christmas

• The theme of Christmas is evidently central to the text due to the title and it being both set and published during the festive time. A ‘carol’ is a piece of music sung in church and is often associated with uniting people regardless of their social status.
• Title and structure

  The theme of the novella is clear from the title ‘A Christmas Carol’ which refers to the traditional carols that are sung at Christmas time. The novella has an unusual layout using 5 staves instead of chapters. The five staves reflect the structure of a carol and link the story to the joy of singing
• Fred

  Fred is persistent in his cheerful approach to Christmas. We see him celebrating wholeheartedly with his friends. After a while they played at forfeits; for it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself. Dickens shows Scrooge's nephew as the opposite of Scrooge. He is able to abandon himself to childish pleasures at Christmas and enjoys the company of his friends.
• Tiny Tim

  Through the character of Tiny Tim, Dickens shows the importance of family and love in the Christmas tradition. “back came Tiny Tim before another word was spoken, escorted by his brother and sister to his stool before the fire“ Tiny Tim is well-loved by his family as we see in the generosity that his siblings show him here.