a christmas carol

• a christmas carol follows Scrooges redemption from a miserly misanthropic business man to someone who is is generous and values helping those around him.
• dickens achieves metamorphosis through the use of supernatural phantom figures.
• misanthropic


  someone who dislikes other people
• Marley is the first ghost. He was scrooges like minded business partner.
• marley warns scrooge saying that is he doesn't change his ways he will end up in " chains "
• the ghosts teach scrooge that he needs to reflect on himself and his impact on those around him in order to live a fulfilled life.
• the didactic message of the story is that one should be compassionate to those around them instead of focusing on wealth.
• in the novella scrooge undergoes a metamorphosis where he changes from a "covetous old sinner " to someone who was " as good a man as the good old city knew "
• scrooge is based on the economist malthus
• malthus encouraged low wage culture and discouraged traditional forms of charity
• " decrease the surplus population "
• in Stave one a ghost of marley appears and warns scrooge that 3 more ghosts will come. This is a warning to scrooge that he is going to be punished for his actions. but also outlining the plot for the reader.
• scrooges attitude towards bob cratchit is shown when he refuses to let him have a proper fire on a very cold day.
• in stave 1 scrooge is visited by his nephew Fred who wished him " merry christmas " scrooge replies "bah ... humbug ".
• the ghost of christmas past visits scrooge in stave 2
• the ghost of christmas past lets scrooge see himself as a young boy. He is becoming excited by fictional characters such as " Robin Crusoe " when his sister fan comes in and tells him that he can come home as things are better. it is revealed fan died a few years later.
• the ghost of christmas past has a bright light coming from it's head.
• the ghost of christmas past shows scrooge a big party fezziwig would throw for his employees. after the party the ghost and scrooge discuss how fezziwig was good and made people happy. scrooge the reflects how he treats cratchit.
• the ghost of christmas past shows scrooge his fiancee called belle talking to him about how he loves money more than her and as she is poor she breaks off the engagment, scrooge begins to show emotion about this. The final thing the ghost shows is Belle smiling surrounded by children her husband comes home and says scrooge is " quite alone in the world"
• at the start of stave 2 scrooge wakes up, hearing the clock strike midnight, although he went to bed at 2 am.
• the start of stave 3 scrooge wakes up and sees light coming from the next room and sees the ghost of christmas present surrounded by food and christmas decorations.
• " are there no prisons?" said the spirit turning on him for the last time with his own words. " are there no workhouses?"
• " bah ... humbug "
• " hard and sharp as flint"

  meaning - shows scrooge is rough and cutting but had the potential to be good as flint can start fire. fire and brightness is used throughout the novella to symbolise emotional warmth.
• " solitary as an oyster "

  context - Victorians had an interest in exotic goods

  meaning - he is disliked and doesn't have people close to him, however there is goodness inside of him.
• fire and warmth is a recurring motif in the novella. Its a symbol of the christmas spirit and scrooges transformation.
• the ghost of Christmas present shows Scrooge the the Cratchits with their son tiny tim who is ill. Scrooge sees how they appreciate their Christmas dinner despite the poverty. Scrooge asks if tiny tim will live, the ghost says only if things change.
• the ghost of Christmas present takes scrooge to Freds house. Fred, his family and friends are having a party. they play games and have fun at scrooges expense. Scrooge is happy watching them and want to stay longer.
• At the end of stave 3 the ghost starts to look older, the christmas holidays are over. two monstrous looking children. They juxtapose how children are usually portrayed as innocent as these children are allegories of the social problems ignorance and want.
• the children Ignorance and Want are described in an asyndetic list

    “wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable… Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish”

  Scrooge was also describes in an asyndetic list in stave 1

  'a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! '
• the two children

  ignorance - people like scrooge ignore the problems of the poor this creates enormous social problems

  want - to us want means desire but to Dickens it meant abject poverty, complete lack of the basic necessities.
• the ghost of Christmas present leaves scrooge in the street. scrooge then sees a a phantom. the phantom is silence but scrooge already know it is the ghost of Christmas yet to come.
• the ghost of Christmas yet to come is describes with the adjectives "draped" and "hooded" gives the ghost an aura of mystery. and connotes to the grim reaper
• the ghost of Christmas yet to come is describes with the simile " like a mist along the ground"

  in the mist you cannot see what isn't directly in front of you. this is symbolising how you cannot see your future unless it is what is directly in front of you.
• the ghost of Christmas yet to come - " it was shrouded in a deep black garment, which concealed its head, its form and left nothing of it visible"

  shows the relationship the ghost shares with the nighttime giving it an ominous mood
• the ghost of Christmas yet come shows business men at a funeral unaffected by the death. Next they go to the poorer part of time where they watch people go through items they will sell to a shopkeeper, Scrooges is disgusted when he realises these items have been stolen from a dead person. He doesn't understand why the ghost is showing this but says he will learn from it. At the end of the stave scrooge learns he is the one who died