Theme

• Supernatural (3): A semantic field of supernatural is introduced right at the beginning, in the preface, to set up and foreshadow what the story will be about. Adumbrating the theme of supernatural may show how if Scrooge carries on the way he is going, it is inevitable that he will be trapped as a ghost, like Marley is.


  'Ghostly little book' 'Ghost of an idea' 'haunt
• Supernatural: This adverb shows how the theme is not meant to frighten but is used as a gentle reminder. It also creates an intimate tone between Dickens and the reader, making them more likely to have an open mind and listen to his ideas.


  'pleasantly
• Supernatural: The word '...' is used to mean to exorcize a ghost (or stop it appearing). The fact that '...' shows how Dickens wants his message to remain with readers. However, the pun is Dicken's way of reinforcing how the novella is meant to entertain as well as instruct.


  'lay' 'no one wish to lay it
• Supernatural: Dickens may have used the theme of the supernatural to remind readers of the true meaning behind Christmas. It was a Victorian tradition to tell ghost stories at Christmas, which shows how Dickens enjoys things being traditional. ACC was published in the same year as the first commercially produced Christmas card was sent. This indicates that Dickens disapproves of the commercialisation of Christmas and wants it to return to the sacred Christian event that it used to be. (no answer)
• Supernatural: In Stave 1, when Marley's ghost is first seen, the narrator assures the reader repeatedly that Jacob Marley has been dead for some time. The conversational tone used by the narrator makes the reader trust them, meaning that the reader is even more surprised when Marley returns as a ghost.


  'Marley was as dead as a doornail. There was no doubt whatsoever about that
• Supernatural: This quote suggests that God has not deserted Scrooge yet. The use of personification here is representative of God's omnipresence and judgement. Dickens emphasises that supernatural forces are at work on Scrooge and his disposition.


  The church bell was 'peeping slyly down at Scrooge
• Supernatural: Before the door knocker changes to the face of Jacob Marley in Stave 1, it is described by the narrator in lots of depth, which allows the reader to visualise it. The narrator says that there is nothing unusual about it, other than its size. This contrasts with the fact that the depth foreshadows that it plays a part in the story, and this contrast makes the reader interested in the door-knocker. (no answer)
• Supernatural: Just before Marley appears, Dickens uses sound to increase the reader's fear of the supernatural. The darkness Dickens stresses reduces the sense of sight but intensifies the sense of sound. The '...' is therefore emphasised to sound a lot creepier.


  'clanking noise
• Supernatural: The Ghost of Christmas Past is described as '...', yet still has the physical properties of a youth. This may be used to highlight Scrooge, who contrasts this. Scrooge has the physical properties of an old man, yet his mind is still youthful as he hasn't learnt the basic lessons on how to be a decent human being.


  'like an old man
• Supernatural: The ghost of Christmas Present wears a loose green robe and a holly wreath ad a disused '...' from which the sword, a symbol of battle, is missing, implying that it has known peace for a long time.


  'rusty scabbard
• Supernatural: The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is the most sinister of them all- it is described as a Phantom. The triplet use of adverbs slows the pace and evokes a solemn tone.


  'slowly, gravely, silently approached
• Poverty and Wealth: The nature of poverty is presented as inescapable once you are victim to it. In Stave 1, Bob Cratchit is described to work in a smaller room, which is referred to as a '...' Also, he was being continuously watched by Scrooge, suggesting he doesn't trust his clerk. Bob is like a prisoner, suggesting that he is trapped by his position in society.


  'cell
• Poverty and Wealth: In Stave 1, Dickens reveals Scrooge's philosophy: financial profit is all that matters. Fred provides a counterargument to this, believing that men and women should '...' and think of others as well as themselves - the central argument of the whole novella.


  'open their shut out hearts freely
• Poverty and Wealth: Dickens was opposed to Malthus' view that population needed to be decreased by whatever means necessary in order to combat the shortages of food supplies and resources. Malthus saw poverty and hunger as the inevitable consequence of overpopulation. Scrooge becomes Malthus' mouthpiece is Stave 1, when he says that people dying in prisons and workhouses will '...'


  'decrease the surplus population
• Poverty and Wealth: The Ghost of Christmas Past asks Scrooge why everyone is so grateful when Fezziwig's party cost so little money. Scrooge defends him- he is reminded that what happened to him in the past was not how much money was spent, but the spirit in which things were given (no quote).
• Poverty and Wealth: Belle's presence in the novella accentuates the point that the love and pursuit of wealth destroys human love. Dickens suggests that financial wealth will lead to poverty of a different kind: the poverty of love and emotion. (no quote)
• Poverty and Wealth: Dickens shows how society also played a part in Scrooge's obsession. Scrooge's impoverished early childhood and rejection by his father could be seen as reasons why he wants to acquire his own wealth and security. (no quote)
• Wealth and Poverty: • The ghost of Christmas Present '...'. The personification of 'horn' shows clearly how Dickens thought there was plenty of food to go around, enough to share with the poorer classes. People warm, suggesting that if someone has warmth of character, they will share their food with the working class. Also, 'Plenty's horn' is an allusion to the cornucopia, a mythical horn filled with everlasting produce.


  'bore a glowing torch, in shape not unlike Plenty's horn
• Wealth and Poverty: The Ghost of Christmas Present takes Scrooge to the city. The contrast between the snow and the soot may reflect the difference in living conditions between the rich and the poor in the city. The fact that the rich and the poor live so close together makes this contrast even more acute (and obvious). (no quote)
• Wealth and Poverty: Dickens presents the Cratchits as a microcosm of London's poor and impoverished. Preparing for Christmas at the Cratchits is a communal spirit- suggesting that this is how everyone works together at Christmas. (no quote)
• Poverty and Wealth: After telling Scrooge that Tiny Tim will die, the Ghost of Christmas Present repeats Scrooge's words back to him. Dickens is doing this to develop his critique of the Malthusian view, as the reader is now aware of whom these people in poverty really are, and how we shouldn't be able to decide who lives and who dies.


  'If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population
• Poverty and Wealth: When the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come takes Scrooge to the ugly, poor part of the city, Dickens affirms his belief that crime is often the result of misery and poverty.


  'the whole quarter reeked with crime, with filth, with misery
• Greed and Generosity: Scrooge is portrayed as greedy and negative in Stave 1 through a long list of adjectives. All of these adjectives suggest that he's trying to hold on to something, suggesting his greed for money. His harsh and cold character is further emphasised by the links to bad weather.


  'a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, and covetous old sinner
• Greed and Generosity: Scrooge notices, in Stave 1, that the chain that Marley wears is made up of '...' Marley shows Scrooge how miserable life is when all you have is money. Marley is condemned to be attached to things that have monetary value but no spiritual significance.


  'cash boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and heavy purses wrought in steel
• Greed and Generosity: Even when the Ghost of Christmas Past arrives, Scrooge is concerned about is financial situation- he is worried that those who owe him money will default on their loans (this happened in 1837 when America couldn't pay Britain back due to their financial crisis). However, money is clearly Scrooge's number one concern at all times. (no quote)
• Greed and Generosity: Scrooge's avarice (greed for wealth) destroys his relationship with Belle. 'Passion' is most often associated with love, so Scrooge uses this word to show how his love is for money and not Belle. Belle also states that money is Scrooge's 'idol', suggesting that money has become a false God which he now worships. This points to a rejection of Christian values which links to his rejection of Christmas.


  'There was an eager, greedy, restless motion in the eye, which showed the passion that had taken root
• Greed and Generosity: Scrooge has a '...'. The word 'gain' has been personified by a capital letter, suggesting that it is so powerful that it almost speaks to him (and also that he worships it like a God and rejects Christian ideals).


  'master-passion, Gain
• Greed and Generosity: The businessmen who talk about Scrooge's death with indifference are only talking about it for self-gain and due to their greed; they wonder what he did with his money and if there will be a good lunch at the funeral. (no quote)
• Greed and Generosity: Old Joe and the thieves who stole Scrooge's possessions feel no guilt as no one will miss him or his belongings. Also, they say they are justified as they are just caring for themselves as the dead man did. (no quote)
• Time and Space: If space means setting, Dickens provides a contrast between the world Scrooge inhabits in his counting house and the world outside. (no quote)
• Time and Space: The Ghost of Christmas Past's belt '...' in different places, making it hard to make out its shape. This is Dickens way of saying that time is constantly reshaping itself as it has different significance throughout our life.


  'sparkled and glittered
• Time and Space: The power of memory and fate (which links with time) is reiterated by Dickens. The Ghost of Christmas Past takes Scrooge by the hand to the window. Scrooge is frightened but is pointless for him to try and resist: the grip is gentle but '...' This serves to remind the reader of the power of memory and fate.


  'not to be resisted
• Time and Space: When the Ghost of Christmas Past takes Scrooge to his old school, Dickens accentuates the differences between Scrooge's childhood and his current life through setting. The countryside, presented by Dickens as idealistically romantic, is a start contrast to the city- highlighting the difference between Scrooge's life here and there. The '...' of the city is '...' in the countryside.


  'darkness and the mist' 'entirely vanished
• Light and Dark: the '...'; the setting is almost literally caving in on Scrooge. Through the pathetic fallacy, Dickens suggests that Scrooge cannot see the metaphorical light of the truth: he is deluding himself.


  'fog and darkness thickened so
• Light and Dark: • In Stave 1, the contrast between Scrooge and Bob is highlighted. Cratchit is eager to get home running '...', with the desire to play games with his family conveying his enthusiasm for the Christmas season. Scrooge is immediately shown in direct contrast to this taking '...' Unlike Cratchit, Scrooge shuns social intercourse, even in a sociable place like a tavern. He is solitary and miserable. He refuses to vary his routine, even at Christmas which reflects his unwillingness to change too.


  'as hard as he could pelt' 'his melancholy dinner in his usual melancholy tavern
• Light and Dark: The Ghost of Christmas Past is strange as it has '...' springing from his head, adumbrating that he is about to illuminate Scrooge's past. Scrooge is repelled by the bright light that radiates from the Ghost of Christmas Past. He is repelled by the symbolic significance of light: truth, goodness and purity. These traits link to the innocence of childhood- Scrooge is child-like in every way apart from his lack of innocence, which explains why he is surprised to see such innocence in the ghost. Scrooge also doesn't want to be confronted by the truths that the ghost presents: the difference between Scrooge as a child and him now (he is now associated with darkness, cold and fog).


  'a bright clear jet of light
• Light and Dark: Scrooge is repelled by the bright light that radiates from the Ghost of Christmas Past. He is repelled by the symbolic significance of light: truth, goodness and purity. These traits link to the innocence of childhood- Scrooge is child-like in every way apart from his lack of innocence, which explains why he is surprised to see such innocence in the ghost. Scrooge also doesn't want to be confronted by the truths that the ghost presents: the difference between Scrooge as a child and him now (he is now associated with darkness, cold and fog. (no quote).
• Light and Dark: When the Ghost of Christmas Past takes Scrooge to his old school, Dickens accentuates the differences between Scrooge's childhood and his current life through setting. The countryside, presented by Dickens as idealistically romantic, is a start contrast to the city- highlighting the difference between Scrooge's life here and there. The '...' of the city is '...' in the countryside.


  'darkness and mist' 'entirely vanished
• Light and Dark: Fezziwig is the opposite of Marley and Scrooge in his open-handed love of enjoyment. Whereas for Scrooge, '...', the reader learns that 'A positive light appeared to issue from Fezziwig's calves'. Mr and Mrs Fezziwig also '...' This simile and light imagery shows the contrast between Scrooge and Fezziwig.


  'Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it' 'shine like moons
• Light and Dark: Scrooge's steady transformation comes to a sudden halt when he watches the scene with Belle. He calls it '...' and he begs to be taken from it. He seizes the Ghost's '...' and presses it '...' By doing this, Scrooge extinguishes the light and ends his chances of learning more from his past. Scrooge appears to be settling for darkness, which he seems more comfortable with because he cannot see the truth.

  'torture' 'extinguisher-cap' 'down upon its head