minor characters

• Fred, Scrooge's nephew, is described as "ruddy and handsome," with eyes that "sparkled," symbolizing innocence and goodness
• Fred's optimistic outlook and positive traits remain constant throughout the novella, contrasting with Scrooge's ill-mannered behavior
• Fred serves as a foil to Scrooge, emphasizing Fred's goodness to amplify the negative qualities within Scrooge
• Fred is used to juxtapose the atmosphere in the opening stave, contrasting the bleak setting with the "glow" he brings, emphasizing his virtue and Scrooge's dismal attitude
• Fanny, Scrooge's younger sister, represents love, youth, and optimism, embodying the Christmas spirit and revealing Scrooge's past positive emotions towards Christmas
• Fan's character humanizes Scrooge, showing his first positive and genuine emotion, contrasting with the negative descriptions of him at the start of the novella
• Fan's excessive display of love towards Scrooge warms the reader to his character, reminding him of a time when he was affectionate and carefree
• Dickens uses Fan to emphasize the importance of family in society, showing how family can profoundly affect character and well-being
• Fan's character brings a sense of optimistic hope, suggesting that Scrooge can return to a more affectionate and carefree state
• Dickens suggests that Scrooge truly loved his sister Fan and is pained by her death, showing empathy and love towards another character to gain reader support
• In Fan's speech, Dickens uses anaphora to highlight the importance of Scrooge's return home to the siblings, creating a child-like and magical tone
• The Spirit adopts a poetic quality in describing Fan, using ethereal adjectives and likening her to a flower through the verb "withered", elevating her character like a eulogy
• Dickens makes it clear that Scrooge has begun to reflect on his actions in the present, pondering on his relationship with Fred after being reminded of his sister's kindness, setting the stage for his transformation
• Ignorance and Want, clinging to the Ghost of Christmas Present, symbolize societal issues, warning Scrooge and mankind to change their ways to solve problems like poverty
• The children Ignorance and Want represent the disease of poverty, highlighting the ignorance of the upper-class towards the poor and the greed that prevents assistance
• Dickens uses listing to describe the children as "wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable", leaving the exact appearance to the reader's imagination, reflecting on society's issues
• The Ghost of Christmas Present's warning about 'want' is emphasized through Belle's character, showing the effects of Scrooge's fixation with money and the detrimental change in his personality
• Scrooge's emotional reaction to seeing Belle with her children highlights his regret and contributes to his transformation, illustrating the error of his ways
• Key Quotes:

  • "Another idol has displaced me…A golden one": The word "idol" connotes a god-like figure that people worship, illustrating Scrooge's fixation with money
• Key Quotes:

  • "Can even I believe that you would choose a dowerless girl": Dickens uses a lexical field of money and gain during his descriptions of Scrooge and Belle, exemplified by the adjective "dowerless", showing Scrooge's misanthropic and miserly attitude
• Key Quotes:

  • "Show me no more! Conduct me home. Why do you delight to torture me?": Dickens uses emotive language, referring to the situation as "torture", effectively conveying the powerful emotions that Scrooge is feeling
• Mrs. Cratchit, Bob Cratchit's wife, is presented as a model wife and mother, dressed poorly in a twice-turned gown, highlighting her poverty as she is unable to afford new clothes
• Despite her poverty, Mrs. Cratchit remains optimistic and good-natured, flushed but smiling proudly as she brought out the pudding, dispelling stereotypes surrounding the lower class
• Mrs. Cratchit's quote: "It should be Christmas Day, I am sure, on which one drinks the health of such an odious, stingy, hard, unfeeling man as Mr. Scrooge" mirrors the powerful tone of disapproval towards Scrooge
• Mrs. Cratchit's quote: "I'll drink to his health for your sake and the Day’s" showcases her Christmas spirit and love for Bob, contrasting with Scrooge's unkindness
• Mrs. Cratchit's quote: "I wouldn’t show weak eyes to your father when he comes home, for the world." She said in a “steady, cheerful voice, that only faltered once" epitomizes the strength in Mrs. Cratchit's character
• Martha Cratchit, Bob Cratchit’s eldest child, is characterised as hard-working, challenging Scrooge’s misconception that the poor are "idle"
• Martha Cratchit hides when Bob Cratchit comes home but runs out early as she “didn’t like to see him disappointed”, presenting her as playful yet compassionate
• Martha's apprenticeship at a milliner’s challenges the social stigma surrounding such places, aiming to challenge prejudice against the poor
• Peter Cratchit, Bob Cratchit’s oldest son, is described as wearing his father’s shirt “in honour of the day”, rejoicing despite the oversized clothes, evoking pity from the reader
• Peter Cratchit is portrayed as energetic and spirited when he "mashed the potatoes with incredible vigour", showing his individuality and positive attitude despite challenges
• Old Joe is a pawnbroker who owns a shop in a "foul" area of the town
• Three thieves bring Scrooge's stolen belongings to Old Joe's shop to try and make a profit
• Dickens uses a harsh and blunt tone in describing Old Joe, heightening the immorality that occurs in his shop
• The setting in the novella further enhances the immoral and perverse tone of the stave, portraying both people and the environment as filthy and disgusting
• Old Joe is described as a "grey-haired rascal" who was nearly 70 years old, surrounded by masses of corrupted fat and sepulchres of bones, emphasizing the filthy surroundings
• Old Joe is presented as a product of his environment, illustrating the cycle of poverty
• Old Joe's speech is relaxed and detached, illustrated through his interactions with the charwoman
• Old Joe's banter with the charwoman appears misplaced, juxtaposing the immorality and seriousness of his actions
• The Charwoman, Laundress, and Undertaker's man enter Old Joe's shop together, creating a perverted and immoral atmosphere