Cratchit Family

• "The clerk's fire was so very much smaller that it looked like only one coal"


  Hyperbole - shows the terrible cold and conditions that Scrooge makes Bob work inThe comparative adjective "smaller" metaphorically serves to represent the attitudes of the wealthy towards the poor -inferior and superior. The small fire represents Scrooge's cold attitudes towards his clerk and the other poor people in society.. t:social injustice
• "Tiny Tim hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and remember upon Christmas day, who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see."

  Religious connotations - Tiny Tim reinforces Christian values of charity, kindness and being thankful for what you have. t:christmas spirit, generosity and compassion
•  "Mrs Cratchit made the gravy hissing hot, Master Peter mashed the potatoes with incredible vigour, Miss Belinda sweetened up the apple sauce..."


  Listing - showing the family work together and that love is more important than money and materialistic goods. t:christmas spirit, generosity and compassion
• "There never was such a goose cooked."

  Hyperbole - showing they exaggerate the excitement of a goose which is too small for them as a family but they are grateful anyway. t:christmas spirit
• "God bless us every one"

  Religious Imagery -structure: ends novella with thissignificance that he says this: he symbolises hope and puritykind of sentiment that the Ghost wants Scrooge to learn: that everyone, poor or rich, deserves kindness and generosity. t: generosity and compassion, Christmas spirit
• "Mr Scrooge. I'd give him a piece of my mind. An odious, stingy, hard, unfeeling man" (Mrs Cratchit)

  Listing - the negative tone shows how unhappy she is with the way that Bob is treated by his employer. t:social injustice/inequality
• '"I'll give you Mr. Scrooge, the Founder of the Feast!"'


  Throughout all of the abuse, Cratchit remains a positive, kind, calm character. He shows how civilised lower-class people could be.hows his loyalty and gratitude to his employer who he defends against his wife's criticisms. This highlights Bob's kind and forgiving nature, further angering the audience as Scrooge mistreats him .Bob represents the ideal Christmas character.t:generosity and compassion , social injustice/inequality
• "dismal little cell"


  The adjective "dismal" and the noun "cell" show that Bob Cratchit is trapped in a horrible job as Scrooge treats him horrifically.He cannot escape his metaphorical cell because poor people in Victorian England had very few options (and very few opportunities to get good jobs), so he has to put up with being treated badly so he can support his family, whom he loves. However, he does not complain about his situation. t: social inequality/injustice
• I'll raise your salary, and endeavour to assist your struggling family" (Scrooge).


  By directing Scrooge's change of heart at Cratchit, Dickens was able to show how much of a difference Scrooge could easily make to a poor family.Cratchit has never asked for these things, but Scrooge is able to highlight his sudden generosity and caring nature by offering them to a poor man whose sole desire is to make his family happy. sees his influence of what a higher wag could greatly benefit bob and his familyt:redemption, generosity and compassion
• tiny Tim upon his shoulder".

  With Tiny Tim on Cratchit's shoulder, lifted up so high, he could be said to represent an angel.He may also need to be physically lifted up because he is weak and vulnerable. His innocence, vulnerability and angelic nature makes his potential downfall (at the hands of Scrooge) so much more horrific.t: social responsibility
• Tiny Tim was growing strong and hearty".


  This quote adds heartbreak for the reader, as we see Bob Cratchit attempting to be strong in the presence of his children. However, the verb "trembled" shows that he is lying in an attempt to protect them from hurt - he knows that Tiny Tim is growing weaker, not stronger.Tiny Tim (the lower class) becomes more and more vulnerable and needy every day, until Scrooge (the upper class) changes and decides to help.t:social responsibility
• Theme: The Importance of Family


  characters with loving families are shown to be happy: Fred, the Cratchits, Belle. Characters who do not have close families are miserable: Scrooge and Marley.Families metaphorically provide warmth - when Fred enters the office, it seems to warm up: "He had so heated himself with rapid walking in the fog and frost, this nephew of Scrooge's, that he was all in a glow".Scrooge is constantly described as being cold: "No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him". He is cold-hearted until he accepts love