Ignorance and Want

• Ignorance and Want

  The two childlike beings which cling "upon the outside of (the Ghost of Christmas Present's) garment"
• Ignorance and Want

  • They are symbolic of the issues that plague mankind
  • They are portrayed as children because Dickens is trying to show that children are the ones that suffer the most from society's issues
  • They are described as "monsters, perhaps because their existence is dangerous to society
• Scrooge was a victim of ignorance

  He willingly ignored the plight of the working class
• Scrooge was a victim of want

  The reason that Scrooge spent his life so focused on money was because of his fear of poverty
• During the nineteenth century philanthropy (charity) was becoming more popular
• Dickens may have been pushing readers towards a philanthropic mindset to try and change attitudes towards the poor
• Supernatural

  • The chidren's allegorical purpose is emphasised through their supernatural features
  • By describing them as "hideous" Dickens heightens the dramatic impact of their characters
  • Their appearance is more abrupt and disturbing which adds to the tension that they bring
  • While the children may come through a supernatural medum, they are grounded in reality which makes them all the more terrifying