FINAL ACC

• Scrooge was his sole executor, his sole assign, his sole residuary legatee, his sole friend & sole mourner

  Theme: Isolation and Loneliness

  Stave 1

  Description of Scrooge's relationship with Marley.

  The repetition of the word 'sole' emphasises that Scrooge was all Marley had, & Marley was all Scrooge had. Therefore, this shows the reader that Scrooge is alone & friendless, alone in the world as Marley has now died.

  The word 'was' makes it clear human interaction is in the past.

  The word 'partners' could suggest companionship - instead, it suggests a formal business tone without human connection or feeling.

  The list is very formal and omits personal intimacy or closeness. Although he was a friend, the sentence ends with 'mourner', highlighting that Scrouge is alone again.
• a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!'

  Theme: Redemption

  Stave 1

  Description of Scrooge.

  The listing and repetition of verbs here are all synonyms which emphasise the extreme desperation by which Scrooge will hold on to every penny. This list also shows how although many verbs are used to describe Scrooge he was so awful that there is no accurate way to describe his behaviour.

  Dickens creates a wealthy, selfish man in Scrooge to represent the poor way that the wealthy treat the poor. His explicit message is that the wealthy need to change their views and behaviours.
• secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster."

  Theme: Isolation and Loneliness

  Stave 1

  Description of Scrooge

  Dickens uses this simile to emphasise how Scrooge locks himself away from society.

  The use of sibilance adds a sinister tone, suggesting Scrooge actually wants to be left alone and is cold at heart as the 's' sound reminds the reader of shivering as if his personality even chills those around him.

  However, the use of the word 'solitary' is used again later when we see Scrooge's childhood and suggests that he is lonely and unhappy, through choice. Dickens is suggesting to the reader that money does not make you happy.

  Finally, it could also be argued that the oyster simile suggests a softer interior - or at least the potential for a pearl foreshadowing Scrooge's transformation, as an oyster has a hard outer shell and is hiding a pearl on the inside suggesting Scrooge is secretly hiding his kind soul on the inside, however, he simply needs some pressure to crack it open.
• he iced his office in the dog-days and didn't thaw one degree at Christmas''

  Theme: Wealth and Poverty

  Stave 1

  Description of Scrooge

  His appearance which includes red eyes and blue lips is unappealing and even sinister. The Victorian readership would have understood this unattractive appearance to denote an unattractive character.

  Scrooge's grey hair is metaphorically referred to as frost - he is such a cold hearted character that it is reflected in his physical appearance.

  The word 'always' explicitly lets the reader know that he is unchanging and has been like this for a long time.

  The mention of Scrooges office not changing temperature also implies that Scrooges personality doesn't thaw no matter the weather
• No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him'

  Theme: Isolation and Loneliness

  Stave 1

  Description of Scrooge

  The use of anaphora here, through the repetition of the word 'no' shows that Scrooge cannot be affected by outside influences. He is so unfeeling and cold that the weather simply does not affect him - just as the plight of the poor does not affect him. Again, through the characterisation of Scrooge, Dickens is criticising the wealthy class and their coldheartedness.
• It was cold, bleak, biting weather: foggy withal'

  Theme: Isolation and Loneliness

  Stave 1

  Pathetic fallacy

  The use of pathetic fallacy, including the repeated emphasis of the ferocity of the cold adds to the uninviting atmosphere directly reflecting the character of Scrooge who is uninviting to both Fred and the portly gentlemen when they arrive.

  The word 'biting' makes it seem vicious.

  The fog is symbolic of Scrooge's inability to see the good around him - or to see the truth, until he is shown the light by the ghosts. By the end of the novella, the fog has cleared.
• Hard and sharp as flint'

  Stave 1

  Simile- the word hard implies that he lacks compassion and empathy, with the adjective sharp hinting at pain. The use of flint is in the starting of a fire, so it can resemble that there is a potential of a spark within Scrooge, who might change
• Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerk's fire was so very much smaller that it looked like one coal.'

  Theme: Society, Wealth and Poverty

  Stave 1

  Dickens uses Scrooge to reinforce his message about the wealthy. He is presented as a typical wealthy miser who treated the poor badly, only allowing Bob 'one coal' while paying him so little that he cannot afford a coat. Dickens had first hand experience of poverty when his father was sent to a debtor's prison and was explicit in his criticism of the work houses and the poor law.
• He was all in a glow; his face was ruddy and handsome; his eyes sparkled, and his breath smoked'

  Theme: Family, Love

  Stave 1

  Description of Fred

  Fred is a foil to Scrooge. Just as Scrooge's coldness of heart is reflected in a physical coldness, so Fred's physical warmth reflects his warm heartedness. The word 'glow' even seems to suggest that he radiates heat - showing that his goodness touches those around him.

  Fred is Scrooge's opposite to show that even though they are related, Scrooge's life experiences have made him bitter and ignorant to the situation of those around him.
• The only one I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of the people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.'

  Theme: Society, Family, Love

  Stave 1

  Fred's view of Christmas

  Fred represents the spirit of Christmas and carries Dickens' message about collective responsibility and how we should treat one another. The idea that we are all 'fellow passengers' serves to emphasise the idea of the transience of life - we are all going to die someday so we are more similar than we are different.

  It also indicates mankind naturally want to be part of one society or a wider community working with 'one consent'

  Victorian life was hard - 'shut up hearts' indicates that people had to be emotionally cold to survive the death and poverty that frequently occurred in society.

  The noun 'creatures' reinforces the view that the wealthy see the poor as somehow less human - Dickens, through the novel, shows the reader that this is not true and therefore the poor law, which treats the poor as though they are less human, must be changed.

  'Fellow passengers to the grave' is a metaphor for Scrooge's journey. Without change, he ends in a 'grave' and joins the 'fellow passengers
• I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!'

  Theme: Family, Love

  Stave 1

  Fred's view of Christmas

  When Scrooge asks what 'good' Christmas does, it is clear that he is thinking of monetary good - while Fred is thinking of kindness and goodness. Dickens is juxtaposing the two views of the same word so that we side with the views advocated by Fred.

  The use of both the past tense 'has' and 'will' show that love, or the ideals behind Christmas, are never-ending, suggesting that Dickens is implying that people forget to be kind to one another at other times in the year.
• Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts"

  Theme: Society, Responsibility

  Stave 1

  Why the portly gentlemen are collecting for the poor

  The portly gentlemen are also instrumental in delivering Dickens' message.

  The adjective 'common' shows the reader that the poor only want those things which should be normal and available for all - the 'common' things rather than luxuries.
• "Are there no prisons?" And "And the union workhouses"

  Theme: Society, Responsibility

  Stave 1

  Scrooge's response to being asked to give money to charity

  Dickens is using Scrooges response to criticise the common view of the upper and middle class society from victorian times. Many people would have felt that because these social reforms were put in place, it wasn't their personal duty to help the poor. Here, Dickens is showing how this is simply people choosing to ignore the social problems rather than helping the poor.
• "If they would rather die," said Scrooge, "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."

  Theme: Society, Responsibility

  Stave 1

  Scrooge's response to the gentlemen saying that people would rather die than go to the workhouse.

  Scrooge makes explicit reference to the Malthusian idea that the population must decrease in order to create better conditions. Dickens was openly opposed to this view and challenges it throughout the novella.
• It is not my business.'

  Theme: Society, Responsibility

  Stave 1

  Scrooge's view of the plight of the poor

  Dickens believed in collective responsibility - that the wealthy should take responsibility for helping the poor, specifically through the provision of education and support for children. Scrooge's assertion that 'it is not my business' is challenged quickly by Marley's ghost whose view is that 'mankind' should have been his 'business.
• "Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it."

  Theme: Society

  Stave 1

  Description of Scrooge's house

  Scrooge is presented as a miserly character - his money does not even bring him any happiness.

  Scrooge liking darkness also shows that his souls has connotations of Darkness as if he is evil and fears the light

  His house is dark - which reflects the darkness in his character and also adds to the gothic atmosphere of his house. The gothic was a popular genre in the Victorian age and would have seemed fitting for a ghost story to Victorian readers.
• I wear the chains I forged in life

  Stave 1.

  Marley's chains are a symbol of his constant greed throughout his life. The verb wear shows ongoing drudgery of the consequences of being ruthless and wretched in life. The verb forged, implies Marley's actions in life had dire implications he made himself. The noun chains is a metaphor to signify the consequences for his selfishness - that he is a prisoner forced to walk the earth
• made of cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds and heavy purses.'

  Theme: Society

  Stave 1

  Description of Marley's ghost

  The description of Marley's ghost has his chain wound about him. The simile 'like a tail' is suggestive of a snake, which is symbolic of the devil.

  The hellish atmosphere is emphasised by the fact that the ghost's clothing and hair appears to move as though in an updraft of heat, suggesting that the ghost is in hell.

  Ideas about purgatory and hell would have been recognisable to the mainly Christian readership at the time - and would have made the allegory more frightening.

  The items Marley is wearing symbolise how he was obsessed with money, just like Scrooge, so much so, that he was even 'weighed down' by it, even in the afterlife.
• "Business! Mankind was my business; charity, forbearance, and benevolence, were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business'

  Theme: Society, Business

  Stave 1

  Marley's ghost is distressed at Scrooge's suggestion that he was a 'good man of business'. The word 'business' reflects Scrooge's earlier response to the portly gentlemen.

  It is only after death Marely realises 'mankind' is more important than any financial dealings - it is too late for Marley, but Scrooge can still be saved

  The repetition of the word 'business' emphasises the foolish notion that man's business should be financially driven

  It is ironic that Mercy, benevolence, and forbearance don't cost anything - mankind operates around 'common welfare' not 'trade'

  Money is depicted as a metaphorical 'drop of water', juxtaposed to mankind, shown as a comprehensive ocean. Mankind dwarfs that of money.
• It was a strange figure—like a child: yet not so like a child as like an old man'

  Theme: Society

  Stave 2

  The first of the three spirits

  The description of the figure who is both like a child and like an old man is suggestive of the journey that the ghost takes him on.
• He had a special desire to see spirit in his cap, and begged him to be covered'

  Theme: Redemption

  Stave 2

  Usually Scrooge is dominant and forceful, here, 'begged' highlights his internal vulnerability and avoid the lessons he is about to learn

  'The light i give' metaphorically depicts the fact Scrooge is blind to his faults, and the light brushes away the previous fog
• A lonely boy was reading near a feeble fire'.

  Theme: Isolation and Loneliness

  Stave 2

  The spirit takes him to past Christmases including seeing Scrooge alone at school.

  The image of the 'lonely boy... near a feeble fire' reflects very closely the older Scrooge we have seen, alone eating gruel. Dickens uses the scene to allow the reader to feel sorry for the child 'Scrooge' whose loneliness was not by choice - although the adult Scrooge's is. Scrooge's sympathy for himself leads to sympathy for the carol singer from the night before.

  We get a feeling that his adult life is shaped by his childhood, and that it is not all his fault.

  The 'feeble fire' also shows how Scrooge may have previously felt the cold, but since then he has become unfeeling

  The tri-colon 'long, bare, melancholy painfully mimics the childhood of Scrooge, tedious, lonely and sad.

  The alliteration of 'feeble fire' makes it sound pathetic. While we sympathise with Scrooge, he does the same to Bob Cratchit, suggesting that Scrooge may have been influenced by his past, and is now coming to consider how he felt - leaving him with a feeling of guilt.

  Setting stresses character traits. Earlier Scrooge was amongst a 'dingy cloud' and younger Scrooge is amongst 'lines of plain deal forms and desks' he was taught life is about facts, not emotions and human connection.
• Fan: "Dear, dear brother."

  Theme: Family, Love

  Stave 2

  The arrival of his sister, Fan

  Fan is portrayed with affection - and her term of endearment shows that Scrooge has known affection, suggesting Scrooge was not born full of hatred, but that it grew over time. However, her reference to their father suggests that he had not been kind in the past, thus reinforcing our sympathy.

  The repetition of 'dear', implying a great love, 'brother' suggesting close family bonds, and 'home' and image of sanctuary and welcome, signifies that Scrooge did experience love during his childhood, from at least one person.

  Scrooge becomes a 'second father' to tiny Tim. Tiny Tim and Fan could be considered alike as Fan is also 'tiny', and 'little' and always thinking of others
• .shaking hands with every person individually as he or she went out, wished him or her a Merry Christmas.'

  Theme: Love, Society

  Stave 2

  The Fezziwigs' party

  The Fezziwigs throw a party and treat everyone the same - no matter their status. Dickens clearly uses them to represent what employment should be like.

  The idea that they shake hands with each person 'individually' shows the humanity with which they treat everyone - they do not see the poor as 'creatures', rather everyone as equals.

  Fezziwig's office has a large fire which adds to the welcoming atmosphere, offering the reader an additional opportunity to compare it to Scrooge's cold office with the meager fire, directly juxtaposing the two types of employers. This was Dickens' way of subtly implying that Upper-class employers didn't have to behave like Scrooge.
• "The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it costs a fortune."

  Theme: Redemption

  Stave 2

  Scrooge's response to the ghost saying that it was only a small thing that Fezziwig did. In defending Fezziwig, he is taught a lesson and makes him think about how he treats his clerk, leading to his second moment of regret in which he'd like to 'say a word to two' to Bob.

  It is ironic that Scrooge uses the word 'fortune' as his whole life has become about money, however here, it is suggested that for once, Scrooge is realising some things are worth more than Money.
• Belle to Scrooge: "Another idol has displaced me... a golden one."

  Theme: Love

  Stave 2

  Belle breaks off the engagement.

  The noun 'idol' shows that Belle believes Scrooge is so enamored of money that he worships it.

  Dickens also suggests that, through his adoration of a false god, he is no longer a good Christian. In Victorian times, most of the readers would have been Christian and would, therefore, heap additional judgement on Scrooge who needs to repent.

  The sibilance of 'she said, softly' conveys the gentle tenderness of Scrooge's fiance, and later on, we see how she has found someone else, and Scrooge is left 'quite alone in the world
• Belle "Our contract is an old one. You are changed. When it was made you were another man. "

  Theme: Love

  Stave 2

  Belle breaks off the engagement

  The noun 'contract' reflects the language of business - reflecting the change that Scrooge has undergone. The fact that their love was made on a 'contract' suggests that Scrooge is really unfeeling and cold.

  The short sentence structure also highlights the finality of their relationship as Belle has really ended their relationship once and for all.
• "No more. Show me no more."

  Theme: Redemption

  Stave 2

  Scrooge becomes distressed by what he is seeing. Ultimately he tries to extinguish the ghost's light. The use of light throughout the novel suggests the truth/ the right path which Scrooge at first does not want to see, by trying to shut off the light, it implies that Scrooge is choosing to be ignorant to his past mistakes and flaws

  The repetition of the words 'no more' suggest that Scrooge cannot bear any more painful memories. Dickens has done this to show that Scrooge does have emotions and feelings as he still feels the pain of Belle's break-up, which also highlights how he did really love her nd was capable of feeling love.
• "Quite alone in the world, I do believe."

  Theme: Isolation and Loneliness

  Stave 2

  Belle's husband tells Belle about seeing Scrooge.

  The use of the word 'alone' is repeated showing again that selfishness will lead to a life of loneliness. The use of the word 'world' also highlights how lonely he is as it contrasts with image of the total population and Scrooge is all alone.

  Along with the words, 'sole' and 'solitary' used throughout the novel to suggest that each individual must take responsibility for his own choices - just as Marley is paying for his individual sins.
• "Tonight, if you have aught to teach me, let me profit by it."

  Theme: Redemption

  Stave 3

  Scrooge's willingness to learn

  Scrooge has been transformed - just as his room has been transformed by the arrival of the Ghost of Christmas present - and wants to learn.

  However, the verb 'profit' still has a hint of selfishness - as well as an implication of individual, even material, gain. It is too much linked to his miserly ways thus suggesting that the learning is not finished yet.
• to church and chapel, and away they came, flocking through the streets in their best clothes, and with their gayest faces'

  Theme: Society, Religion

  Stave 3

  Despite the hardship of the era, people still found hope

  The alliteration of 'church and chapel' highlights the symbols of togetherness and community

  The idea of community emphasised by the repetition of 'they' and 'their' with 'best' and 'gayest' highlighting positivity within society at Christmas

  The use of such a sense of community shows how Scrooge is being left out alone at Christmas.
• Dressed out but poorly in a twice-turned gown, but brave in ribbons'

  Theme: Wealth and Society

  Stave 3

  Description of Mrs. Cratchit

  Mrs. Cratchit, although poor, represents the family's will to make the best of things - to celebrate in spite of their poverty. Her gown is poor but she is 'brave in ribbons'. The ribbons are her means of dressing more festively. The adjective 'brave' suggests that the Cratchit's approach to life is noble and admirable - but not easy.
• "He hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple and it might be pleasant for them to remember on Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see."

  Theme: Society

  Stave 3

  Tiny Tim

  Tiny Tim's comment is generous in spirit, seeing his disability positively as it will remind others of the true meaning of Christmas by allowing them to think of Jesus on Christmas day.

  Dickens uses Tiny Tim to remind his readers of the story of Jesus performing miracles and his teaching of acceptance of all.

  It also shows Tiny Tims positive spirit and how although he may be poorer than Scrooge in a lot of ways, he is also richer
• Its tenderness and flavour, size and cheapness, were themes of universal admiration'

  Theme: Love

  Stave 3

  The Cratchit's positivity in the face of adversity and the vitality with which they choose to live.

  The family's determination to use the meagre ingredients they have is admirable. 'Cheapness' is juxtaposed with 'universal admiration'

  The Cratchit family is always shown to make do and they never complain, even though they are clearly not very wealthy
• "If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will die."

  Theme: Redemption

  Stave 3

  Scrooge asks if Tiny Tim will live, having been moved by his goodness. Tiny Tim is frequently referred to in Christian terms - as though his true goodness is close to God. Perhaps Dickens is using him to represent the idea of childhood innocence and how close children were to God in order to reinforce his message that the wealthy need to do more to mitigate childhood poverty.

  The conditional subordinate clause represents Scrooge's future actions. The shortness of the main clause at the end makes the message more shocking and definitive.

  The declarative 'will' conveys certainty showing how urgent it is that Scrooge changes.
• "If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population." Scrooge hung his head to hear his own words... and was overcome with penitence and grief.

  Theme: Redemption

  Stave 3

  The ghost uses Scrooge's words against him

  the strength of Scrooge's dismay about hearing his own words repeated back to him is reinforced through the use of the nouns, penitence and grief. Both have religious connotations and suggest a true depth of despair at his previous notions. Dickens, therefore, is attacking the Malthusian capitalist theories.
• They were not a handsome family; they were not well dressed; their shoes were far from being water-proof; their clothes were scanty... But, they were happy, grateful, pleased with one another and contented with the time.

  Theme: Love

  Stave 3

  The Cratchits

  The Cratchits are generous and loving in very difficult circumstances. Dickens uses these characters to challenge popular preconceptions that the wealthy had about the poor - preconceptions which led to support for the poor law and the workhouses. The adjective handsome correlates to wealth and even though they do not have much wealth they can persevere through poverty. It presents the family as united and as one unit. Also it is ironic that Scrooge is presented as not being handsome, more like an ogre even with his wealth which exemplifies Scrooge is not wealthy in terms of his relationships and his friendships.
• "I am sorry for him; I couldn't be angry with him if I tried. Who suffers by his ill whims? Himself, always. "

  Theme: Family

  Stave 3

  Christmas at Fred's

  Fred, as Scrooge's foil, is a kind, forgiving character who is determined to give Scrooge the same chance every year, showing how different Fred is to Scrooge. It shows the affection he receives from his family, which is similar to the affection he received from Fan when he was a child
• They were a boy and girl. Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish

  Themes: Redemption

  Stave 3

  Ignorance and want

  The two children are the personification of man's ills - ignorance and want. Ignorance could represent the wealthy upper classes who are ignorant of what they must do to help. However, it could also be argued that ignorance reflects the lack of education of the poor.

  Want is used to represent the greediness of the Upper-class
• Where graceful youth should have filled their features out... a stale and shrivelled hand, like that of age, had pinched, and twisted them.

  Theme: Redemption

  Stave 3

  Ignorance and want

  The description of the children is designed to shock the reader. The childhood innocence has been 'shriveled' and 'twisted' showing the ill effects of their treatment. The verbs suggest age, disfiguration, and pain suggesting how unnatural their conditions are that have led to this.

  Children are used as they are innocent, juxtaposed with what society does to them

  Dickens was familiar with the terrible working conditions of the poor and campaigned for the education of children.