Christmas Carol themes

    Cards (21)

    • Social injustice
      A common theme in Charles Dickens' books, reflecting his personal experiences of poverty and the working class
    • Dickens' father was sent to debtors prison and Dickens had to leave school to work in a shoe blocking factory
    • These hardships left a lasting impression on Dickens and influenced his depictions of poverty and the working class, especially in A Christmas Carol
    • Scrooge
      • Represents the wealthier portion of society, the upper or upper middle class
    • Industrial Revolution in England
      • Brought about changes in technology and urbanization, allowing a minority to get very rich while the majority got poorer
    • Working class
      • Suffered from low pay, horrendous working conditions, and lack of trade unions and work regulations
    • Bob Cratchit
      Scrooge's clerk, representing the downtrodden portion of the working class with pitiful working conditions
    • Scrooge can treat Bob Cratchit as badly as he pleases with no repercussions, as Bob needs to keep his job and income to support his family
    • Scrooge's nephew Fred introduces the theme of social injustice, remarking that Christmas is a time when people are more willing to look past differences in wealth and class
    • The charity collectors attempt to raise money to help the poor, stressing that even small sums can make a huge difference
    • Scrooge responds brutally, suggesting the poor should go to prison, the workhouse, or die off to decrease the surplus population
    • Malthusian theory
      The idea that urbanization would lead to exponential population growth, with food supply unable to keep up, justifying the exploitation of the poor
    • Marley's fate in purgatory is a warning to Scrooge and readers that ignoring the welfare of others can affect the afterlife
    • The Ghost of Christmas Present
      • The strongest voice for social reform, showing Scrooge the Cratchit family's resourcefulness and Tiny Tim's illness due to lack of money
    • The Ghost of Christmas Present lectures Scrooge on the injustice of his actions determining whether Tiny Tim lives or dies
    • Ignorance and Want
      The two children the Ghost of Christmas Present produces, representing the consequences of neglecting the poor and uneducated
    • Dickens advocated for education as a means of breaking the cycle of poverty, and blamed the state's neglect of the poor
    • Dickens painted a dire picture of the poorer side of London, showing how crime is often the only resort in such awful circumstances
    • After his transformation, Scrooge goes above and beyond to make amends, becoming an ideal employer, friend, and businessman
    • Dickens' message is that it is not enough to just be a good person - we each have a moral duty to bring about social reform by being generous to the less fortunate
    • Representing the downtrodden portion of the working class
      Bob Cratchit as a symbol of the working class during the Industrial Revolution, who were often mistreated and underpaid
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