Foreshadows his later appearance due to the affirmative tone of the statement. Introduces the tone of the supernatural, and is further strengthened by the repetition of the phrase

Both emphesises his cold, hard, unfeeling exterior and suggests he enjoys the isolation; however, as an oyster is typically associated with pearls, it could also suggest that there is precious inside of him; hope.

Assonance and onomatopoeia also 'hammer' down our impression of him; connotes harshness/cruelty

Pathetic fallacy; the progressive worsening of the weather reflects his mood - the severity and how no one's safe from it. Furthermore, it reflects the metaphorical coldness of his heart

Pathetic fallacy contrasts with Scrooge, how he is unaffected by his miserness. Similarly, 'glowing' fits with the theme of light, which reflects Fred's kindness, and how Dickens himself agrees with his message; unwavering in his mission to spread Christmas cheer to everyone, particularly those most in need

Displays Scrooge's intent dislike and misunderstanding of Christmas; he cannot comprehend why people enjoy wasting money at this time of year, especially those who cannot afford it - 'paying bills without money'

Graphic, almost comic, imagery, which reflects/ridicules Scrooge's absurd dislike

Represents Dicken's views; he seems to have taken over Fred as a mouthpiece to appeal to his readers

Reflects how Scrooge lives true to his miser-ways, penny-pinching, and enjoying it at that. Would also again be typically associated with a cold heart, or the shell of the oyster, to imply he is uncaring of others opinion or even just unaware of it

Historically, these were horrible places where people were locked up, and families split. The Poor Law, which Dickens disliked, forced people into them

Establishes Scrooge's social views, he is highly critical of those below him, and the interrogetory tone of the questioning indicates Scrooge's dislike of charity and what he sees as 'wasting money'

Reinforces Scrooge's Malthusian views, that those useless to society were a waste of resources, and an ideal solution to the theoretical decrease in sufficiently supporting resources #

A popular opinion shared by industrial leaders/the upper class due to the strain on London due to the influx of workers from the industrial revolution

Further emphesises his love of money, almost to an extreme stance

Also respresents the contrast of darkness which Scrooge represents, and light, a typical comparison, but also how Scrooge is choosing to stay blind/ignorant to the problems around him

Portrays the theme of redemption, by suggesting that the chain is both girdable and 'un-girdable. It is also symbolic of the unseen cost of Scrooge's misdeeds; and of Marley's attempt to reform him, who has since come to terms with what his misdeeds meant

Girded by his 'own free will' also ensures that Scrooge fully understands that he will be fully at fault for this; therefore beginning to force Scrooge to open his eyes and become a better person

Displays the contrasting interpretations of the word 'business'- Marley has realised/seen the heavy (social) responsibility he, as a rich businessman, bore, and how he should've focused on others, helping them and extending his generosity, instead of remaining rooted to his cashboxes and purses, which he is now bound to in the Afterlife

Represents the first stage of his change/redemption; but also suggests that he is more changed/shocked by the visit than he allows himself to show

Connotations of supernatural, but also the theme of bells, which are associated with the Church, and thus redemption, forgiveness, and the irrelevance of wealth ('It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.')

Our first sight/impression of the Ghost; and it is signalled by bright light, which contrasts with Scrooge's darkness, and such flashes of light would no doubt invoke angelic/heavenly images

The mixed images of age symbolise how this ghost will both reveal to him both his 'far' and 'close' past, but also how Scrooge has always been an adult in terms of maturity/lack of emotion/lonelyness (all associated with old age), even as a child

Represents youth and innocence, but yet ageless, in contrast with Scrooge's clear old age - suggests the Ghost is so old he cannot display it, or perhaps is aged so due to his experiences

This portays the strong, emotional effect of the Ghost on Scrooge, particularly through Scrooge's reaction to these previously unexperienced/forgotten feelings/memories, as his reaction is one of bewilderment, not joy, and fond memories, perhaps suggesting that his childhood was not a joyous one. Scrooge is in stark contrast to his normal self, expressing emotion in such a way his normal self would've sneered at - and this is what throws him off so much

Reflects the effect of the spirit upon Scrooge, he's reflecting on his former self already, and realising his mistakes, beginning to show compassion

Displays Scrooge's regret at not having been able to really spend time/connect with her (and the rest of his family), also reminds him of Fred, and makes him reminisce about his treatment of him

Scrooge's joy at encountering this memory reflects Fezziwig's role as Scrooge's foil; generous, kindhearted, "organ of benevolence", "A positive light", who became his father figure due to his lack of one otherwise.

Furthermore, he is represented by light, unlike Scrooge, who carries around a dark air, both metaphorically and in terms of the weather

Scrooge's modus operandum is to rule by fear, as portrayed by his cruel treatment of Bob, compared to Fezziwig, who throws a party for all of his workers. This is reinforced by the length of the narrative paragraph; it implies its overwhelmingness and flamboyance, much like himself.

This illustrates Scrooge's realisation that unlike what he led himself to believe originally, that money isn't needed for happiness. This is a key message which is indicated most intently in the Cratchits

Reflects how now that Scrooge has money, his love of Belle is insignificant - she cannot give him the money he now desires so much (her dowry)

Illustrates the man Scrooge could've been; but it's something he's never experienced, having made his choice of money

Also reflects the central themes of family, and Christmas Spirit - even though he is clearly a prosperous businessman, he still remembers his family, and shows his love for them

Compares him former self (before the effect of avarice, and greed took hold) to his present self, on which Belle can only show pity

Reflects how Scrooge has not changed as much as he outwardly displays; he actively fights the Spirit to prevent himself from acknowledging the awkward truth

Strangely, contains Ghosts; these features allow it to stand out amongst other novellas and carols

Focuses on Scrooge learning the benefits of being a responsible, benevolent citizen, much as Dickens would like the audience to

Split into 'Staves', which are the musical equivalent of stanzas - reflect how short the novella is to prevent boring the Christmas audience

Dickens plays with Time to allow the transformation to occur

Freytag's theory - the climax is Scrooge seeing his gravestone, after which he is a changed man, willing to look after and care for his family and workers

Allegory - simple metaphor/Christian parable - those with money (such as Scrooge) should look out for others rather than being profit driven - as Fezziwig does, who shows that business men do not have to be as heartless as Scrooge

Emphasises the message of social responsibility, and how if poorer members are educated, they are less of a burden, as they can then self-support (less reliant on charity)

Demonstrates Dickens' view that Malthus' ideas were cruel and unreasonable

Suggests that Scrooge is "grating" on other peoples' spirits, chipping away at their humanity

Fairy tale convention foreshadows magical element to the story and a happy ending

The "fog" suggests Scrooge's inability to see his own ignorance #

The narrator's cheery attitude and comical rambling directly contrasts to Scrooge, who is then described by the narrator. The juxtaposition of the two attitudes makes Scrooge's attitude seem even more abysmal, thus making his transformation more siginificant

This demonstrates the lack of correlation between money and happiness, but despite this, Scrooge continues to only worship the "golden idol" - money #

A message that society will crumble under the poverty gap unless something is done

Could be a reference to the French Revolution 50 years earlier, where the destitute peasants rose up and slaughtered the aristocracy. In this way, Dickens could be telling the upper class that unless they change their ways, they will be destroyed by the mistreated lower class. #

The emphasis on a need for education provoked the setting up of Ragged Schools which gave free education, food and shelter to the poor. It is believed that Dickens' visit to Field Lane Ragged School in 1843 influenced him to write the novella as he was appalled at hardships that poor children had to face #

Scrooge's only living relative, and a reminder of Fan, his loving sister

In Victorian England, 40% of the country's personal wealth was in the hands of the top 5% of the population, demonstrating the huge wealth gap

Huge list of an unnecessary amount of food directly challenges Malthus' ideas of there not being enough food to feed a growing population - DIckens believes that there is more than enough if we are all charitable #

The ghost is non-violent and all-loving, as Scrooge should aspire to be

Could suggest that the intense love of the Cratchitt family is healing Tiny Tim's disability, thought to be incurable

Yet another reminder that money has no correlation to happiness. The Cratchitt Family also demonstrates the importance of family for happiness, as their sense of togetherness negates the fact that they barely have any money to spend #

Scrooge has now become remorseful for his doubts and is strikingly willing to accept the ghost's presence and teachings

The fact that Scrooge's possessions are stolen by the lower class shows that no matter your wealth or place in society, we are all equal in death as we are all mortal

Those who owed Scrooge money now did not have to pay it back - showing the his death actually brought pleasure to people. This makes his life worthless, to some extent, as he is not affecting people around him in a positive way.

This is Scrooge's declaration of change and the climax of the novella - after a lifetime of greed, he has finally changed his ways

With his newfound epiphany, he fells like he is capable of anything - there are so many possibilities of things to do now that he knows that she should care for the poor, as we all should do

Pathetic fallacy - Scrooge is no longer ignorant and sees how he has changed clearly and how this will benefit him and society

The repetition of "good" suggests and idyllic and perfect ending as Scrooge has become the embodiment of goodwill and charity

Dickens is inciting the reader (collective pronoun "us") to follow in Scrooge's footsteps and become the charitable and pleasant members of society as he did