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Scrooge - A Christmas Carol - Coggle Diagram
Scrooge - A Christmas Carol
protagonist
antagonist
Scrooge's character is designed to show how a person can change their ways.
Scrooge is an interesting character because, although he is the main character of the text – a protagonist – he also exhibits features of an antagonist (someone who works against the protagonist) at the start of the story.
Throughout the novella, the reader finds themselves gradually supporting Scrooge, hoping that he will realise the error of his ways and wanting him to become a good person
Scrooge’s main role is to show how it is possible to change one’s ways, no matter how miserly one is.
Obsessed with money
The first time we meet Scrooge, the narrator suggests that Scrooge is completely obsessed with making money – even on the funeral day of his only friend (Jacob Marley), Scrooge goes back to work straight away.
Scrooge doesn't understand how his nephew can be so happy all the time when he isn’t rich. Ironically, Fred’s “poor” life is enriched by happiness and love, whereas the rich Scrooge lives his life poorly.
Scrooge believes that Christmas is a waste of time because it never does anyone any “good”
Disliked
Right from the start, even the narrative voice seems to dislike Scrooge: “Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone”.
We quickly learn that Scrooge lives his life alone – no one even greets him in the street, beggars don’t even ask him for help. He is unkind and unfriendly: “Even the blind men’s dogs appeared to know him” and would tug their owners away from him.
Cruel employer
We see how badly Scrooge treats his employee, Bob Cratchit.
Scrooge loves money so much that he will not even allow Cratchit to put enough coal on the fire to warm the room.
He also dislikes the idea of allowing Cratchit the day off for Christmas Day and grumbles about doing it.
Scrooge threatens to fire Cratchit if he hears “another sound from you”. Scrooge uses his powerful position as Cratchit’s employer to intimidate him into behaving how he wants. He abuses his upper-class role to threaten Cratchit.
Ignorant and uncharitable
Scrooge shows his upper-class ignorance when two gentlemen arrive to ask about giving money to charity.
In Scrooge’s eyes, the poor don't need help – he feels that no one should worry about the poor because there are prisons and workhouses for them (“Are there no prisons?” “Are there no workhouses?”).
in Scrooge’s opinion, money is the most important thing in life, and so people without money have no value.
Dickens uses Scrooge to highlight the attitudes of the rich in Victorian England – many of them did not really consider the lower-classes to be human beings with feelings.