a christmas carol gcse essay questions

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Gcse-grade revision from beyond, powered by twinkl, a christmas carol gcse questions for revision.

A Christmas Carol GCSE revision time is upon you, and you’re stressing! Or maybe you’re feeling fine and are just looking for a refresher – either way, we are here to help you out. From past A Christmas Carol GCSE questions to quote flashcards , we’ve got a variety of revision support ready for you. Here, we’ll focus on how to practise A Christmas Carol GCSE exam questions.

Using Practice Papers

When planning your A Christmas Carol GCSE revision, one of the most effective revision techniques is to use past/practice papers. There is a very good reason why your teachers will constantly make you practise your answer! Being able to answer A Christmas Carol GCSE questions confidently helps you gain confidence, and using mark schemes can help you see if you have a weak spot or make repeated mistakes. You can try this mini exam to practise your writing !

There are four different exam boards used in England, and their ways of asking questions all differ. The themes of the questions are very similar, making it easier for teachers to use the same teaching resources without confusion. Teachers and schools tend to stick with one exam board and will use past papers from those to use as practice papers. They’ll also be used to the way questions are written, meaning they can help craft the perfect answers year after year.

Using Mark Schemes

We also suggest that you look at the mark schemes from past papers. Knowing what examiners look for in the top answers can help you when you’re practising with past papers. You’ll be able to find these online, but your teachers will definitely have copies! You could write a practice answer using the mark scheme, so you know that you’ve hit all the assessment objectives at the top level. You could also write a practice essay without the mark scheme and check it afterwards, to see how you’ve done.

Using Quotes

English Literature GCSE exams include short extracts from the novels or novellas that have been studied. The exams will always ask questions about the novel as well as the extract. It is essential that you use quotes from the extract when answering the question, but you should also have a variety of quotes memorised to use when you’re writing about the novella as a whole. Remember, though: don’t just throw in quote after quote without any analysis. Make sure you have an understanding of the quotes you’re using. If you find quotes tricky, have a read of our blog on A Christmas Carol quotes and how to analyse them.

When answering your A Christmas Carol GCSE questions, you really need to engage with the extract and show your knowledge of the novella beyond what you have been given. When relevant, bring in your knowledge of the context of A Christmas Carol. This demonstrates to the examiner that you have not only read the novella, but that you have an understanding of the time and context. To help with your A Christmas Carol GCSE revision of the context of the novella, you can use this handy Beyond blog ! We also have this context annotation sheet that you can print and use for revision. 

We hope you’ve found this blog helpful and that you feel a little more equipped for your English Literature exam. You can find all of our Twinkl A Christmas Carol resources right here . If you have any good tips on revising A Christmas Carol or answering exam questions, let us know below. We love hearing from you!

Next up: How to Revise for English Literature GCSE

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GCSE AQA English Literature - A Christmas Carol, (full marks) Grade 9 example essays

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

24 August 2024

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3 example essays for GCSE AQA English Literature - A Christmas Carol. The example essays are on: poverty, social responsibility and redemption. These essays are only for example purposes - for you to be able to look and see the type of style and content necessary for a grade 9, and are not intended for people to copy into their exams, for which I am not to be held accountable. For authenticity purposes, I have achieved a grade 9 and full marks in all of my GCSE English Literature examinations 2022, and all 3 of these essays were written by me for practise (not used in my final exam!!). I am not to be held accountable for any small errors.

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A Christmas Carol

88 pages • 2 hours read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Introduction

Before Reading

Reading Context

During Reading

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

After Reading

Discussion/Analysis Prompt

Essay Questions

Exam Questions

Exam Answer Key

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serves as examples and support.

1. In literature, an allegory is a work that can be understood on many levels; characters often symbolize ideas and contain a clear moral lesson.

• Reflect on the levels of interpretation of A Christmas Carol . If viewed allegorically, what is the moral lesson Dickens proposes in the text? ( topic sentence )
• Analyze Ebeneezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Jacob Marley, and the three spirits as symbolic figures. What idea or quality does each character represent, and how is this demonstrated to readers? If viewed as allegorical characters, which character is conveyed most effectively and why?
• In your conclusion, evaluate the timelessness of Dickens’s message; what makes this allegory popular and lasting?

Related Titles

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GCSE Revision Guide: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

• Joshua Sandeman
• March 14, 2023

A Christmas Carol” is a novella by Charles Dickens, published in 1843. It is a classic tale that tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a wealthy and selfish businessman who is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve.

The ghosts show Scrooge his past, present, and future, and through these visions, he comes to understand the true meaning of Christmas and the importance of kindness, compassion, and generosity. 

This GCSE revision guide: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens will take you through the key themes, key quotes, potential exam questions and how to write a grade 9 essay question response.

Read on to find out everything about Charles Dicken’s Christmas classic !

The idea that it is never too late to change and improve oneself. Scrooge undergoes a profound transformation, from a bitter and miserable old man to a kind and generous person. 

The dangers of living a life cut off from others. Scrooge’s greed and selfishness have isolated him from his family, friends, and society, leaving him alone and unhappy. 

Social Responsibility

The importance of helping those less fortunate. Through Scrooge’s experiences with the ghosts, Dickens highlights the plight of the poor and disadvantaged in Victorian society and suggests that it is the responsibility of the wealthy to help them. 

• “Bah, Humbug!” – Scrooge’s catchphrase shows his disdain for Christmas and his lack of empathy for others. This quote is important because it sets the tone for Scrooge’s character at the beginning of the story and shows his resistance to change. 

2 . “It is required of every man … that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death. ”

-This quote, spoken by Jacob Marley’s ghost, emphasizes the importance of social responsibility and warns Scrooge of the consequences of a life lived in isolation. 

3. “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me.”

– This quote is significant because it shows Scrooge’s transformation and his newfound commitment to kindness and compassion. 

Possible Essay Questions on A Christmas Carol

• How does Dickens use the character of Scrooge to explore the themes of redemption and isolation in “A Christmas Carol”? 

2. Discuss the role of the three ghosts in Scrooge’s transformation. How does each ghost contribute to his understanding of himself and the world around him? 

3. “A Christmas Carol” highlights the plight of the poor and disadvantaged in Victorian society. Discuss how Dickens uses the character of Scrooge to illustrate the social responsibility of the wealthy. 

4. How does Dickens use setting and atmosphere in “A Christmas Carol” to convey the story’s themes? 

5. Analyze the significance of the character of Tiny Tim in “A Christmas Carol.” How does his presence contribute to the story’s themes? 

6. Discuss the role of the supernatural in “A Christmas Carol.” How does it contribute to the story’s themes? 

Example Essay Question: How does Dickens use the character of Scrooge to explore the themes of redemption and isolation in “A Christmas Carol”? 

Here is an example of how to structure an essay based on one of the essay questions above. You will need to use quotes to reinforce your argument and analyse key moments from the text that are relevant to the question.

Introduction and First Two Paragraphs

In “A Christmas Carol,” Charles Dickens uses the character of Ebenezer Scrooge to explore the themes of redemption and isolation. At the beginning of the story, Scrooge is portrayed as a miserly and selfish old man who is cut off from the world around him. However, through his experiences with the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, Scrooge undergoes a profound transformation and is redeemed. This essay will explore how Dickens uses Scrooge’s character to convey the themes of redemption and isolation in “A Christmas Carol,” drawing on key quotes from the novella. 

At the start of the story, Scrooge is a cold and unfeeling man who is more concerned with making money than anything else. He is isolated from his family and friends, and his only companion is his clerk, Bob Cratchit. Scrooge’s isolation is evident in his response to his nephew’s invitation to Christmas dinner. When his nephew wishes him a “Merry Christmas,” Scrooge responds with his famous catchphrase, “Bah! Humbug!” (Dickens, 1843, p. 5). This quote shows Scrooge’s disdain for Christmas and his lack of empathy for others. It also highlights his isolation from society and his refusal to participate in its traditions and customs. 

However, Scrooge’s isolation is not just social; it is also emotional. He has cut himself off from his own emotions and the emotions of others. This is evident when he is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past, who takes him on a journey through his childhood and early adulthood. Scrooge sees himself as a young man, in love with a woman named Belle. However, his pursuit of wealth and success leads him to neglect her and ultimately lose her. Scrooge is devastated by this realization, as he realizes how much he has lost by prioritizing money over love. This is conveyed in his response to the Ghost’s questioning of whether Belle had broken off their engagement: “Yes. Yes. I think she did. I’m afraid I can’t understand it” (Dickens, 1843, p. 29). This quote shows Scrooge’s emotional detachment and his inability to understand the impact of his actions on others. 

Main Body of Essay

Despite his isolation, Scrooge is not beyond redemption. The ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future offer him a chance to change and to rediscover his humanity. The Ghost of Christmas Present, in particular, plays a significant role in Scrooge’s transformation. Through his visions, Scrooge is shown the suffering of those less fortunate than himself, including Bob Cratchit’s son, Tiny Tim. The Ghost’s words to Scrooge, “If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, none other of my race will find him here” (Dickens, 1843, p. 49), highlight the consequences of Scrooge’s actions and the urgency of his redemption. Scrooge is deeply affected by this vision and his concern for Tiny Tim’s welfare shows his growing empathy and compassion. 

Scrooge’s redemption is ultimately achieved through his experiences with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. This ghost shows him a bleak future in which he dies alone and unloved, his possessions stripped away and his memory reviled. Scrooge is horrified by this vision and begs the ghost for another chance. His words, “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me” (Dickens,1843, p. 70), demonstrate Scrooge’s commitment to change and his willingness to embrace the values of kindness and generosity. 

Through Scrooge’s redemption, Dickens conveys the message that it is never too late to change and that even the most hardened hearts can be softened. Scrooge’s transformation is a testament to the power of empathy, compassion, and self-reflection. By opening himself up to the suffering of others, Scrooge is able to break down the walls of isolation that had been imprisoning him. This is conveyed in Scrooge’s words to Bob Cratchit, when he raises his clerk’s salary and offers to help Tiny Tim: “I am not the man I was. I will not be the man I must have been but for this intercourse. Why show me this, if I am past all hope!” (Dickens, 1843, p. 73). This quote shows Scrooge’s recognition of the impact of his past actions and his determination to make amends. 

In conclusion, Charles Dickens uses the character of Ebenezer Scrooge to explore the themes of redemption and isolation in “A Christmas Carol.” Scrooge’s character is initially presented as isolated, both socially and emotionally. However, through his encounters with the ghosts, Scrooge is given the opportunity to change and rediscover his humanity.

His redemption is achieved through his empathy and compassion towards others, and his willingness to embrace the values of kindness and generosity. Through Scrooge’s transformation, Dickens conveys the message that it is never too late to change and that even the most hardened hearts can be softened. 

Improvements to Essay Example to Get Top Grades

This essay is a good example of how to use the text to reinforce and develop a coherent argument for the essay question. If you wanted to further improve the essay and receive a grade 9, these are some of the things you could include:

• Provide more specific examples of Scrooge’s isolation, particularly in his relationships with others. For example, you could discuss Scrooge’s strained relationship with his nephew, who tries to reach out to him despite Scrooge’s dismissive attitude. Another example could be Scrooge’s treatment of Bob Cratchit, whom he pays poorly and generally mistreats. 

2. Analyze how Dickens uses language and imagery to convey the themes of redemption and isolation. You could discuss how Dickens uses repetition, symbolism, or metaphors to reinforce these themes throughout the novella. For example, you could analyze the repeated image of Scrooge’s counting-house as a symbol of his isolation, or the metaphor of chains to represent the burden of guilt and regret that weighs on Scrooge. 

3. Compare Scrooge’s transformation to that of other characters in the novella, such as Bob Cratchit or Scrooge’s nephew. You could discuss how these characters also experience some form of redemption or transformation, and how their journeys relate to Scrooge’s own. For example, you could analyze how Bob Cratchit learns to stand up for himself and his family, or how Scrooge’s nephew’s joyful spirit contrasts with Scrooge’s initial bitterness. 

4. Consider the historical and social context in which “A Christmas Carol” was written, and how this may have influenced Dickens’ portrayal of redemption and isolation. You could discuss how the novella reflects Dickens’ concerns about the social and economic inequalities of his time, or how it relates to the broader Victorian values of charity and benevolence. You could also analyze how the novella’s popularity contributed to the development of Christmas as a cultural holiday. 

GCSE Revision Guide: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens- An Overview

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A Christmas Carol: Themes ( AQA GCSE English Literature )

Revision note.

Exam responses that are led by ideas are more likely to reach the highest levels of the mark scheme. Exploring the ideas of the text, specifically in relation to the question being asked, will help to increase your fluency and assurance in writing about the text.

Below are some ideas which could be explored in A Christmas Carol. This list is not exhaustive and you are encouraged to identify other ideas within the text.

• Family and Relationships 

Transformation and Redemption

Death and loss.

The theme of poverty is one of the most p revalent themes within the text. Dickens makes the reader fully aware of the “poor and destitute” from the outset and this is continued throughout the n ovella .

Knowledge and evidence:

• Their appearance is contrasted with scenes of abundance and, by doing so, Dickens alludes to the idea that there is enough for everyone if it is shared equally
• The Cratchit's dwelling is small and humble
• Dickens uses Ignorance and Want as an a llegory as they are representative of children who are forced to live in terrible conditions
• Bob and his daughter Martha both work and Bob is hoping to obtain work for his son, Peter
• Bob is presented as a devoted father and loving husband, which is in sharp contrast to Scrooge
• The Cratchit family is presented as i ndustrious
• The Cratchit family conveys an impression of Christmas as a time of generosity and goodwill and, despite the fact that the family struggles financially, they are deeply appreciative of what they have
• Despite Scrooge’s cruelty towards Bob and his wife’s anger towards Scrooge, the family still display their compassion in raising a toast to Scrooge
• Images of disease and illness are depicted among the poor due to their lack of food and dreadful living conditions
• Bob’s insufficient wages mean that he cannot provide adequate care for his son
• By being a better employer, Scrooge could help the Cratchit family have a better life 
• Although the charity collectors in Stave I represent goodness at Christmas, it could be suggested the poor should be helped at all times of the year
• Scrooge reveals his ignorance of the poor as he makes no distinction between the lower classes and criminals, declaring: “Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?” 
• Scrooge’s support for prisons and workhouses illustrates his flawed views on how to solve the issues of poverty
• Scrooge’s first stage in his changed attitude to the poor is when he regrets not having given money to a carol singer: “I should like to have given him something, that’s all” 
• Scrooge eventually uses his wealth to improve the lives of others and to make society a better place
• Bob works in a “dismal little cell” suggesting a gloomy c onfinement from which he cannot escape, which could be viewed as a wider symbol of his poverty
• His situation depends on businessmen like Scrooge and so subsequently does the fate of his family

What is Dickens’s intention?

• Dickens attempts to ensure Scrooge becomes aware of his own poverty in relation to b enevolence and kindness towards those who are less fortunate than him
• Dickens highlights the importance of charity and benevolence, but he also illustrates how the poor are not provided with the resources to help themselves and instead are reliant on the charity of others

Family and Relationships

Dickens explores many ideas relating to family and relationships within A Christmas Carol. Dickens presents this concept in very positive terms through various characters, for example, the Cratchits and Fred, and emphasises the fundamental importance of family to people’s lives.

• Although Dickens states they were partners for “many years”, the relationship that is presented is one merely associated with business, rather than an affectionate friendship
• This is further highlighted when Dickens declares that Scrooge “was not so dreadfully cut up by the sad event”, which illustrates their shallow relationship and Scrooge’s lack of affection for anyone
• Scrooge’s lack of emotion makes the reader initially view him as callous and hard-hearted 
• Scrooge’s initial character is revealed through his relationship (or lack of) with the rest of society:
• Similar to his former partner Marley, Scrooge is entirely isolated and o stracised from those around him: “Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say, with gladsome looks, “My dear Scrooge, how are you?”
• Scrooge’s isolation from society enables him to remain ignorant of the plight of the poor and the social problems which surround him
• Fred is Scrooge’s only nephew, yet Scrooge displays an aloofness and hostility towards him and refuses to celebrate Christmas with Fred’s family:
• Fred is in complete contrast to Scrooge (a foil) in both spirit and appearance, yet despite his uncle’s disdain for him, he remains loyal and charitable towards Scrooge
• Dickens uses the character of Fred, with his optimism and cheerfulness, to make Scrooge’s miserly and p essimistic behaviour appear even worse
• Scrooge does eventually reconnect with his family through Fred and establishes a ‘new’ family through the Cratchits
• She represents the contented life that Scrooge could have had and underscores the corrosive consequences of greed and the terrible consequences it can have on a loving relationship
• Bob is presented as the ideal family figure: he is a devoted father and husband who is loved and respected by his family:
• Through Bob, Dickens underscores his message about the importance of family and its centrality to people’s lives
• His relationship with his children is continually shown to be loving and affectionate: “Tiny Tim upon his shoulder”/“Why, where’s our Martha?”
• Bob’s change in character due to Tiny Tim’s predicted death demonstrates his affection for his son and shows how the loss of a loved one can impact someone’s life 
• The Cratchits are presented as a united family and they all join in with the preparation of their Christmas meal: “Mrs Cratchit made the gravy... Master Peter mashed the potatoes... Miss Belinda sweetened up the apple-sauce...”
• Dickens underscores his message about the importance of family and its centrality to people’s lives
• Dickens demonstrates how an obsession with greed and material possessions can destroy relationships 

Ideas relating to t ransformation and r edemption are recurrent themes throughout the n ovella . Scrooge undergoes a journey of redemption and his change in character is instrumental to the plot of the text.

• Scrooge is used as a signal to the upper classes to change their dangerous and harsh attitudes toward the lower classes
• Scrooge’s preoccupation with materialism is d etrimental to his happiness:
• His former fiancée Belle ends their engagement because he has replaced her with a “golden idol”
• This is also echoed by Fred when he declares that his uncle’s wealth is of no use if he “doesn’t do any good with it”
• Dickens conveys the message that everyone has the ability to show compassion and kindness to others, regardless of their social position:
• Dickens presents those who show kindness as contented and fulfilled, while those who do not are depicted as bitter and unhappy
• Scrooge’s heightened emotions endear him to the reader and illustrate the change in his character: “And he sobbed”
• Through the Ghost of Christmas Past, Scrooge’s memories become a catalyst for his transformation  
• In Stave II, his first stage of remorse is revealed when he regrets not having given money to a carol singer 
• Through the character of Tiny Tim, Scrooge develops his ability to empathise with those who are less fortunate: 
• Tiny Tim plays an important part in inspiring Scrooge’s transformation which is central to the narrative
• Dickens clearly presents Scrooge’s transformation from avarice to benevolence:
• By the end of the novella, Scrooge has been transformed into a charitable philanthropist : “ I am light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy, I am giddy as a drunken man” and “I am not the man I was” 
• Through the character of Scrooge, Dickens conveys a universal message that everyone is capable of change, regardless of how impossible it may seem
• Dickens conveys the message that everyone has the ability to show compassion and kindness to others, regardless of their social position

Death and loss are recurring ideas within A Christmas Carol. Dickens uses these ideas to underscore the permanency of death and to signal to the reader that it is never too late to change.

• It is Marley’s death which makes Scrooge’s transformation possible 
• His death is described in a clinical and detached manner which alludes to Scrooge’s cold character
• Marley’s ghost serves as a warning to Scrooge and to the reader that everyone is responsible for their actions and will be held accountable
• “The cold within him froze his old features…his thin lips blue” suggests that something within Scrooge is also dead
• Dickens uses the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come as a foreboding symbol of death, bringing punishment or reward:
• While the previous two spirits were associated with light, this spirit is linked to darkness, death and concealment and is an o minous and s ombre figure
• For example, the green of Tiny Tim’s burial ground is contrasted with the darkness of Scrooge’s grave
• Dickens uses Tiny Tim to highlight the high levels of child mortality in Victorian England, especially for those who were poor
• Tiny Tim’s death highlights the poor living conditions and malnourishment experienced by many poor children
• Scrooge’s annoyance at Fred’s merriment could be seen to be motivated, in part, by his resentment towards his happy marriage
• Dickens is critical of the unjust c a pitalist system in which individuals are forced to exist 
• Dickens aims to encourage others to look after one another and to work towards a society where all members are treated more equally and fairly

It is crucial that you develop the skills to find your own ideas and arrive at your own meanings and interpretations to the text. Try to take a more exploratory and discursive approach to your reading of the text as the examiner will reward you highly for this approach. For instance, you could begin to develop your own interpretations by using sentence starters such as: ‘Dickens may have used the character of Tiny Tim to highlight ideas about …’ 

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Author: Nick

Nick is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and King’s College London. He started his career in journalism and publishing, working as an editor on a political magazine and a number of books, before training as an English teacher. After nearly 10 years working in London schools, where he held leadership positions in English departments and within a Sixth Form, he moved on to become an examiner and education consultant. With more than a decade of experience as a tutor, Nick specialises in English, but has also taught Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies.

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/