Theme - Redemption and change

• What is redemption 


  The action of saving or being saved from sin, error , or evil
• Name one scene in stave one where redemption is seen


  When Marley begs scrooge not to live a wasted life like him
• What is a quote to back this up?


  ‘I am here to-night to warn you, that you have yet a chance and hope of escaping my fate.’
• What does this mean?

  Marley is trying to warn Scrooge that if he carries on miserably, greedily, and selfish, he will end up like Marley but with an even longer heavy chain.
• What context goes with this?

  Dickens believed in helping others and helping the poor, as dickens was also poor as a child. The quote shows that dickens believes people who don’t help others won’t be at rest when dead, and he portrays it as selfish, cruel and evil. Dickens felt strongly that the issue of poverty was ignored, so portrayed it throughout a Christmas carol to get his views across and impact the reader.
• How does the reader feel?

  The reader feels like dickens is speaking to them personally, as this could be conveyed as a warning and message to the reader too.
• Name another scene where redemption is seen 


  When Scrooge is miserable at the start of the novella, as he rejects all Christmas cheer from everyone around him.
• what is a quote to back this up?

  fred says ‘Christmas a humbug, uncle!’ And Scrooge rejects it by saying ‘what right have you to be merry?’ Since he’s ’poor enough.’
• What does this foreshadow?


  this foreshadows scrooge’s redemption and change as he starts off being really miserable and pessimistic and, since he’s our main character and the reader needs a happy Christmas ending, it foreshadows scrooge’s transformation
• What context goes with this?

  Dickens wrote a Christmas carol in Victorian England. He wrote it so that it could be read in front of a fire at Christmas to children
• How does the reader feel?

  The reader feels ready for scrooge‘s change and curious as to how he’ll go through this transformation. This makes the reader excited for Scrooge to be redeemed.
• Name another scene where redemption is seen


  When Scrooge sees the error of his ways through the ghosts that visit him.
• What is a quote to back this up?

  ‘there was a boy singing a Christmas Carol at my door last night. I should like to have given him something.’
• What does this show?

  This shows scrooge‘s first sign of regret and his acknowledgment that he could’ve been nicer to the boy. This shows scrooge’s first sign of redemption.
• What context goes with this?

  Dickens moral message for a Christmas carol is that all human beings have the opportunity to behave in kinder ways towards each other. in the victorian era, there was a tradition to read super natural stories at Christmas. So perhaps dickens showed Scrooge’s redemption in the hands of the ghosts to show how powerful they are.
• How does the reader feel?

  The reader feels thrilled to see the start of scrooge‘s change and can’t wait to see his full redemption process.
• Finally name one more scene where redemption is seen


  when Scrooge transforms and redeems himself at the end of novella, in stave 5
• What is a quote to back this up?


  ‘A merry Christmas to everybody!’
• What does this illustrate?

  This illustrates Scrooge’s complete redemption process and transformation to a new and better Scrooge. The fact that he can now say ‘merry christmas’ with a smile on his face and pure joy in his heart shows the contrast between Scrooge now and at the start of the novella, when all he said was ‘humbug!’
• What context goes with this?

  Dickens shows redemption through the novella to convey a message to his victorian audience that they too need to seek redemption by completing more charitable deeds at this simple change could have a rippling effect in society.
• How does the reader feel?

  The reader feels like they have learnt a lesson from dickens that they should be more charitable and kinder to everybody, no matter what class they are or if they are poor or rich.
• How is Scrooge described at the start of the story?

  As a 'covetous old sinner' who was 'as hard and sharp as a flint'
• What does the term "redemption" refer to in the context of the study material?

  Being saved from error or sin
• What effect does Scrooge's initial characterization have on the reader?

  It creates hope and tension regarding his potential for change
• What emotional impact do the encounters with the Spirits have on Scrooge?

  They release strong emotions that culminate in a 'crescendo' during his transformation
• How does Dickens use foreshadowing in relation to Scrooge's character?

  By describing him as 'as solitary as an oyster', indicating his isolation and potential for change
• How does the weather change in the final stave, and what does it signify?

  It changes to 'no fog, no mist' with 'golden sunlight', indicating a successful transformation
• What imagery is used to describe the weather in Stave 1?

  'Cold, bleak, biting weather' represents Scrooge's ignorance
• How does Scrooge contribute to the coldness described in the text?

  His 'cold within him' 'froze his old features'
• What happens to Scrooge's state of mind by the final stave?

  His state of mind becomes 'glowing', changing the weather around him
• What allegorical message does Marley convey about change?

  Man is punished if he doesn't change
• What does Scrooge's transformation from a 'covetous old sinner' to 'quite a baby' signify?

  It shows that anyone can change
• How does Scrooge's behavior inspire readers?

  It encourages them to transform themselves
• How does Scrooge's attitude towards charity collectors change throughout the story?

  He initially dismisses the poor but later runs after them, highlighting his redemption
• What does Scrooge mean by saying his donation includes 'many back-payments'?

  He is making amends for his past mistakes
• How is the narrator's tone at the beginning of the story described?

  Unsympathetic, with a relentless list of verbs describing Scrooge negatively
• What change occurs in the narrator's tone by the end of the story?

  The narrator adopts an optimistic tone, reflecting Scrooge's changed personality
• What impression does Scrooge's change create for the reader?

  It creates the impression that his change is convincing and permanent
• How does imagery contribute to the themes in "A Christmas Carol"?

  Imagery enhances the emotional depth and highlights character transformations.
• What is the significance of the term "redemption" in literature?

  It represents the possibility of salvation and transformation from past errors.