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Analysis of Scrooge's Transformation in a Christmas Carol

• Categories: A Christmas Carol Character Charles Dickens

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Published: Jan 15, 2019

Words: 819 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

Should follow an “upside down” triangle format, meaning, the writer should start off broad and introduce the text and author or topic being discussed, and then get more specific to the thesis statement.

Provides a foundational overview, outlining the historical context and introducing key information that will be further explored in the essay, setting the stage for the argument to follow.

Cornerstone of the essay, presenting the central argument that will be elaborated upon and supported with evidence and analysis throughout the rest of the paper.

The topic sentence serves as the main point or focus of a paragraph in an essay, summarizing the key idea that will be discussed in that paragraph.

The body of each paragraph builds an argument in support of the topic sentence, citing information from sources as evidence.

After each piece of evidence is provided, the author should explain HOW and WHY the evidence supports the claim.

Should follow a right side up triangle format, meaning, specifics should be mentioned first such as restating the thesis, and then get more broad about the topic at hand. Lastly, leave the reader with something to think about and ponder once they are done reading.

Hook Examples for “A Christmas Carol” Essay

• An Iconic Opening: “Marley was dead, to begin with…” Charles Dickens’ immortal words usher us into the world of Ebenezer Scrooge. But what lies beyond this familiar line, and how does it set the stage for Scrooge’s remarkable transformation?
• A Heartfelt Reflection: As we gather by the fireplace during the holiday season, let’s take a moment to contemplate how Scrooge’s journey from miser to philanthropist resonates with our own aspirations for a more compassionate world.
• An Intriguing Duality: Scrooge’s character embodies both the darkness of greed and the light of redemption. Join me as we dissect the intricacies of his transformation and the symbolism woven into Dickens’ narrative.
• A Universal Lesson: Scrooge’s transformation transcends time and place. It speaks to the timeless human capacity for change and reminds us that it’s never too late to rediscover our own capacity for kindness and generosity.
• An Evocative Quote: In Dickens’ own words, “No space of regret can make amends for one life’s opportunity misused.” Explore with me how Scrooge’s journey in A Christmas Carol serves as a powerful reminder of the opportunities we all possess for personal growth and transformation.
• Oguz, A. (2014). PRACTISING INTERDISCIPLINARITY: A CHRISTMAS CAROL. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344266348_PRACTISING_INTERDISCIPLINARITY_A_CHRISTMAS_CAROL Dil ve Edebiyat Egitimi Dergisi, 2(11), 34.
• Buckwald, C. (1990). Stalking the Figurative Oyster: The Excursive Ideal in” A Christmas Carol”. Studies in short fiction, 27(1), 1. (https://www.proquest.com/openview/32c09e7884f55c2a71d8bb1dc56f3fe6/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1820858)
• Johnson, E. (1951). The Christmas Carol and the Economic Man. The American Scholar, 91-98. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/41206862)
• Erickson, L. (1997). The Primitive Keynesianism of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. Studies in the Literary Imagination, 30(1), 51. (https://www.proquest.com/openview/2838453e9a9da7011b736c52d34ea957/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=48227)
• Jaffe, A. (1994). Spectacular sympathy: visuality and ideology in Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/pmla/article/abs/spectacular-sympathy-visuality-and-ideology-in-dickenss-a-christmas-carol/5B6363CBCC63BF021719079F3B1269BB PMLA, 109(2), 254-265.

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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/

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How to get a GCSE grade 9 using just three quotations from A Christmas Carol

Ebeneezer Scrooge is a character who is famous for his miserly ways and hatred of Christmas. Yet he is also famous for the changes that he undergoes; across the novella, we witness his complete transformation, becoming a man who is generous in action and in spirit and who wholeheartedly embraces Christmas. He is in practically every page of the book but you don’t have to learn hundreds of quotations. Three should do it nicely! Below are three short quotations that are easy to remember and can be used to analyse characters and themes, explore language and add in context.

‘Very small fire’ ‘one coal’

Scrooge barely heats his counting-house with a ‘very small fire’ and allows his clerk, Bob Cratchit, just ‘one coal’ for his fire.

Dickens uses fire and warmth as a symbol throughout the novella to reflect characters and explore the theme of generosity. Here, Scrooge’s ‘small fire’ reflects his miserly character, with the intensifier ‘very’ emphasising just how meagre the literal fire is and so how limited the generosity is in Scrooge’s personality. Scrooge’s meanness extends to his clerk, Bob Cratchit, who is allowed only ‘one coal’ for a fire.

One of Dickens’ purposes in writing the novella was to raise awareness in his  readership of the dreadful working conditions in which the poor suffered. Through the cold, miserable environment of the counting-house, Dickens reminds us how it is important for employers to be responsible for their employees.

Scrooge changes as the Christmas ghosts take him on a journey of self-discovery.

‘No, no… oh no… say he will be spared’

Scrooge’s agony over the predicted death of Tiny Tim illustrates how much he is changing.  The repetition of ‘no’ reflects Scrooge’s horror as he tries to deny the future that the ghost shows him.

There is a sharp contrast with his deep concern over a poor boy and his dismissive attitude to the surplus population at the start of the novella. Scrooge is learning compassion; he is connecting with humanity again.

The Industrial Revolution had forced many people into London looking for work, but wages were low and conditions were terrible. Through no fault of his own, Tiny Tim is victim to these circumstances, and Dickens uses the small boy to show Scrooge and the readership that the poor are part of humankind and should be protected, not ignored or despised.

‘I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a school-boy’

At the end, Scrooge’s transformation is complete as he states how differently he feels.

The repetitive sentence structure of similes highlights his newfound positivity. There is a sense of Christian goodness with the comparison to an angel and genuine joy in the comparison to a school-boy. The simile ’light as a feather’ captures how he is now free from the great burden of greed.

With this new attitude, Scrooge proceeds to correct the mistakes he made in Stave One by giving money to charity and improving Bob’s Christmas; Dickens uses a mirrored structure to highlight the huge change in Scrooge.

  Dickens’ aim in writing the novella was to show how the Christmas Spirit can change an individual, and also society, for the better. Scrooge’s transformation shows the reader how it is easy to change and just how much happiness that can bring.

Maximise your grade  

These three quotations can take you down the path to a grade 9. Another way to help you secure a top level mark is to look at alternative view of a character or theme. With Scrooge, you could ask:

Is Scrooge a more memorable and engaging character at the start of the novella?

Scrooge’s trademark ‘Bah! Humbug!’ at the start establishes him as a character who we pity but who is also greatly entertaining. The whole idea that anyone who says ‘Merry Christmas’ should be ‘boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart’ is amusing and many readers will fondly remember the cantankerous old man rather than the jolly chirpy fellow at the end. And before we condemn his early self too harshly, we should remember that he does contribute to his society, paying his taxes to support the institutions that help the poor. 

The whole purpose of the novella is to illustrate how the Christmas spirit can transform us into generous, happy people. There is nothing but pure joy for the reader in witnessing Scrooge’s mischievous side as he plays a trick on Bob and in witnessing him becoming part of a family as again as he takes on the role of a kindly ‘second father’ to Tiny Tim.

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Scrooge's Change in A Christmas Carol Essay

Dickens combines a description of hardships faced by the poor with a heart-rending sentimental celebration of the Christmas season. The novel contains dramatic and comic element as well as a deep felt moral theme. In the beginning of the novel Ebenezer Scrooge is portrayed as a hardhearted and unsociable man. However at the end of the novel we see dramatic changes in him as a trio of ghostly visitations causes a complete change in him. Scrooges transformed from an unpleasant and penny-pinching character to a charitable kind man. The following essay focuses and examines the life of Ebenezer Scrooge, delving into his past, present and supposed future.

 In the opening of the novel, Scrooge is depicted as a miser who would not even give enough coal to his clerk despite the harsh weather to keep the office warm. His greed is his downfall, because he is so consumed with his money that he neglects people around him. He spends his day counting profits wishing that the whole world would leave him alone. His entire life is based on making more profits. Dickens describes Scrooge as a"squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!" and that "No wind that blew was bitterer than he," meaning he was harsh and very bitter. He also states that he is as "Solitary as an oyster," which means he did not open up to people and was often alone. 

On Christmas Eve his nephew comes to invite Scrooge to a Christmas dinner. Scrooge however refuses and replies with his customary phrase "Bah! Humbug!" refusing to share his nephew's Christmas cheer. He sees Christmas as a time for finding yourself "a year older but not an hour richer." After Fred departs, a pair of portly gentlemen enter the office to ask Scrooge for a charitable donation to help the poor. Scrooge angrily replies that there are prisons and workhouses and they leave empty-handed. Scrooge is greedy and sees no reason in donating money to the poor. He thinks of them as idle and he states that if they would rather die than to go to the workhouse "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population." Scrooge confronts Bob Crachit and complains about Bob's wish to take Christmas day off. "What good is Christmas," Scrooge snipes, " that it should shut down businesses?" he reluctantly agrees to give Bob a day off, providing he arrives earlier to work the next day.

Later that evening Scrooge returns home through dismal, fog-blanketed London streets. Just before entering his house, the doorknocker catches his attention. He sees a ghostly image that gives him a momentary shock; it is the peering face of Jacob Marley his dead partner. When Scrooge takes a closer look the image disappears. With a disgusted "Pooh-Pooh," Scrooge opens the door and enters his hose. He makes no attempt to brighten his home, "darkness is cheap, and scrooge liked it." Whilst he is in his room he hears the deafening sound of bell chimes and footsteps. A ghostly figure floats through the closed door of Jacob Marley, transparent and bound in chains. Scrooge shouts in disbelief, refusing to admit that he sees Marley's Ghost. The ghost comes to warn Scrooge of the horrible fate that awaits him unless he changes his way. Jacob Marley regrets his past and has an everlasting feeling of regret. He warns Scrooge that if he does not mend his ways a greater burden awaits him. Marley had not learned till it was too late that charity and kindness was important in a human life. Scrooge focuses too much on wealth and not people. However Marley tells Scrooge he still has a chance to change before it is too late. He tells him three spirits would visit him. He then rises and goes out of the window. Scrooge sees spirits bound in chains. They cry about their failure to lead honorable and caring lives. As Marley disappears scrooge stumbles to bed and falls asleep.

Scrooge awakes at midnight and remembers the words of Marley's ghost. The first of the three spirits would arrive at one, so scrooge, frightened decides to wait. At one o'clock, the curtains of scrooge's bed are blown aside by a strange childlike figure merging an aura of wisdom and richness of experience. The spirit informs Scrooge that he is the ghost of Christmas past. The spirit touches Scrooge's heart, granting him the ability to fly. The spirit takes Scrooge to the countryside where he was raised. He sees his old school, his old school mates and familiar landmarks of his youth. Touched by these memories he begins to sob. The ghost takes him on a depressing tour of his past Christmases. Scrooge is portrayed as a loner. Dickens might be suggesting Scrooge's contempt for humanity has roots from his childhood experience. At last, a girl, Scrooge's sister Fan, runs into his classroom, where he stayed alone during Christmas holidays, to take him home. The young Scrooge delightfully embraces his sister. The aged Scrooge regretfully tells the ghost that Fan died many years ago and is the mother of his nephew Fred. Scrooge feels great sorry as he remembers his past and guilt for being rude to his nephew on that day. Here we can see a change in his hardened attitude.

The ghost then escorts Scrooge to more Christmases of the past. They appear at a party thrown by fezziwig a man Scrooge apprenticed as a young man. There is music and Dickens creates a celebratory mood in this scene to show Scrooge how his boss celebrated Christmas with him and others. Scrooge feels another twinge of conscience as he remembers the way he treated his own employee Bob Crachit. Next Scrooge sees a slightly older version of himself with a young lady called Belle. She is breaking off their engagement crying that greed had corrupted the love Scrooge had once had for her; Scrooge makes no attempt to stop her as he is too consumed with his money. Then Scrooge sees Belle happily married as she talks to her husband about Scrooge. She describes Scrooge as quite alone in the world." The older Scrooge can no longer bear to witness his loss of Belle. He begs the spirit to take him back home. Tormented and full of despair, he reaches home and falls asleep immediately. Each episode in the scenes shows a younger Scrooge who was still in touch with human beings, until money overtook his ability to love. His lust for it destroyed his relationship with Belle. These scenes begin the changes in Scrooge as his past is re-enacted.

Scrooge awakens gladly to a majestic figure in green robes. His room has undergone a transformation, it is filled with Christmas feasts and other things related to Christmas. Perhaps the transformation of the room is a prelude to his personal transformation. He tells Scrooge his lifespan is one day. The spirit tells Scrooge to touch his robe. Scrooge finds himself in a bustling city on Christmas morning, where he sees Christmas shoppers wishing a "merry Christmas to passers by.

The spirit takes Scrooge to the home of Bob Crachit, where they sit and savor the few Christmas treats they can afford. The family is content despite the skimpy meal. Bob comes home with a crippled boy called Tiny Tim. Scrooge sees Tiny Tim and asks if he will survive. The spirit replies that "if the conditions are not changed, he sees an empty chair at next year's Christmas dinner." Scrooge shows concern for him in this scene. He remembers his own words when he stated those "who are dying should hurry up and decrease the surplus population" He is overwhelmed with guilt as he thinks of Tiny Tim as the "surplus population." He is beginning to have genuine concerns about people. The spirit takes Scrooge to an isolated community of miners who still celebrate Christmas despite their conditions.

Afterwards, the spirit takes Scrooge to Fred's Christmas party, where Scrooge loses himself in the fun and games and nags the spirit to stay a little while longer. This is an enormous change in the previously anti-social Scrooge. He is having so much fun; he cannot keep away from Fred's house. Before the spirit departs, Scrooge catches a sight of a pair of starving children, the allegorical twins. Their names are Ignorance and Want. They represent the people pf this world that are ignorant and just want more and more. They have to be fought in this society. Scrooge inquires if nothing can be done to help them. Mockingly, the ghost quotes Scrooge's statement, "Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouse?" The spirit is used to educate Scrooge that it does not pay to be ignorant and greedy and it only lads to destruction. The spirit disappears as the clock strikes midnight. Dickens uses the spirit to represent empathy, enabling Scrooge to not only see the Crachits but also to feel sorrow and hardships of their daily life. Dickens uses this scene to show that Christmas should stimulate within people a concern for wants and need of others. Dickens is trying to show the middle class or upper class readers a sentimental portrait of the lower classes. He is also trying to awaken the readers to the harsh realities of poverty.

After the second spirit leaves, Scrooge sees the ghost of Christmas present. He is a phantom dressed in a black hooded robe. He does not talk, but guides Scrooge by pointing. He takes him to a place where a group of businessmen talk about the death of a rich man. Next Scrooge sees a group of pawnbrokers selling stolen clothing from a dead man. They talk about how no one attends his funeral. Scrooge is pitiful of the person .He is taken to where a husband and wife express relief at the death of an unforgiving man whom they owed money; Scrooge feels pity for the unloved rich man. He asks to see a death which is mourned. He is taken to the Crachit household.

He sees the sadness Tiny Tims death caused and thinks of ways he could have prevented this. Finally Scrooge is taken to a gravestone; he begs to know the identity of the dead man. He approaches the grave and sees the name EBENEZER SCROOGE. Stunned, Scrooge begs the spirit to undo the events. He promises to honor Christmas from deep within his heart. As Scrooge begs for mercy, the ghost disappears and Scrooge finds himself at home in his own bed. The last scene serves to remind Scrooge of his fate if he did not change his ways.

By the end of the novel we can see that Scrooge has changed a great deal. He has changed from a selfish and inconsiderate man to a charitable, caring man with a kind heart. His behavior changes due to a mixture of shock, fear and guilty conscience. In the place of his misanthropic, misery self, is warmth, generosity and goodwill. He learns the ability to understand other people's feelings. The end of the novel Dickens uses lighter language. Dickens shows an image of a new and changed character. Scrooge gives generously to the poor. Scrooge visits his nephew to celebrate Christmas. He also gives Bob Crachit a rise. He apologizes for his past bitterness. Tiny Tim is saved due to Scrooge's generous actions. The famous last words of the novel "God bless us, every one!" conveys perfectly the fellow feeling and good cheer to which Scrooge awakens as his story unfolds and that A Christmas Carol celebrates. Empathy enables Scrooge to sympathize with and understand those less fortunate than himself, people like Tiny Tim and Bob Crachit.

In this novel Charles Dickens attacks the poor laws. They were laws governing the underclass Victorians. He exposes the weaknesses of the government that restricts the poor to work houses or life imprisonment. Dickens' portrayal of Crachit puts a human face on the poorer classes. The moral of the story is that we are not in this world for our own benefit only but more important others. It is each person's duty to help the less fortunate and that money does not bring about happiness as Scrooge learns. Dickens uses this novel to educate the Victorians, so they can find out the real truth about life. They would find the ending satisfying and at the sane time learn from it.

The novel is written in staves, which represents musical staves. Dickens uses staves instead of chapters as a reminder of the musical notation of a Christmas carol. Each of the middle three staves revolve around the ghostly visitations that bring about a change in Scrooge. The writer uses flashbacks to remind us of the past Scrooge and the ways in which he changes. The novel speaks to both Victorians of Dickens's era and people in our present day. His message is universal Christmas is the season of goodwill and a rime to share one's wealth with others less fortunate .Although Scrooge is an extreme example of a miser, perhaps Dickens is saying there is little of Scrooge in all of us whether it is an unwillingness to hare our money with the poor and need or our time with people in need!

Author: Frank Frazier

Miss Huttlestone's GCSE English

Because a whole class of wonderful minds are better than just one!

The Theme of Regret in ‘A Christmas Carol’

Hi all, a pupil asked me to go over what the key moments for the theme of regret might be if you were faced with such a focus in the exam next week. I sent the following advice which may be of use to you also:

1) Marley’s unsettling and potentially prophetic display of regret . The ‘chain’ he ‘forged in life’ is composed of the consequences of his fixation on the accumulation of capital at the expensive of spiritual wealth. Now in a state of purgatory he is doomed to walk the earth baring witness passively, unable to help, those most in need. Marley’s regret foregrounds Scrooge’s later acknowledgement of all the ills his own fixation has wrought him.

2) Scrooge himself has many regrets while he visits the past. His biggest regret is likely his relationship with Belle (he allowed ‘another idol’ to displace his love, a ‘golden one) as he drove way a young woman who would have been his lifelong companion and enriched his life with love: a far greater wealth than money.

3) We also see him lament brushing of the little caroler without giving him money (he later displays clear regret for this dismissive action when he redeems himself by speaking enthusiastically the the boy from his window: ‘An intelligent boy!” said Scrooge.  “A remarkable boy! The series of exclamatives and short complimentary sentences displaying his regret for not engaging in community.

4) His treatment of Cratchit, his loyal employee is regretted in stave two fairly early on upon baring witness to his foil Fezziwig (‘I should like to say a word or two…that’s all’). Scrooge seeks to remedy this regret in stave five when he gifts them a large turkey. Scrooge was better than his word.  ‘He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father. Through the Cratchits he embraces family again, tackling the regret for marginalising family from young adulthood.

4) There’s the son of his beloved sister. He hasn’t been good to Fred over the years, but this is the one relationship from the past he can do something about. When he ventures to Fred’s Christmas morning he requests: ‘It’s I.  Your uncle Scrooge.  I have come to dinner.  Will you let me in, Fred?”. This is a huge marker of his indication. Wishing to be ‘let..in’ can be taken to symbolise his regret of existing far too long in his ‘solitary’ state. His regret is for not forging a family, for not honouring his sister’s memory through her son, a true extension of her.

5) The ghost of Christmas present reveals ignorance and want and scrooge exclaims: ‘Have they no refuge or resource.’ cried Scrooge – vocalising an interpretative in absolute juxtaposition to his previous dismissive and intolerant nature in stave one. The ghost reminds him how he should regret such ignorance of the poor’s plight by echoing his previous words:’Are there no prisons.’ said the Spirit, turning on him.

6) In stave 5 it is palpable that scrooge regrets his ill treatment of the charity workers in stave one. Upon meeting them a second time he seems to remedy his brusque nature by offering a hearty donation: ‘a great many back-payments are included in it, I assure you.’ His regret is that he failed to acknowledge the great power of charity as a remedy to want and to actively target the persistent cycle of poverty dickens abhorred.

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gcseenglishwithmisshuttlestone

Secondary English teacher in Herts. View all posts by gcseenglishwithmisshuttlestone

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GCSE Grade9 full essay on the theme of ‘Scrooge’s attitude to change’ in ‘A Christmas Carol’

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

20 May 2022

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Was awarded full marks and was written in timed conditions - this is therefore the perfect balance of quote analysis, grammatical points, play content coverage, complex, rare and unconventional points (YOU WILL STAND OUT!!), context and bringing the paragraphs back to the main question/theme and Dickens’ key messages.

Arguably A level standard

7 majorly big paragraphs, 1390 words, 2 pages and a bit font 11

Is written with an approach on how Scrooge is in the beginning of the play, the landslide role of the ghosts and other supernatural phenomena, the Cratchits, as well as other minor characters and Dickens’ beliefs.

Tes paid licence How can I reuse this?

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