Bob Cratchit

• Bob Cratchit

  Scrooge's Clerk, introduced as a timid and nervous man
• Bob Cratchit remains unnamed for the first stave and is instead referred to as "the Clerk"
• Bob Cratchit

  • His role is to represent the plight of the poor, as he is an immediate source of sympathy in the novella
• When the Ghost of Christmas Present visits the Cratchit household

  Dickens depicts Bob as a loving father and husband, which could be interpreted as an idealisation of the lower class
• Despite his poor wages and cruel employer, Bob Cratchit remains grateful and compassionate</b>
• Dickens presents the lower class in a positive light and as multi-faceted characters through the character of Bob Cratchit
• The word 'bob' was often used as a slang word for 'shilling' during the Victorian era


  This highlights the importance and power of money over the lower classes
• Scrooge


  In the opening stave, Scrooge is cruel and merciless towards Bob, but following Scrooge's transformation, Bob displays compassion as he forgives Scrooge for mistreating him
• Mrs Cratchit


  Bob and Mrs Cratchit cultivate love and happiness between them, but when Bob proposes a toast to Scrooge, Mrs Cratchit does not approve, though Bob remains patient and righteous
• Tiny Tim


  Bob's loving relationship with his disabled son Tiny Tim builds sympathy towards Bob and foregrounds his virtue
• Remaining Cratchit children

  Bob maintains a loving and endearing relationship with his children, which Dickens presents as an ideal quality
• "He tried to warm himself at the candle": 'This conveys Bob's helplessness and the cruel treatment he faces at work'
• "I'll give you Mr Scrooge, the Founder of the Feast!": 'This exemplifies Bob's patience and compassion towards his employer'
• "Oh, a wonderful pudding! Bob Cratchit said, and calmly too, that he regarded it as the greatest success achieved by Mrs. Cratchit since their marriage… Everybody had something to say about it, but nobody said or thought it was at all a small pudding for a large family. It would have been flat heresy to do so": 'This highlights Bob's appreciation towards his family and embodies the gratefulness of the Cratchits'