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A Christmas Carol (Ignorance & Want ('wretched, abject, frightful,…
A Christmas Carol
Ignorance & Want
'It might be a claw' - children in poverty are malnourished as they cannot afford to eat well // predatory, dangerous element
'wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable'
list of adjectives shows sheer number of flaws & evokes fear & pity
'yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish'
- 'yellow' sickly aura about them - poverty is a disease that drains them
- 'wolfish' links to 'claw' - predatory // poverty has made them into something to fear
- poverty deforms/corrupts innocence & youth so they appear to be 'pinched, and twisted them, and pulled them into shreds' painful associations - poverty has damaged/hurt them.
- 'devils lurked' now dangerous due to physical/psychological damage poverty has inflicted
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"most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom"
ignorance represents members of society who are uneducated + so unaware that they are being exploited as workers -- if children are educated, they are more likely to earn a fair wage to support their families
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evokes mixture of pity & horror in reader. reader had been lulled into false sense of security due to Fred's joyous party in prior to this.
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education is a way out of poverty -- if the poor aren't educated then they can't hope to improve their situations
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context
Christmas trees thought to be brought to England from Germany by Prince Albert in 1841 (married Queen Victoria 1840)
1834 Poor Law stated that any able-bodied person could only seek help in a workhouse in order to reduce the costs paid for the poor -- conditions in workhouses were harsh to discourage people from wanting to go there
the charitable men who are collecting money make the situation clear "many thousands are in want of common necessities"
Caroline and her husband are delighted to hear in stave 4 that Scrooge is dead but regret it immediately after as it was immoral of them -- the Christian message of the novel, we will be judged by God on whether to be admitted to heaven or punished in hell
the political message - the welfare of the poor is everyone's responsibility + the wealthier one is, the more they should do
the allegorical story can be used to entertain + offer a didactic lesson like the carols sung at Christmas -- organised in staves
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Christian story of redemption - wealthy + aristocrats selfish + should focus on helping those in need, including their employees
Fezziwig still indulges at Christmas but invited employees too - treats them well so they can enjoy their work "He has the power to render us happy or unhappy"
Dickens sent to work in factory at age 11 - father in debt + sent to debtors' prison so Dickens taken out of education + sent to factory
believed there should not be such a great divide between the wealthy + the less fortunate - focuses on problems faced by poor people + shows their attitudes in contrast to the rich - makes readers consider whether they are able to take responsibility in their actions to others
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Scrooge
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heartless
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initially presented as so harsh and a a "covetous old sinner" to show the contrast in the person he becomes at the end of the novella to highlight to the reader that they too can do the same -- is a model for the reader showing that we all have the capacity to change
isolated
"solitary child, neglected by his friends"
"hard and sharp as flint" implies that he has a 'hard' exterior which could cause harm to others but another simile,"solitary as an oyster" suggests that despite Scrooge's harsh exterior, there is something worthwhile to be found within him like the pearl within an 'oyster'
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difficult for the reader to feel any sympathy for him in stave 1 as he appears to choose his isolation "it's enough for a man to understand his own business, and not to interfere with other people's" shows that Scrooge has isolated himself, it isn't that others have pushed him away
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Dickens needs the reader to like Scrooge so he uses humorous, sarcastic dialogue for Scrooge such as, "every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding" in order for the reader to become invested in Scrooge's transformation and begin to like him, despite him being the villain. Therefore is the reader likes Scrooge, they can also apply the message of the story to themselves.
Dickens uses lengthy lists to show abundance in order to make the reader overwhelmed, creating a sense of breathlessness which contrasts to the way Scrooge remains unresponsive to it all + continues to confine himself from society
his past
Fan "childish eagerness" Scrooge's interactions with her are important because they show the reader that he did enjoy the company of his family at one stage in his life but he chose to distance himself from them as he got older -- so the reader knows he has it in him to redeem himself
The ambiguity of Fan's death may be Dickens' way of showing that Scrooge has mentally blocked it rather than grieving her death as is easier for him to put on a front rather than owning up to his feelings at the loss of the person who once referred to him as her "dear, dear brother"
perhaps Scrooge resents Fred because Fan died giving birth to him since death of the mother during childbirth was so common in Victorian England
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Fezziwig shows that it is acceptable to be a wealthy businessman that makes money but still be fair and joyous - contrasts Scrooge's attitudes towards wealth and in how Belle describes "the master passion, Gain, engrosses you"
Dickens juxtaposes Scrooge and Fezziwig to show that there is a choice in how you treat the people around you
social responsibility
Dickens saw Christmas become celebrated in an increasingly materialistic way and wanted to remind people of the poor and charity
Scrooge shows that a man who is so "self-contained", "sharp as flint" and engulfed by avarice, can still redeem himself and make a change.
Scrooge sees poverty as a crime "Are there no prisons?" holds the poor responsible for their situation - represents views of many contemporary members of the upper class at the
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structure
cyclical structure - elements from stave 1 appear in stave 5 like the charitable men collecting money + Scrooge's office, they emphasise Scrooge's transformation
pace of the novella increased as the spirits whisk Scrooge from one place to another + also increased by the threat of Tiny Tim's death and Scrooge's own death, it is apparent that if he doesn't change they will both die
With each visit, the pace of the narrative speeds up. This gives the sense that time is running out for Scrooge, and he needs to learn his lessons and change his ways quickly.
past "my time grows short"
present "my life upon this globe, is very brief"
the Ghost of xmas yet to come is in such a rush to get through many things that he appears in Stave 3 ahead of the expected time.
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Marley's visit makes upcoming structure clear so reader + Scrooge know what to expect and can easily follow the story
the spirit of Christmas
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selfless behaviour
a time of peace and good will for everyone, no matter their social status
Scrooge is associated with a lexical field of coldness, "the cold within him froze his old features" whereas the Cratchits are much brighter and seem to radiate warmth which demonstrated how Christmas can be celebrated spiritually, and materialistically
a time of good will and charity, to be spent with family and not materialistically
the Cratchits
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"they were not well dressed [...] their clothes were scanty [...] But they were happy, grateful, pleased with one another, and contented with the time"
despite the lack of food or wealth, their warmth and cheer makes the reader wonder what they are meant to feel sorry about for this family when in contrast, Scrooge has plenty of money yet eats his "melancholy dinner in his usual melancholy tavern"
perhaps Scrooge tells Bob that he is "about to raise your salary" because he never truly changed and still believed that money was the key to happiness
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Fred
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emits a physical + metaphorical warmth to those around him "He had so heated himself with rapid walking [...] that he was alll in a glow" juxtaposes Scrooge who is associated with coldness "his thin lips blue" "the cold within him froze his old features"
insists that Scrooge comes to "Dine with us tomorrow" which shows the reader that Scrooge's isolation is due to his own choice and free will, it hasn't been imposed on him by his family.
"I mean to give him the same chance every year, whether he likes it or not, for I pity him" refuses to give up and when Scrooge comes to his door in the last stave he says, "Let him in" despite how poorly Scrooge has treated him.
family
Belle leaves Scrooge bc a "golden idol" has replaced her in Scrooge's heart, he now worships money - his greed destroys his capacity to love - his purblind pursuit of money compels him to sacrifice any chance of love or having a family w/ Belle
older Scrooge's anguish at witnessing this scene shows that he realises that choosing wealth over love was a grave mistake
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the potatoes of the Cratchit Christmas dinner "knocked loudly at the saucepan lid to be let out", capturing the excitement and childlike enthusiasm/joy of the Cratchit children -- poverty is no barrier to happiness "they were pleased with one another" -- strong family bonds are as important as financial stability
Dickens juxtaposes a wealthy lonely man with an impoverished but happy family to emphasise the importance of love/family in our lives
Scrooge stave 4 "lying gasping out his last there, alone by himself" + "he frightened everyone away from him when he was alive, to profit us when he was dead!" Dickens suggests greed rendered Scrooge vulnerable to thieves bc no one was there to love him + secure him dignity in death
money + avarice
Scrooge began to put money before love, ruining his relationship with Belle
"our contract is an old one" suggests Scrooge is more interested in business -- being reminded of Belle is too much for Scrooge + he begs the spirit "show me no more"
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