Context

• Industrial Revolution 


  -Industrial revolution = immense change (1760-1840) change from farming to factories

  -Increasing number of factories built

  -Changing London from a rural state to an industrial state known as the progressive era (Britain seen as the pinnacle of excellence)

  -Britain gaining domestic + foreign power throughout the world
• Industrial Revolution (2)


  -Positive effects = more job opportunities increased production , efficiency an migration

  -More benefit for upper class rather than the lower class

  -Class divided exacerbated with lower class subjected to dangerous + dehumanising conditions

  -Hours were long and hard

  -Children as young as 4-5 years old forced to work in these conditions
• Industrial Revolution - Link to Novella 


  -Dickens very critical of Industrial Revolution obsessiveness of money ,particularly scathing of the idea Britain being the pinnacle of excellence when most vulnerable being neglected

  -Scrooge = Personifying the capitalist greedy mindset towards money + willingness for poor to be exploited

  -Highlights capitalism replacing compassion in society filling it its misery
• Industrial Revolution - Summary


  -Change from farming to factories

  -Positives = more job opportunities , increased production , efficiency +migration

  -Negatives = poor subjected to dehumanising work conditions + 4-5 years olds forced to work in these conditions
• Charles Dickens and the poor 


  -Dickens = extremely empathetic towards the poor and their suffering

  -Dickens grew up in poverty , has first hand experience of mistreatment + exploitation of the poor

  -Fictional Novellas = giving the poor a voice

  -Social critic , understood mistreatment of the poor not because of laziness but because of abuse of authorian peers (Government)
• Charles Dickens and the poor (2)


  -Dickens characterised as “the spokesman of the poor”

  -ACC written by Dickens in response to the report of children’s employment commission , covers the dehumanising + exploitative conditions children subjected too in the Victorian era

  -Dickens appalled by the report wanted to share the message about dehumanising treatment of the poor from his allegorical tale
• Charles Dickens and the poor (3)


  -Dickens first wrote a pamphlet to try and spread awareness of the plight of the poor

  -Turned this into a Novella as he was aware his fictional tales would galvanise more support / reach a larger readership
• Charles Dickens and the poor - Link to Novella


  -Cratchits + Tiny Tim are characters constructed to carry the exploitation of the poor message

  -Bob was exploited by Scrooge his superior in the workforce , Tiny Tim left to die due to neglect faced from society

  -Dickens debunks the common help stereotype that the poor = lazy through the Cratchits , highlights how compassion towards plight of the poor will solve poverty
• Dickens and the poor - Summary

  -Dickens was poor growing up so used his Novella to give a voice to the poor + highlight exploitation of the poor

  -A Christmas Carol written responding to the report of dehumanising and exploitative conditions children subjected to

  -Wrote a pamphlet , then wrote a Novella to reach wider audience
• Thomas Malthus 


  -Thomas Malthus (1766 - 1834) an influential British economist , strong beliefs about the impact the poor have in society

  -Believed poverty was an inevitable consequence to the increasing population

  -Famine and poverty were unavoidable due to an increasing population = increasing food demand , food demand could not be met = starvation
• Thomas Malthus (2)


  -Scrooge demonstrates hyperbolic views towards Christmas and the poor Scrooge references the poor as the “Surplus population”

  -Presents throughout the Novella the detrimental effect of having ignorant Malthusian mindset , vilifies it through Scrooge at the beginning of the Novella
• Thomas Malthus - Link to Novella 


  -Dickens‘ political diatribe can be seen as anti-Malthusian tale

  -Directly indicts Malthusian ideas the Ghost of Christmas present (sits on a pile of food) symbolises abundance

  -Abundance = large quantity of something
• The 1834 Poor law 


  -1834 The new poor law was introduced causing the introduction of the workhouses

  -Poor were sent to workhouses intended to provide shelter + food in exchange for work

  -Seemed like a good solution to reduce poverty + give back to the economy

  -However this lead to exploitation of the poor , splitting up families , making young children work in belligent conditions
• The 1834 poor law (2)


  -Estimated 145,000 people died each year

  -10% of people admitted to the workhouses , would die including children as young as 5

  -Dickens himself was pu into a workhouse when father sent to debtors prison = separation from family
• The 1834 poor law - link to Novella 


  -Social commentator Dickens condemned the dehumanising laws put in place e.g “The poor law”

  -Dickens‘ first hand experience with the belligerent conditions aimed to criticise the humanity of such laws

  -Uses Scrooges ignorance to replicate the ignorance of the upper class towards the poor “are there no prisons? Or the union workhouses ? “

  -Allso uses allegorical characters ignorance and want used to reinforce the plight of the poor that the rich make them Subject too
• Religion 


  -Foundations of morality in the Victorians era

  -Redemption and salvation were key ideas believed you would receive salvation therefore experience redemption if you confessed your sins

  -The 7 deadly sins (cardinal sins) seen as the root of all evil - Pride , greed , lust , envy , gluttony , wrath and sloth
• Religion - link to Novella 


  -Redemption + salvation is pivotal in Scrooges transformation

  -Seen in Stave 5 when he is reborn into a “baby” showing he’d been redeemed from his sins given another chance

  -Beggining of play embodies 7 deadly sins greed , wrath and pride

  -Greed = preserving his wealth (materialism)

  -Wrath = angry towards genoricty

  -Pride = does not want people to see him vulnerable +joyous hence persists in keeping his image