Scrooge

• Poverty:

  • Dickens believed society needed to come together in order to help stop the spread of poverty highlights this viewpoint using a disapproving tone when describing Scrooge's views in the opening seen when Scrooge makes no distinction between the lower class and criminals - asking the charity collectors if there are any "prisons" they can send the poor to.
  • Dickens later mocks this statement when Scrooge asks the Ghost of Christmas Present if there is any "refuge" for the children clutching at his robe,
  • to which the Spirit echoes "are there no prisons?" evidently parodying his views.
• Materialism:

  • Dickens highlights how Scrooge's materialism costs him significantly more than it benefits him
  • a theme first introduced by Jacob Marley in the opening stave when he refers to Scrooge as a "man of worldly mind".
  • shown to the reader when Scrooge visits his old fiancée Belle who tells him that she is leaving him because he has replaced her with a "golden [...] idol.
  • She continues by saying he has become a man who "fears the world too much", conveying the severe cost of Scrooge's materialism.
• Materialism:

  • later identified by Fred, who notes that Scrooge's wealth is "of no use to him" as "he doesn't do any good with it"
  • showing the reader that his obsession with the material world is essential useless if he doesn't use his wealth properly.
• Regret:

  • Scrooge's regret is instrumental in allowing for his redemption.
  • This emotion not only makes Scrooge seem human but also endears the reader towards him.
  • This is poignantly highlighted when Scrooge wistfully wonders what it would feel like to have children who "might have called him father", causing his sight to grow
  • implies he has been brought to tears, showing the reader his regret while simultaneously causing them to sympathise with him
• Regret:

  • It is essential to Dickens' message for the reader to like his character. 

  • If he lacked regret his reformation would not seem genuine and wouldn't be convincing to the reader.
  • This would weaken Dickens' moral message
• Isolation:

  • Scrooge's isolation from society is highlighted through Dickens' lengthy descriptions of his relationship with those around him
  • ostracising himself from society he can exist in a state of ignorance which allows him to be totally unaware of the state of the poor and other vulnerable members of society.
  • He is both unaware and unbothered of Tiny Tim's plight and only begins to care once Tiny Tim's death is foretold by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.
• Isolation:

  • as he decreases and interacts with other characters he becomes more aware of the problems of others and transforms as a character.
  • After his reformation Scrooge plays an active part in Tiny Tim's life becoming a "second father" to him and preventing his death.
  • reflects the importance of engaging with wider society as it benefits all those who take part.
  • Not only is Tiny Tim's life preserved but Scrooge becomes happier and more content
  • Here Dickens alludes to a sense of social responsibility, which he had a strong affinity to.
• Fanny during Scrooge's time with the Ghost Xmas Past:

  • Dickens allows the reader to sympathise with Scrooge and so form attachment with the protagonist.
  • Fan is used as a catalyst for Scrooge's reformation.
  • When the Spirit reminds Scrooge that although she has passed away, she left behind a child, he begins to feel "uneasy"
  • highlighting to the reader that he is beginning to reflect on his actions.
• It could be argued that both Fezziwig and Fred act as foils to Scrooge. Dickens uses these characters as a contrast to Scrooge's negative characteristics in order to highlight the drastic transformation he goes through within the text..
• Fred:

  • Dickens carefully constructs a cold and hostile atmosphere in the opening of the novella through the semantic field of cold weather and the description of Bob Cratchit's misery.
  • This undertone is immediately contrasted with the introduction of Fred who wished his uncle a "merry Christmas" with a "cheerful voice".
  • This makes Scrooge's misery appear increasingly bleak as by using an optimistic and appealing character of fred it further effect of scrooges pessimism
• "solitary as an oyster"

  • mauthusian theory
  • belief that if you were unable to prove to be useful "you had better die and decrease the surplus population"
  • victorian aristocrats would have agreed with this and as a result they refused to support the working class