Poverty and Social Responsibility

• What does Scrooge primarily care about at first?

  Himself and money
• How does Scrooge feel about the plight of the poor?

  He is apathetic towards their suffering
• Why does Scrooge refuse to donate to charity?

  He believes his taxes cover their needs
• What does Scrooge suggest about the poor who would rather die?

  They "had better do it" to decrease population
• Who does Scrooge exploit in his workplace?

  Bob Cratchit
• What conditions does Scrooge impose on Bob Cratchit?

  Low pay and freezing working conditions
• What does Belle say about Scrooge's fear?

  He fears poverty and is engrossed by Gain
• How does Scrooge's remark about poverty reflect his character?

  It shows his deep fear and selfishness
• How does Dickens portray Scrooge's attitude towards the poor?

  As selfish despite knowing poverty's awfulness
• What influenced Dickens's writing about poverty?

  His childhood experience of poverty
• How does Scrooge's fear of poverty relate to Dickens's concerns?

  It echoes Dickens's own concerns about money
• Dickens exposes the unfair treatment of the poor

  1. Dickens says that some of the chained phantoms in Chapter One might be "guilty governments". This could be seen as a criticism by Dickens of the government's treatment of the poor, e.g. the 1834 Poor Law. The chains these ghosts wear are the same as Marley's - they're the result of an uncaring attitude towards the poor

  2. Dickens uses the Ghost of Christmas Present to condemn the bigotry, and selfishness" of those who supported Sabbatarianism. Dickens attacks Sabbatarianism because of the restrictions it places on the poor

  3. The Ghost of Christmas Present also reveals Ignorance and Want - children who are described as "horrible" monsters. The spirit suggests that these hidden problems come from society's neglect of the poor
• The wealthy must take responsibility for the poor

  1. The Ghost of Christmas Present gives a clear warning - he says that ignorance will lead to the "Doom" of society. Dickens is pointing out that to avoid this, society must address the lack of education received by the poor

  2. The fate of Tiny Tim makes a clear link between poverty and death - it's only Scrooge's intervention that saves him. Dickens is clearly showing that the wealthy have a responsibility to help the poor because they can make a big difference to their lives

  3. Dickens's message can also be found in the words of Marley when he explains to Scrooge that he must take responsibility for those around him - his true "business" is the "common welfare" of mankind. It's this lesson - of "charity, mercy, forbearance and benevolence" - that Scrooge eventually learns
• The Cratchits show what living in poverty can be like

  1. Dickens uses the Cratchits as an example of people living in poverrty

  2. The Cratchits live in a four-room house. Their clothes are threadbare, but they try to look nice - Belinda and Mrs Cratchit are "brave in ribbons" and Peter feels "gallantly attired" in his handed-down "shirt collar"

  3. The Cratchits' Christmas dinner has to be "Eked out", and their Christmas pudding is "small" for such a large family. Their modest Christmas dinner suggests that they don't have much to eat for the rest of the year

  4. The Ghost of Christmas Present hints that "if these shadows remain unaltered" - if the Cratchits continue to live in poverty - then Tiny Tim will die. It's only because Scrooge intervenes that Tim survives
• There are also glimpses of the seedier side of poverty

  1. Joe's shop - where Scrooge's stolen possessions are sold in Chapter Four - is in a filthy part of the city where the streets are "foul and narrow" and the alleys "like so many cesspools, disgorged their offences of smell, and dirt"

  2. The people who lived there are "half-naked, drunken, slipshod, ugly"

  3. Three thieves gather there to sell the property they've stolen from Scrooge's corpse. They're not embarrassed or remorseful, and they laugh as they go through the stolen goods

  Background and Context - The description of the area where Joe's shop is located gives an insight into the horrible conditions in nineteenth-century London that many people lived in
• Dickens goes beyond simple definitions of rich and poor

  1. Dickens shows that while people can be rich financially, they can also be rich in other ways, such as enjoyment, love and companionship

  2. The Cratchits are poor but they appreciate what they have. They're portrayed as an unrealistically perfect family who don't need money to make them emotionally rich. By contrast, Scrooge is financially wealthy, but he's poor in companionship and enjoyment. Fred explains that, even though Scrooge is rich, he's deserving of pity because "His wealth is of no use to him"

  3. Fred emphasises the value of emotional richness to him when he says that although Christmas never put "a scrap of gold or silver" in his pocket, it's made him richer in spirit and "done me good"

  4. Fezziwig is a successful businessman, but he's also rich emotionally. He uses some of his wealth to bring happiness and joy to himself and those around him