A Christmas Carol

• Family


  The exploration of 'family' as a theme within the novella closely ties in with Dickens' greater agenda to popularise an emotional element to Christmas. The importance of family during the festive time.
• Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had nine children together and their family was idealised and perceived to be model. Ideas about family were changing during the Victorian era so readers were more likely to be receptive to Dickens' presentation of the theme.
• Dickens' presentation of the theme of family

  • Explores the theme in detail, highlighting the positive effects that family can have while also explaining the negative consequences which could arise due to the absence of family
  • Presents the theme of family as one which embodies joy, strength and affection
• Scrooge begins the novella as the antithesis (direct opposite) to the ideas of family

  The absence of family may be one of the key factors which contributed to Scrooge's initially abhorrent characterisation
• Fred


  • Generates a positive atmosphere which affects both Scrooge and the tone of narration
  • His virtue is stronger than the forces of nature, spotlighting the power and value of family
• Scrooge isolates himself from his family

  This directly links to his downfall, as highlighted by the Ghost of Christmas Present
• The Cratchit family


  • Dickens constructs them to be a relatable presentation of the lower class
  • Idealises their family by focussing on their unity, happiness and strength despite their financial struggles, conveying the idea that poverty is not a barrier to happiness
• Scrooge's body lay "unwatched, unwept, uncared for", contrasting with the Cratchit family's unity and love
• Dickens' inclusion of minor characters

  • Emphasises the value of family through even the most minor of characters, implying that family is so essential that it should be interwoven into everyone's lives
• Fanny


  • When she comes to take Scrooge home from boarding school, she informs him that their father is now a "kinder" man and that their home now feels "like heaven", highlighting the great power family can have
  • Scrooge's reaction to her death shows the profound effect her absence had on his character
• Belle


  • Dickens presents the idea that Scrooge's inclination towards money over relationships has damaged his opportunity to kindle love and start his own family
  • The magnitude of his loss is foregrounded when he sees Belle with her children, prompting him to question what it would have been like to have children who "called him father", highlighting the regret Scrooge feels
• Isolation


  Scrooge is an outsider in society and is victim to his own, self-inflicted loneliness. No one necessarily pushed Scrooge away, instead he ostracised himself from society.
• Scrooge's Isolation


  • Described as "secret and self contained and solitary as an oyster", the sibilance is similar to that of a snake which suggests something sinister. This is a Biblical allusion as it alludes to the snake in the garden of Eden. Dickens may be trying to say that isolation can be deadly. The phrase used also creates a semantic field of isolation, through this instantly the reader understands the kind of person that Scrooge is. There is also polysyndetic listing which is used to make the adjectives used more powerful with each adjective the reader is given a deeper understanding of Scrooge and his character.
• In the Victorian times people were extremely cordial with each other, greeting people was apart of the culture. In Scrooge's description it says that "Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say...My dear Scrooge, how are you?", Scrooge purposefully isolated himself from society and this same behaviour is mirrored through the people around him.
• Fred never gives up on Scrooge, even after Scrooge insults him he invites Scrooge to "Come! Dine with us to-morrow."


  Although Scrooge tries and is successful with isolating himself Fred is persistent with his uncle and in the end it pays off as Scrooge joins the dinner party which is a sign of his dramatic change.
• Scrooge was once as "solitary as an oyster"


  Scrooge becomes a social butterfly attending Fred's dinner party saying "It's I. Your uncle Scrooge. I have come to diner. Will you let me in, Fred?".
• Dickens illustrates that it is never too late to come back and that no one has to isolate themselves. This is apart of his socialist ideology which is based on inclusion and making sure that everyone in society is valued and treated equally.
• Isolation as a Gateway


  • Through the Ghost of Christmas Past, Dickens shows how a misanthropic person like Scrooge is made. Scrooge witnesses "A solitary child, neglected by his friends, is left there still." Through this the reader is shown that since his childhood Scrooge was "neglected". This clearly had a big impact on him as he "sobbed" and "wept to see his poor forgotten self as he used to be." The emotive language gives the reader a chance to see Scrooge in a vulnerable state and see the major impact that loneliness has had on Scrooge.
• Materialism


  The preference of material things and physical comfort over spiritual values
• Dickens presents materialism as wrong within the text
• Wealth


  • Dickens explores the idea of wealth in greater depth and portrays it as having both positive and negative effects within the novella
• Scrooge's isolation is caused by greed


  His fiancée at the time Belle says that an "idol" has displaced her a "golden one", this means that his need for money has become a priority instead of nurturing the relationships he has in his life.
• Dickens is trying to show the isolation which capitalism can cause
• Scrooge points out the paradoxical nature of wealth


  He describes it as "the even-handed dealing of the world" and asserts that there is nothing on earth as "hard as poverty" but the "pursuit of wealth" is one of the things people "condemn" the most
• In Stave 1 when the portly gentlemen arrive looking for money for charity Scrooge says that "It's enough for a man to understand his own business, and not to interfere with other people's." This reflects the capitalist ideology which Dickens was highly critical of, instead he believed in charity and helping those in need.
• Dickens ultimately shows the reader that wealth is not exclusively amoral
• Man of the worldly mind


  Marley's Ghost insults Scrooge, alluding to his materialistic attitude
• Scrooge's choice of words is also very interesting here as he uses the word "business" to talk of a person's life. This suggests that Scrooge's life was business he is noted as an "excellent man of business", the focal point of Scrooge's life was money and greed it is what motivated him and why he was never satisfied.
• The other spirits in purgatory had a "misery within them" because they wanted to "interfere, for good, in human matters" but had "lost the power forever"
• Dickens highlights that material things and physical comfort are unimportant, challenging the concept of materialism
• Fred observes that Scrooge's materialistic pursuits of wealth are of "no use to him" as he doesn't "do any good with it (his money)"

  Dickens outlines that as materialism doesn't benefit anyone, it is purposeless and should be abandoned
• Marley's chains


  Made of "cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and heavy purses", highlighting how it is Marley's misuse of wealth which has caused him to become trapped in purgatory
• The breakdown of the relationship between Scrooge and Belle

  A direct consequence of Scrooge's fixation with wealth
• Fezziwig


  • Presented as a character who used money in a praiseworthy and exemplary way, showing that it is possible to be both wealthy and moral
• Scrooge recognises that Fezziwig uses his money to make people "happy" and ensure the working conditions instil a sense of "pleasure" in his employees
• In the final stave, Scrooge uses his money to benefit those around him, making a donation to charity and sending a turkey to Bob Cratchit's house
• Following these altruistic actions, the narrator repeatedly uses the word "good" to describe Scrooge's character, showing how he has been able to use his wealth to become a better person
• Morality


  The principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behaviour
• 'A Christmas Carol' is a didactic novel with many moral messages
• Dickens was incredibly critical of the laws created about the poor, in fact he had lost all hope in democracy