families has to look after their elderly relations or they would end up in workhouses (which was the worst fate for the poor). In Stave one Fred is also introduced to us as Scrooge’s nephew and also rejected by him with the repetition of “Good Afternoon” showing how dismissive Scrooge can be when there is no financial gain. Fred shows kindness and caring towards him, but he rejects his offer of “Christmas Dinner” and to “dine with us” suggesting Scrooge likes his isolation and lonely, money-filled life.

Throughout the extract the family is seen as paramount to the happiness of the Cratchitt family. Bob is crushed with disappointment when he thinks Martha is not coming for Christmas dinner suggesting love, tenderness and a family bond towards his child. The adjective in “sudden declension in his high spirits” shows how disappointed he is. Tiny Trim and his siblings are extremely caring towards each other when the younger one “spirit him off” so he can “hear the pudding sing” which seems a simple pleasure, but shows that the little things in life matter and that siblings kindness is important, especially as Tiny Tim is the “cripple” and represents Christian goodwill and charity. Perhaps, Dickens was showing the effects of poverty through the presentation of the symbolic Tiny Tim who encourages the people in church to see him as Christmas is about Jesus and he “made beggars walk and blind men see” showing that although Tiny Tim is crippled he is the heart of the family and represents the way people should be towards each other. Christianity is a recurring theme in the novella and Dicken’s may have been highlighting the juxtaposition in the teachings of the bible and the actions of the wealthy in Victorian London and how Christian values were often bent to suit the opinions and thoughts of the wealthy. Dicken’s appears to be criticising through the charitable and kind and loving Cratchitt’ s the way family is rejected by Scrooge, due to his avarice, while those with the least are celebrated and celebrating Christianity and Christian values. It is ironic that Scrooge covets money and wealth more than he covets family and humanity. Further focus on the love and happiness reflected in the Cratchitt household is the way they all join together and share in the chores “in high procession” is used by Dickens to reflect the joyful atmosphere that is created in the small household when the “goose” is brought in for carving. The enthusiasm with which the goose is met is contagious and all the Cratchitt household join in the celebration of the goose “one murmur of delight” describes vividly the whole family gasping in joy at the sight of the food they have for Christmas dinner, despite the clear evidence of poverty that abounds in the household. Mrs Cratchitt is “brave in ribbons” which metaphorically describes the way she has made do and mended her dress to make it appear more festive as a piece of ribbon would have been a relatively cheap way of dressing up, while a new dress would have been an unquestionable expense and out of reach for the family. Although, poor she shows pride in her appearance and wants to look her best for the festivities and not disappoint Bob, her loving husband. Family here is shown as important as they all collectively share in the hardship and even though they are poor they don’t complain or grumble, they just focus on making the best of their situation. Symbolically, the Cratchitt family are the antithesis of Scrooge and his cruel hearted rejection of his own family.

Earlier in the novella, when the Ghost of the Past took him to the boarding school, we see a glimpse of humanity and caring towards family when “Little Fan” arrives to “take him home”. He exclaims that she is “quite a woman” showing his admiration, love and affection for her and his sadness at the reminder that she “died a young woman” which implies that perhaps, like many women at the time, childbirth was too much for her and she died. Dickens doesn’t explicitly state that childbirth was the cause of her death but there is the implication that Fred, Scrooge’s nephew, is a painful reminder of his loving sister to Scrooge and this could be why Scrooge continues to harden his heart against Fred. Alternatively, his hardened nature and his inability to love could be a mechanism that he has used over the years as he became more and more isolated and less interested in sharing experiences with other people. Scrooge’s behaviour, therefore could indicate fear and an unwillingness to open himself up to loss again, as in Stave 2 it is incredibly evident that Scrooge does have a heart and is capable of love and Fan, his sister, has experienced this love and attention from Scrooge. Scrooge’s nephew Fred is also an excellent example of how family should stick together through all the pain and heartache life can throw at people. Fred arrives at the “counting-house” on a bleak, dark and foggy Christmas Eve in stave one with the pathetic fallacy reflecting the inner sadness and miserly nature of Scrooge. Fred is cheerful and welcoming towards his grumpy uncle, who rejects the offer of Christmas dinner and in Stave 3 we see Scrooge become the butt of the joke during a game of “Guess Who”. Scrooge watches amused and seems to ironically miss the fact that he is being compared to an animal of some sort “Uncle Sccccrooooogggeee” is used in the game, too much hilarity as an example that no-one can guess initially. Scrooge watches on with the Ghost of the Present wistfully and plays along with the games, even though he can’t be seen or heard by Fred and the other guests. Although, they are being slightly unkind and poking fun at Scrooge there is some clear evidence of affection for him, due to the fact that he is family. In this scene family is again seen to be normal, caring and loving and everyone is together, looking out for each other and enjoying each other’s company. Dickens presents Fred’s Christmas as a larger and more opulent affair than the Cratchitt’ s but the day seems to represent a wider sort of family gathering with friends and nieces invited to the festivities as well, suggesting that we are all part of the same human race and that there are more similarities between us than differences.

Towards the end of the novella Dickens introduces us to the idea that Scrooge has changed and has reflected on how family is important and why he should join in and become a part of the family, both the Cratchitt family and his own nephew Scrooge. At the end of the novella Tiny Tim utters the phrase that is synonymous with his good nature “God bless us everyone!” which summarises the change that overcame Scrooge. Tim lived because Scrooge changed and became a better man. Scrooge vowed after seeing the Ghost of the Future, the death of Tiny Tim and the death of himself that he would “live in the past, the present and the future” showing that he understood the importance of being a better person. His first act of kindness after this proclamation is to send a “Turkey to the Cratchitt family” which was a huge gesture and showed that he valued their family and really did not want to see Tiny Tim die, he asks the Ghost of the Future “Will Tiny Tim live?” and this rhetorical question reveals that he already knows the answer to this. Without Scrooge’s epiphany and change Tim will die, so Scrooge shows that he recognises how pivotal to happiness Tiny Tim is by sending the food to them. Due to the way family is presented throughout the novella it is obvious that Scrooge begins to understand that family keeps people together and makes them more humane. In the end Scrooge goes to Fred’s house and is invited in. He also becomes “like a second father” to Tiny Tim and shows that he understands the importance of being a better person and the role that having a family plays in this.

Evidently, Dickens felt that family was centrally important to the novella as he places the Cratchitt family in the heart of it. They are show to us in Stave 3 during the Ghost of the Present’s revelations to Scrooge and arguably the scene with the Cratchitt family helps to change Scrooge from being a unkind, miserly and covetous man to a more charitable, kind and loving man. The presentation of family was extremely important in showing Scrooge that he could be a much better man.

ANOTHER ONE

They were a boy and a girl. Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish; but prostrate, too, in their humility. Where graceful youth should have filled their features out, and touched them with its freshest tints, a stale and shrivelled hand, like that of age, had pinched, and twisted them, and pulled them into shreds. Where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked, and glared out menacing. No change, no degradation, no perversion of humanity, in any grade, through all the mysteries of wonderful creation, has monsters half so horrible and dread.

Scrooge started back, appalled. Having them shown to him in this way, he tried to say they were fine children, but the words choked themselves, rather than be parties to a lie of such enormous magnitude. "Spirit, are they yours?" Scrooge could say no more.

"They are Man's," said the Spirit, looking down upon them. "And they cling to me, appealing from their fathers. This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased. Deny it!" cried the Spirit, stretching out its hand towards the city. "Slander those who tell it ye. Admit it for your factious purposes, and make it worse. And abide the end." "Have they no refuge or resource?" cried Scrooge. "Are there no prisons?" said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. "Are there no workhouses?"

In A Christmas Carol, Dickens continually returns the readers’ focus on the children in Victorian society. The recurring character and the famous child in the novella is “Tiny” Tim Cratchit who becomes a metonym for thousands of faceless proletariat children neglected by a ruthless self-serving capitalist society. However, the shocking introduction of the minor characters of Ignorance and Want allows Dickens to create a political diatribe against the greed, selfishness and neglect of working-class children. These children contrasted against the earlier childhood version of Scrooge, serve to expose the dichotomy between the poor and rich in a deeply unequal and uneven society.

In this passage, Ignorance and Want become a metaphorical paradigm of society’s abandonment of the poor and the consequence of their inability to take social responsibility for poverty. The children have a primarily allegorical purpose evidenced in the focus of their physical features. The boy and girl are old before their time as Dickens says their faces are absent of “graceful youth” and the neglect of their physical, emotional and mental wellbeing is emphasised in the image of their “pinched” and “twisted” features. These adjectives heighten the idea of their youth being robbed and their childhood destroyed by physical hardships particularly given “twisted” is synonymous with something that is misshapen and grotesque. Their faces are described as being the antithesis of childhood innocence as Dickens uses hyperbolic language and describes how “devils lurked” in their faces and “glared out menacingly”. The use of hellish imagery accentuates the impression that their existence has been made unbearable by poverty and in turn has tainted and corrupted their view of the world as well as wrecked their own goodness and innocence. The children’s hostility, distrust and hatred of the Christian society meant to protect them is manifested in the verb “glared”, which is emblematic of their disillusionment and discontent. Dickens uses animal imagery to describe the children as “wolfish” which bolsters the impression of working-class children’s metamorphosis from innocent creatures to starving and exploited children hardened by their suffering. The colour “yellow” is symptomatic of sickness and ill health and furthers the idea of their physical and mental decay within a laissez faire society (where no welfare state or support to lift working class children out of absolute poverty exists). The philosopher John Locke theorised man is born a blank slate and our nature is changed by nurture; this idea is evidenced in the way in which societal neglect changes the nature of the children. It is clear that Dickens subverts the image of childhood innocence and sharply juxtaposes Ignorance and Want’s damaged childhood to the wealthy Scrooge’s happier memories of his powerful education (in which his imagination came alive by his schooling), in order to create pathos for working class children and force his contemporary Victorian readers to examine their conscience, particularly their lack of support for the “ragged” poor and homeless children in society.

Dickens believed how a society treated its children, revealed their social mores. He makes it evident that society is to blame for the suffering and dehumanisation of working-class children especially as the spirits uses the short declarative “They are man’s” to indicate societal responsibility and its moral failing. The hypocrisy of a Christian society is exemplified in the way in which the ghost mocks Scrooge and repeats his infamous questions back to him: “Are there no prisons?” and “Are there no workhouses?” The callousness of society and its evasion of social responsibility to take care of the most vulnerable is emphasised in the repetition of the nouns “prison” and “workhouses” which reminds contemporary readers that they marginalised and disenfranchisedinnocent working-class children by socially excluding them and denying them a good quality of life.

Dickens more importantly uses the recurring character construct of Tiny Tim to dispel the damaging societal stereotype that the working class are deserving of their poverty. In Stave 3, Tiny Tim is romanticised by Dickens to symbolise the beauty and goodness of working-class children who deserve society’s love and charity. He is poor but shows immense courage and huge generosity of spirit. When Tiny Tim uses the biblical story of how Jesus helped the blind and poor, and hopes the bourgeoise remember the poor during Christmas, he becomes a symbol of Jesus and once again exposes the hypocrisy of a Christian society that claims to help the poor but instead neglects them. Though Tiny Tim is dying, he shows courage and endless love and devotion to his family, best demonstrated when he says “God bless us everyone” as he sits next to his dad. Tiny Tim does not ask for anything for himself, but he is the antithesis to Scrooge because he is altruistic and puts others before him. In an increasingly amoral Victorian society, Tiny Tim provides comforting moral guidance on how to live a good life. However, Tiny Tim becomes a symbol of the abandonment of working-class children as he is powerless to improve his situation and is shown to die, leaving his family “still” and destroyed by their grief. His death symbolises how the bourgeoise have the power to change his fate and that of thousands of other vulnerable children but fail to do so, leaving innocent families broken by the death of their babies. The focus on the grief of the family after Tiny Tim dies creates intense pathos and is deliberate as Dickens reminds his readers of their shocking contextual reality - that one in five children in Victorian society did not live to see their fifth birthday.

The fairy-tale reversal in Tiny Tim’s death in Stave 5 is a piercing reminder that a progressive and utopic society is possible, but only if the bourgeoisie (represented by Scrooge) learn to love its children and take social responsibility by improving their poverty-stricken situations and therefore preventing their needless deaths. In this stave, Scrooge becomes a “second father” to Tiny Tim. This lexical phrase is highly symbolic because while it literally shows Scrooge has become more responsible and compassionate, it is an important metaphorical reminder that working-class parents desperately need the support of society to help raise their children and provide a good quality of life for them. The lexical choice “Second” is synonymous here with something that is additional and surplus and so consequently is a strong reminder of the importance of a more responsible and engaged society that is not ignorant or myopic of working-class suffering and exploitation. To reinforce this idea, In Stave 3, Dickens briefly uses the childhood character of Martha Cratchit to remind his readers of the exploitation and premature growing up of Victorian children. In this stave the children are working in the kitchen and Martha arrives home late as she has been working. She is responsible for bringing the goose. She is embraced by her mother. The image of Mrs Cratchit embracing her working child reminds readers how adult breadwinners simply could not support their family and relied upon them sacrificing their childhood. There is no doubt that these moments have great verisimilitude for modern readers, particularly given how two thirds of children living in poverty in the UK have working parents, painfully reminding new readers how the exploitation of the poor is as real as ever.

Finally, the gaiety of Fred's family dinner, contrasted against the hardship of the merry but compromised Cratchit family, is a strong reminder of the terrible and tragic disparity between the lives of the working class and wealthy in society, a context greatly affecting the Cratchit children. To conclude Dickens uses the recurring characters of children to explore society’s lack of responsibility towards its children but also its power to change the fate of these children simply by showing greater compassion and ensuring social justice happens.

https://money.com/ebenezer-scrooge-defense-charles-dickens-christmas-carol/

• International
• Schools directory
• Resources Jobs Schools directory News Search

AQA GCSE Grade 9 Essay: Dickens' Portrayal of Scrooge's Fears in "A Christmas Carol"

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

25 June 2023

• Share through email
• Share through twitter
• Share through linkedin
• Share through facebook
• Share through pinterest

In this outstanding AQA GCSE Grade 9 essay, explore the compelling depiction of Scrooge’s fears in Charles Dickens’ timeless classic, “A Christmas Carol.” Delve into the depths of Scrooge’s psyche as Dickens masterfully portrays his apprehensions and anxieties throughout the narrative. Analyze the evocative language, vivid imagery, and symbolic elements employed by Dickens to convey Scrooge’s fears and their transformative impact on his character. This essay showcases a profound understanding of the text and offers insightful interpretations, earning it a Grade 9.

Tes paid licence How can I reuse this?

Your rating is required to reflect your happiness.

It's good to leave some feedback.

Something went wrong, please try again later.

This resource hasn't been reviewed yet

To ensure quality for our reviews, only customers who have purchased this resource can review it

Report this resource to let us know if it violates our terms and conditions. Our customer service team will review your report and will be in touch.

Not quite what you were looking for? Search by keyword to find the right resource: