Characters from Scrooge's Past

• Fan helps to break Scrooge's isolation

  1. Fan was Scrooge's sister, who was affectionate, loving and full of laughter. The ghost and Scrooge agree that "she had a large heart"

  2. She had a strong bond with Scrooge - she calls him "Dear, dear brother", and he calls her "quite a woman"

  3. Fan had asked her father more than once to allow Scrooge to come home. Her excitement shows how important it is for her to spend Christmas with Scrooge. Theme - Family: Fan is eventually able to change her father's mind, which is a parallel to the way that her son, Fred, insists on inviting Scrooge for Christmas every year until he changes his mind. Fan and Fred both want Scrooge to be a part of their family life

  4. Fan is dead by the time the main events of the book take place - this makes the reader pity Scrooge for having lost the sister he once loved
• Who was Mr. Fezziwig to Scrooge when he was an apprentice?

  Scrooge's genial, cheerful employer
• How does Fezziwig serve as a contrast to Scrooge?

  Fezziwig is generous, while Scrooge is mean
• What does Fezziwig's character model for Scrooge later in life?

  A generous and joyful businessman
• How does Fezziwig prepare for the Christmas party?

  He makes his warehouse snug, warm, dry, and bright
• What does the contrast between Fezziwig's party and Scrooge's office signify?

  Fezziwig creates joy, while Scrooge creates gloom
• How does Fezziwig dance at the party?

  Vigorously and energetically
• What literary technique does Dickens use to describe Fezziwig's dancing?

  A light-hearted simile comparing calves to moons
• What effect does the simile about Fezziwig's calves have on the description of the dance?

  It makes the dancing seem humorous and playful
• What power does Fezziwig have over people's lives?

  He can make their lives good or bad
• How does Fezziwig choose to use his power over others?

  He chooses to make their lives good
• What does Fezziwig spend money on for the party?

  To bring joy to others
• What realization does Scrooge come to after observing Fezziwig?

  He begins to bring joy to others
• Belle tells Scrooge some hard truths

  1. Belle was Scrooge's beautiful, wise finacee. She releases Scrooge from their engagement because she sees he has begun to love money more than her

  2. She's poor and knows that Scrooge, who weight "everything by Gain", has become reluctant to marry her

  3. This separation is a turning point in Scrooge's life. Belle ends up with a family and a home, which, despite being "not very large or handsome", if "full of comfort". In contrast, Scrooge chooses a lonely life devoted to money