SCROOGE

• “the cold within him froze his features”

  • conceit of relentless cold holds parallels to scrooges distant and cold attitude
  • internal apathy and detachment is so omnipotent, it alters his physical appearance
  • successful in his ostracisation
• "he was as solitary as an oyster"
• “external heat and cold had little influence”

  • suggests he is emotionally detached and unaffected by external circumstances
  • personification symbolises internal coldness and lack of empathy towards others
  • his current state almost cannot be reversed if something like nature has no effect him
• “squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner”

  • 7 adjective alike to 7 deadly sins
  • archetypal villain
  • asyndetic listing - painting a picture of scrooges greed and unpleasantness
  • “old sinner” highlights his moral decay
• fog and darkness thickened

  • motif of weather changing alongside scrooge
  • resembles bleakness of the protagonist
  • fog in London (1873-1879) killed hundreds - weather has the ability to destroy lives, the rich posses the same power
• “he seized the extinguisher - cap, and by a sudden action pressed it down upon its head”

  • resists the chance of redemption
  • “cap” connotes restrictions, symbolic of how scrooge desperately wants to restrict and repress the memories of his past
  • aggressive verb “pressed” paired with rapid adverb “sudden” explores how scrooge is engulfed with deeply repressed emotions, he acts out irrationally
• “I was bred in this place. I was a boy here!”

  • exclamative sentence provides the reader with 1st insight to his raw emotions - not consciously repressing his emotions he is momentarily liberated
  • evokes pathos
  • links to him being an “oyster“ - he has an internal pearl
• "tell me if Tiny Tim will live."

  • displays genuine emotion of remorse, compassion and empathy
  • emotional change is clear with use of imperatives - commanding to know the welfare of others
  • his catharsis as he is so overcome with guilt due to his blatant disregard and ignorance to the plight of the destitute
• "overcome with penitence and guilt"

  • he has gone from someone with no remorse to someone being engulfed in "penitence and guilt"
  • "penitence" connotes repentance and desire for forgiveness, adding depth to the emotional state being described
• "a solitary child neglected by his friends"

  • reminiscent of "as solitary as an oyster"
  • Scrooges neglected and " solitary" state as a defenseless child has directly caused his lonesome and "solitary" adult existence - evoking pathos
• "his heart and soul were in the scene, and with his former self"

  • presented as having a warm and welcoming ambiance around him
  • metaphorical expression represents his deep emotional engagement and connection with the scene - juxtaposing his ostracisation
  • direct juxtapose to his former cold presentation when the "cold had little influence"
• "care and avarice. There was an eager, greedy, restless motion in his eye"

  • (avarice is one of the seven deadly sins) his embodiment of 7 deadly sins foreshadows that his disintegration of his marriage is synonymous with his greed
  • conjures the image of someones whose eyes are constantly moving suggesting intense desire and anticipation for money
  • personification of eyes emphasizes intensity of scrooges emotions and desires
• "scrooge entered timidly, and hung his head before the spirit"

  • submissive to the ghost - open and welcoming the idea of his moral and spiritual awakening, he is obedient to his teachings
  • idiom "hung his head" showcases his submissiveness
• "ivy, turkey, geese, game, poultry, brown, meat, pigs, sausages, oysters....vanished instantly"

  • asyndetic list creates an image of abundance and excessive wealth
  • scrooge is in the financial position to afford these luxuries but doesnt appreciate them
  • alludes how materialistic luxuries only provide an ephemeral amount of joy
  • "oysters" in the lists mirrors his early depiction of being "as solitary as an oyster" - suggests this concealed moral nature is slowly being brought up to the surface
• “marketing the corpse” “profit us when he was dead” “cheap funeral”

  • economical language highlight scrooges focus on being a “good man of business“ he caused his solitary and somber death
  • money caused him to treat the poor in a dehumanising way, however in his death he is dehumanised by referring to him in economic terms
• “overrun by grass and weeds”

  • image of neglect from “ragged sheet“ paired with the image of death and decay highlights how scrooge in his death has been devalued and forgotten
  • “overrun“ presents the “grass and weeds” as having more vitality and life than him - mocking his materialistic driven life
  • he is more insignificant than the decaying plants that surround his grave
  • no one takes care of his grave- Dickens highlights that the neglection of others in turn will cause your own neglection in your death
• ”hear me! I am not the man I was”

  • the imperative “hear me!“ shows Scrooges desperation to be allowed a chance at redemption and salvation
  • exclamativo sentence compounds this desperation as he is shouting and pleading the ghost
  • evokes empathy - we want a chance for him to redeem himself
  • Dickens shows it’s not too late for society to change through Scrooge
• “I will live in the past, the present, and the future. The spirits of all Three strive within me.”

  • scrooges realisation marks the climax of the allegorical novella
  • personal pronoun ”I” reinforces him taking personal responsibility for his injurious actions
  • concept of “Three” could be a biblical allusion to the holy trinity - 3 ghost acting as incarnations of God - relaying a moral and religious message that penetrated deeply within Scrooge