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THEMES IN A CHRISTMAS CAROL (CHANGE (EXAMPLES/QUOTES (PRE-CHANGE ("a…
THEMES IN A CHRISTMAS CAROL
CHANGE
PURPOSE
Through emphasising Scrooge's extreme behaviour at the beginning of the novella (eg. his rant at Fred in Stave One), and them contrasting it with his new attitude and good deeds in Stave Five, Dickens is implying to the reader that anyone can change, no matter how evil they may have been in the past
EXAMPLES/QUOTES
PRE-CHANGE
"a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner!"
“Are there no prisons?”
"decrease the surplus population"
“every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.
MID-CHANGE
"I should like to have given him something"
“No. I should like to be able to say a word or two to my clerk just now. That’s all.”
"Have they no refuge or resource?"
POST-CHANGE
Dickens uses a
cyclic structure
to create
balance/equilibrium
, which helps us to accept Scrooge's drastic change- he rights all of the wrongs he committed in Stave One
Scrooge's demeanour changes drastically; he is much more happy and excited than he was in Stave One ("as light as a feather... as happy as an angel... as merry as a schoolboy")
"he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge."
"and to Tiny Tim... he was a second father."
RESPONSIBILITY
PURPOSE
One of the main ideas pushed by Dickens in the novella is that each and every individual has a responsibility for those around them. He was dissatisfied with the measures that the government and church were taking to reduce poverty (The New Poor Laws, church schools)
EXAMPLES/QUOTES
"Mankind was my business"
"The happiness he [Fezziwig] gives, is quite as great as if it cost a fortune"
"think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures"
"They are mans'... This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want"
EDUCATION
PURPOSE
A minor theme in the novella is education and the value of it. When Dickens moved to London as a child, he was not allowed to go to school, although he really wanted to. Furthermore, Scrooge' s ignorance to the plight of the lower classes reflects the attitude of the rich towards the poor at the time
EXAMPLES/QUOTES
This is especially emphasised through the characters Ignorance and Want
"Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish"
We are told to "beware" Ignorance for he is "Doom"
The use of chilling, emotive language shows the most graphic effects of ignorance and deprivation, causing the reader to think about the role of not being educated in poverty
POVERTY
PURPOSE
By highlighting poverty and the effects of it, Dickens pushes the idea that it is the responsibility of all members of society to support those who are less fortunate
EXAMPLES AND QUOTES
The Cratchits way of life is common of the experience of many at the time.
Many of the poor "would rather die" than go to the Workhouses
The scene in Old Joe's shop shows us the desperation of the poor. It "Reeves with crime, filth and misery"
CHRISTMAS
PURPOSE
Sicknesses Christams to highlight Scrooge's transformation and to show the importance of love and family
EXAMPLES AND QUOTES
Fred acts as a foil against Scrooge and his attitude towards Christmas
The Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge people celebrating Christmas all over the world
Christmas is very important to the Cratchits
FAMILY
PURPOSE
To show the benefits of a close a loving family life as well as the drawbacks of isolating yourself from society
EXAMPLES AND QUOTES
The Cratchits are very close with each other despite their poverty
In Stave 5, the transformed Scrooge enjoys being part of his own and the Cratchits family
Scrooge's father rejected Scrooge at one point, but then changes his mind and brings him home from boarding school