Ignorance and Want

• Ignorance and Want are the two childlike beings which cling "upon the outside of (the Ghost of Christmas Present's) garment." They are symbolic of the issues that plague mankind, and so it could be argued that they are portrayed as children because Dickens is trying to show that children are the ones that suffer the most from society's issues. They are further described as "monsters", perhaps because their existence is dangerous to society.
• • The purpose of the children may be to show Scrooge the effects of poverty within society. Dickens tries to show that through education of both the poor and upper-class some of society's problems, such as poverty, can be solved. The beings are not just a warning to Scrooge but also to all of mankind to change their ways.
  • Scrooge was a victim of ignorance as he willingly ignored the plight of the working class, and was also a victim of want, as we learn that the reason that Scrooge spent his life so focused on money because of his fear of poverty. He says to Belle that there is nothing which is as "hard as poverty", highlighting his fixation with gaining money.
• Poverty/Social Injustice:

  • Ignorance and Want are literal manifestations of the disease of poverty. They represent two key factors which contribute to the issue.
  • The ignorance that the upper-class have towards the plight of the poor causes the issue to be overlooked and so develop further.
  • In addition, the want and greed that they display prevents them from assisting those who need it.
  • It is interesting to note that during the nineteenth century philanthropy (charity) was becoming more popular, and so it is significant that Dickens picked up on these two factors. He may have been pushing readers towards a philanthropic mindset to try and change attitudes towards the poor.
• Supernatural:

  • The children's allegorical purpose is emphasised through their supernatural features. By describing them as "hideous" Dickens heightens the dramatic impact of their characters. This is emphasised further due to Dickens structural choices. By introducing the children after the happy Christmas celebrations, their appearance is more abrupt and disturbing which adds to the tension that they bring. Although, while the children may come through a supernatural medium, they are grounded in reality which makes them all the more terrifying.
• "wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable"


  • Dickens uses listing on multiple occasions to describe the children. This is interesting as he primarily uses vague adjectives - the reader is aware that the children are "hideous" but they do not know exactly what they look like. Consequently, the reader is left to imagine what these "frightful" children look like - heightening the fear that they bring. The lists could also be interpreted as being in reference to society. This is because the children are used to represent the issue of poverty and so Dickens' descriptions of the children may reflect on his opinions about society as a whole.
• "stale and shrivelled hand like that of age"


  • This epitomises the impact that poverty had on children during the Victorian era, as children were forced to grow up faster than they should have. Children who grew up in poverty were made to work in factories from as early as nine years old in order to bring in some income for their families This links to the concept of 'present time orientation' which is prevalent within the culture of poverty. Essentially this means that those in poverty focus only on the present rather than planning for the future, as they lack the resources to do so. Therefore, instead of receiving the long-term benefits of an education, children were made to join the workforce which allowed them to receive wages.
• "Spirit! are they yours?" Scrooge could say no more. "They are Man's,"


  • This implies that due to the negligence of man, ignorance has been created. The question is accusative but it is flipped on its head as the Ghost not just accuses mankind but presents their guilt. The possessive "Man's" demonstrates how they belong to all of society, which adds to the theme of social responsibility in the novella.
• "This boy is ignorance...beware of this boy...on his brow I see that written which is doom"


  • Dickens emphasises the impacts of ignorance over the consequences of want, presenting it as a more urgent and pressing concern. This may perhaps be because Scrooge has already learnt the consequences of want, as he felt immense regret when he was taken to see Belle. As a result, Dickens does not need to emphasise the impacts of greed as Scrooge had already learnt his lesson. Alternatively, it may be because if Scrooge was not so ignorant to the poverty which filled society, his greed and fixation with money would not have been so intense. Therefore, the problem of want can be solved by eliminating the ignorance within society. Furthermore, the "doom" which is written on the boy's head may foreshadow the dark consequences of ignorance in society.