charles dickens and the poor

• Dickens was extremely empathetic toward the poor and their suffering.

  • As Dickens himself grew up in poverty, he had experienced firsthand the mistreatment and exploitation of the poor.
• Dickens was passionate about giving the poor a voice through his fictional novellas.
• Dickens was a social critic who understood that the poor were mistreated, not because of laziness, but because of the abuse of authoritarian powers (such as the government).
• Critic G.K. Chesterton characterised Dickens as "the spokesman of the poor".
• A Christmas Carol was written by Dickens in response to the Report of Children's Employment Commission which covered the dehumanising and exploitative conditions children were subject to in the Victorian era.
• Dickens was appalled by the Report of Children's Employment Commission and wanted to share this message about the abusive and dehumanising treatment of the poor in his allegorical (characters represent moral ideas) tale.
• Dickens first wrote a pamphlet to try and spread awareness about the plight (dangerous/unfortunate situation) of the poor.

  • He then turned to his novella as he was aware that his fictional tales would galvanise (shock someone into taking action) more support for the poor as it would reach a larger readership.
• Link to novella:

  • The Crachits and Tiny Tim's death are characters Dickens has constructed to carry this message about the exploitation of the poor.

  Bob was exploited by Scrooge, his superior in the workforce, whilst Tiny Tim was left to die due to the neglection he faced from society.
• Link to novella:

  • Dickens debunks the commonly held stereotype that the poor are lazy through the Crachits.

  He highlights how compassion towards the plight (dangerous/unfortunate situation) of the poor will solve poverty, not punishing the poor.