ACC

• Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner!


  Dickens utilizes vivid adjectives to describe scrooge painting a miserly and negative picture. The definition of these words emphasizes the severity of his flaws
• Why, it's Ali Baba!' Scrooge exclaimed in ecstasy.


  Scrooge's recognition of a character from his childhood reflects a moment of nostalgic joy, emphasizing the power of the past.
• "Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it."


  Reflects Scrooge's preferences for darkness both literal and metaphorical. Highlights his miserly nature and devotion to not spend money even on basic needs.
• Bah Humbug


  expresses his disdain for the christmas season. The use of "humbug" suggests he sees christmas as deceptive or meaningless
• "A solitary child, neglected by his friends, is left there still."


  the child represents Scrooge's past, emphasizing the consequences of neglect and isolation. It prompts reflection on the impact of his choices
• It's Fezziwig alive again!


  Scrooge's former employer,rekindles memories of warmth and generosity, highlighting the contrast of Scrooge's current miserly nature.
• The air was filled with phantoms, wandering hither and thither in restless haste, and moaning as they went.


  The supernatural elements in this quote contribute to the eerie atmosphere as Scrooge encounters spirits, Dickens uses vivid language to create a sense of foreboding and the unknown.
• "What reason do you have to be merry? You're poor enough."


  Highlights the belief that material gain is the only source of happiness and helps set the stage for the true meaning of christmas
• "Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead ..."


  emphasizes the idea of personal responsibility and the consequences of one's actions
• the cold within him froze his old features,nippled his pointed nose shriveled his cheek, stiffened his gait


  Vivid imagery to connect Scrooge's emotional coldness with his physical appearance, emphasizing how his lack of generosity has affected his well being
• "I wear the chain I forged in life. I made it link by link, and yard by yard"


  Marley's ghost shows the consequences of a life lived without compassion and generosity
• But you were always a good man of business, Jacob.


  Scrooge is obsessed with business!

  It shows his narrow definition of success, prioritizing financial wealth over personal values
• It was a strange figure—like a child: yet not so like a child as like an old man'

  Ghost of CHristmas Past emphasizes its unique nature. It sets the stage for the exploration of Scrooge's own past and the events that shaped him
• secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster."


  Sibilance mimics the sound of a snake generating a sense of evil
• Marley was dead: to begin with.

  Sets the tone and establishes the premise of the story. "Dead" introduces a sense of mystery and sets the stage for the supernatural elements in the novel
• coveteous old sinner


  Sets a christian element to the play setting us up for his (Scrooge)'s conversion
• How does stave 1 mirror 5

  He interacts with the same people but in different ways i.e more positive way. Pathetic fallacy is used to mirror this showing his redemption / atonement
• Scrooge: 'Oh but he was a tight fisted hand at the grindstone'
• Scrooge

  • Portrayed as a caricature, hyper real, over-exaggerated
  • Described as squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, and old sinner
• Grindstone

  Deliberately antiquated image, like a millstone, used throughout history and Biblical times
• Scrooge's conversion


  Influenced by the apparitions and Marley, in the form of Christian symbolism
• Marley's ghost: 'I wear the chain I forged in life'
• Chain forged in life


  Accountable for our actions, we build the chain of our own damnation or time in Hell/Purgatory
• Free will


  God gave us free will to choose to be good, but we are more likely to choose to be evil and have to overcome this
• Fezziwig: 'The happiness he gives is quite as great as it costs a fortune'
• Fezziwig's happiness


  Scrooge is starting to challenge his own views about the value of money, the true value of wealth is how you use it to benefit others
• Education

  Transformed lives in Victorian times, a passport to a different life
• Books read by Scrooge

  • Alibaba (set in Damascus, linked to Christian conversion of St Paul)
  • Robinson Crusoe (parallel with Scrooge's isolation and return to civilization)
• Scrooge's father

  Abandonment by his father is the origin of his fear, desire for control, and miserliness
• Scrooge: 'If they would rather die they had better do it and decrease the surplus population'
• Reverend Thomas Malthus' views


  Pointless feeding the poor because they would always be poor and have more children, leading to cruel social policies
• Tiny Tim is disabled and therefore will not be able to do many of the physical jobs available to the poor
• Without an education, Tiny Tim would not have had any role in this society
• Because of his health and the attitude of people like Scrooge, Tiny Tim is going to die
• Scrooge pays his clerk Bob Cratchit 15 Shillings a week, which is not enough for him to adequately provide for his family
• Scrooge is not a miser in the wages he pays, he is paying the going rate that all employers are paying
• The poverty and lack of education for children like Ignorance and Tiny Tim could lead to rebellion and revolution
• In response, employers set up libraries for their employees so they could learn and better themselves
• Scrooge: 'He became a second father to Tiny Tim'
• Scrooge: 'I'll raise your salary'