A Christmas Carol

Scrooge
Cratchits
Three Spirits
Title
Allegory
Poverty and Wealth

Scrooge
Stave 1

'Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous
fire'
'secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster'
'Bah!...Humbug!'
'many would rather die' (charity man) .... 'they had better do it, and
decrease the surplus population'
'without their visits...you cannot help to shun the path I tread' - Scrooge is
beyond help from humans

Stave 2

'would you soon put out, with worldly hands, the light I give'
Scrooge 'wept to see his poor forgotten self as he had used to be'
'His heart and soul were in the scene'
'The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it costs a fortune'
'Haunt me no longer!'

Stave 3

'I went forth last night on compulsion...To-night if you have aught to teach
me, let me profit by it' - he wants to learn now
'say he will be spared'
'thanked them in an inaudible speech'
'he tried to say they were fine children'

Stave 4

'with a thankful heart'

'hoped he saw his new-born resolutions'
wanted to see 'some tenderness' towards the dead man
'I am not the man I was'
'I will not shut out the lessons that they teach'

Stave 5

Scrooge did everything with a 'chuckle'

'I have come to dinner'

'Make up the fires'The Cratchit Family

-At the start of the novel, Bob Cratchit is only presented to the reader as
the 'clerk' - which could represent the way that the rich do not recognise
the poor as being individuals with a name; i.e. they're just the
workers/servants of the rich
' to warm himself at the candle'
-he doesn't complain to Scrooge and he accepts his role as a working class
man
-this sets up the allegory of the deserving poor
clear contrast between him and Scrooge
-while Scrooge has a larger physical fire, his human fire/ heart is smaller
than Bob Cratchit's
'went down a slide...in honour of it's being Christmas-Eve'
-even though it's not yet Christmas, he is excited for it - this action shows
his joy and the way he wants to share it with other people
-Bob wants to feast on the company of other people - he doesn't get a lot
of human relationships at Scrooge's
-contrasts Scrooge, who edges away from 'the crowded paths of life' inside his oyster
'Hurrah! There's such a goose'
-over sentimentalisation
-find it exciting, shows how they rarely have goose/meat - it's a treat
-small things such as this make them happy
'twice turned gown, but brave in ribbons'
'thread-bare clothes darned up and brushed'
- make the best of their clothes to make them as special as possible
-over sentimentalisation - gains sympathy of the reader (Dickens message
of poverty and deserving poor)
'Quiet. Very quiet'
-shows how the family are in mourning - contrasts previous stave where
they were all so lively
-creates pathos, reader feels sympathetic towards Cratchits and poor in
general
-over sentimentalisation 'the colour hurts my eyes' - Mrs Cratchit doesn't
want them to see her crying
Tiny Tim is buried in a 'green' place
-often graveyards are dark and gloomy
-even in death, Tiny Tim has brought life and colour into his surroundings
-contrasts Scrooge's grave which was 'overrun' and 'choked up with too
much burying'
-emphasizes the way that money doesn't bring happiness
-could represent the way that in death, God doesn't look at how much
money the person had, but how the treated other people - so while T.T.
may have lived in poverty, in death he would be more comfortable than
Scrooge
'Bob trembled' - he's afraid of Scrooge
The Cratchit family - especially Tiny Tim - are used to aid Scrooge in his

transformation
-he feels sympathy toward T.T. and wants to help him live - '[tiny tim] did
NOT die...he was a second father'

The Three Spirits - Affect on Scrooge

Stave One:

wrapped in a 'chain'
-warns Scrooge of what will happen to him if he does not take 'mankind' as
his 'business'
Marley's Ghost 'You will be haunted...by three spirits'
-Warns Scrooge of what is to come/how he will go about his
transformation, as human actions have no affect on him

Stave Two:

'a strange figure - like a child', but also like an 'old man'
-could have the innocence of a child and spirituality but the wisdom and
knowledge of an old man
'held a branch of fresh holly'
-holly is a symbol of Christmas as a whole. Connotations of hope and that
there is still life in winter
there is a 'jet of light' from its forehead
-this is the Ghost of Christmas past, so the light represents the memory
-the light fades in and out at parts - just as in memory some parts are
clearer than others
-he is illuminating Scrooge's past and highlighting different parts
Scrooge 'demanded' a lot of answers
-tells him to put his cap on
'would you soon put out, with worldly hands, the light I give?'
-his light is not from this world - from the next world/God/heaven
-His light represents the memory, he recalls different events to Scrooge
-he readily rejects the Spirits light, without even being aware of it subconscious decision - so used rejecting human sympathy
Shows Scrooge his childhood/old school, and Scrooge starts to feel
sympathetic towards his younger self - he opens up his emotions, as if the
ghost has started to prise open Scrooge's oyster.
-'I should have liked to have given him something'
This opening allows him to feel regret for ignoring the boy singing carols at
his door
The ghost takes him to Fezziwig's Ball - which reminds Scrooge of the
times when he was happy, and Old Scrooge forgets himself and joins in
with enjoys the moment
-he (re)learns what it means to be happy
- the ghost questions Scrooge's happiness saying its only a 'small

matter...to make these silly folks so full of gratitude'

-this shocks Scrooge into realising how important it is
'The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it costs a fortune'
This makes Scrooge realise he should act better towards his clerk
The ghost shows Scrooge two encounters with young Scrooge and Belle
after the first, Scrooge begs to be shown no more, however the spirit
insists in order to fulfil this part of Scrooge's transformation

Stave 3

A 'Jolly Giant' - have Scrooge's room a 'surprising transformation' 'hanging with living green' and 'fire in the chimney'
-reflects Scrooge's transformation - B Cratchit found it very surprising
-dramatic contrast to his dull, cold and lifeless room before
-this represents the abundance of Christmas
-represents the way Scrooge could be living if he wasn't a miser
-important to spread food around and be charitable
Scrooge entered 'timidly', 'hung his head' and 'reverently' did as he was
told
-shows he has been humbled since the last ghost, where he asked many
questions and was quite impolite
The spirit sprinkles happiness, mostly on the poor, showing that the poor
are more deserving of happiness than the rich - emphasizes the way that
money doesn't bring happiness
-shows the importance of bringing joy to other people's lives
Takes him to see the Cratchits
-shows the reader and Scrooge an example of the deserving poor - gives a
face to the poverty - 'They were not a handsome family...but they
were happy, grateful, pleased with one another'
-make the most of what they have - accept role in society
-enables him to develop his sense of empathy - Stave 2 empathised for
himself, now Tiny Tim 'he bore a little crutch...his limbs supported
by an iron frame' - oversentimental, emotive language
Visit a miner's family
-'But they know me. See!' - even people in remote places celebrate places
-Scrooge, who lives in one of the largest cities in the world, has no excuse
to not believe in Christmas
Visits Fred and his friends - Scrooge is happy and joins in with games, even
though he can't be seen
-teaches him how to have relationships with other people, gives him the
desire to be with people - like Bob Cratchit
The ghost shows Scrooge a boy and girl; Ignorance and Want
'Scrooge started back appalled' - can't hide his shock
'They are Man's' - human responsibility - been so neglected that they
have had to been taken in the ghost
'Have they no refuge or resource?' 'Are there no prisons...no workhouses?'
- repeats Scrooge's to him
-shows how much Scrooge has changed

Stave 4
'a solemn Phantom, draped and hooded...like a mist'
-first mentioned in the 3rd stave, which is earlier than expected - could
represent the way that Scrooge's death could come earlier than he
expects if he doesn't change
-contrast previous spirit who was large and happy
-sinister mood, connotations of death
- 'shrouded in a deep black garment...concealed its head, is face, its form'
-unknown, creates fear. Scrooge is afraid of the ghosts silence
-represents Scrooges uncertain future - mystery
'Scrooge bent down upon his knee'
-even more respectful of this ghost - out of fear, also has learnt the power
of the spirits
'I am prepare to bear your company...with a thankful heart'
Scrooge wants to learn - embracing the spirit
Phantom takes Scrooge to listen to a number of conversations, in the
exchange square, at a pawn shop
-Scrooge doesn't realise its relevance to him, doesn't understand why
phantom has shown him these places
'He frightened everyone away from him when he was alive, to profit
us when he was dead!'
-'The case of this unhappy man might be my own' - doesn't realise it is his
future, but recognises that this could be his fate
When the ghost shows him the body/house of the dead man 'If there is any
person in the town who feels emotion caused by this man's death,...show that
person to me, Spirit, I beseech you!
-only people who were happy were a couple who were renting from him and
couldn't afford to pay

Tenderness connected with death - Scrooge is shown reaction to another's

death (T.T.) - There is no tenderness connected with Scrooge's death
Cratchits were 'Quiet. Very quiet'
Scrooge is shown the grave - he 'crept' 'trembling'
-'For the first time the hand appeared to shake...The kind hand
trembled...It shrunk, collapsed'
-The phantom is recognising that Scrooge has completed his
transformation
Scrooge 'will honour Christmas' and will 'live in the Past, Present and
Future'

The Title - 'A Christmas Carol'

The words

First word 'A' - one story, many different carols

- Scrooge isn't the only one who acts like this - Dickens' message
'Christmas' - when the novel is set, when Jesus was born - could represent
Scrooge's Character was reborn
Christmas is a time of togetherness and family relationships
'Carol' - a joyful song usually sung at Christmas and announces the arrival
of the good news of redemption - Scrooges transformation

Redemption

Marley's ghost gave Scrooge chance for redemption - 'you have yet a
chance'
Christmas Past - Scrooge is reminded of his history, e.g. how happy he
used to be and the love he felt for Belle and Fanny
- Mirrors how a carol reminds us of the Christian Past - Jesus' birth
Christmas Present - sprinkles joy from his torch - easy to do. Shows how it
is easy to do good and how important it is (a little can bring a lot of
happiness). Importance of redemption
Christmas Future - Scrooge's final step in completing redemption 'the kind
hand shook' - Scrooge honours Christmas
Shows the reader how there's a chance for everyone, no matter how bad it
seems - the 'good news' of the Carol
Dickens' message - can bring happiness to the poor by understanding the
true message of Christmas

Structure of 'staves'

A stave is what music is written on - Dickens has written his story in

staves, suggesting his book is a piece of music or a song - a carol
In music a 'stave' is a structural device. Connections could be made with 5
lines in a stave and there are 5 staves in the novel
Carols often show a story/progression - each stave in the novel shows a
stage of Scrooge's progression

Communal theme

Carollers rarely sing alone - community, people together - joy

Scrooge rejects the boy caroller at his door - rejects people (unless
concerning business)
Scrooge is alone
'God bless you merry gentleman! May nothing you dismay' - ironic,
Scrooge is not merry, so doesn't take a blessing. Marley, who never
changed was never blessed
Caroller represents the deserving poor - has to beg but still sang

Music throughout the novel, for example in Stave2 at Fezziwig's ball and
Stave 3 when ghost of christmas present shows a scene with family
singing - 'it had been a very old song when he was a boy' - tradition,
importance of music
-importance of music in society, togetherness
this message is applicable to everyone - just like the message in a carol is
universal

Time

In a song, the chorus is often repeated - Scrooge sees a repetition of his

life
-he sees his future - has the opportunity to repeat it
There are bells in each stave - these mark the passing of time
-also music. Church bells play a tune

Songs used as a way of communicating morals or truths

The story is memorable, like a song

The ending brings good news, like a carol
morals: transformation, truth about the rich and poor, how the poor should
be treated
-Dickens' message shown through the music. While it is a happy/cheery
novel, underlying themes/messages
Scrooge 'thought that if he could have listened to it [music] often,
years ago, he might have cultivated the kindnesses of life for his
own happiness with his own hands'

Allegory
Scrooge
-represents the greedy and selfish rich

'secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster'- chance for

redemption
'Bah Humbug!' - his attitude to Christmas, sees it as being nonsense
'Scrooge had a very small fire'

Fred
-represents the cheerfulness at Christmas - the way it should be celebrated

a 'kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time'- even though he is 'poor

enough'

The Cratchits
-represent the deversing poor, give a face to the poor

'involuntarily applauded'
'thread-bare clothes darned up and brushed'
'nobody said or thought it was at all a small pudding for a large family'
Tiny Tim's grave in a 'green' place - contrasts Scrooge's grave 'overrun by
grass and weeds'

Christmas Past
-represents memory

'not so like a child as like an old man'

Christmas Present
-Christmas spirit, abundance, joy

Even though he is full of abundance with his thrown of food, he only wears
a simple robe - and he uses his abundance to aid others - 'he sprinkled
incense on their dinners'

Children of Ignorance and Want

-neglect

'where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked'

'They are man's'

Christmas Future
-represents death,

'The Phantom' - death

'left nothing of it visible save one outstretched hand' - expect the ghost be
sombre, but the hand shows he wants to help - salvation
'the kind hand trembled'

Scrooge at end after transformation

'Make up the fires'

The Christmas Spirit

One of Dickens' messages he wanted to get across to the reader in the novella
was the how he wanted to the spirit of Christmas to return to how it used to be.

'What's Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money'?
-what Scrooge sees the meaning of Christmas to be
'a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time' what Fred thinks
Christmas is
'men and women seem by one consent to open their shut up hearts
freely'
A young boy sings a carol to Scrooge 'God bless you merry gentlemen'

'In they all came, one after another' - Fezziwig's ball, everyone's there

'The joy, and gratitude, and ecstacy!' - at Belle's, children receiving their
presents
'thread-bare clothes darned up and brushed, to look seasonable'
'it had been a very old song when he was a boy' - passing on the
Christmas Spirit to the rest of the family
'he encouraged them in their merriment, and passed the bottle, joyously' At Fred'

Poverty
Scrooge's attitude to the poor
-his attitude towards the poor is used to shock the reader, and used to
encourage the reader into having a better attitude towards the poor

Scrooge represents capitalists who exploited the poor and made money
from them
-represents their nasty/greedy nature
'are there no prisons...union workhouses...treadmill...poor laws... glad to
hear it'
-the rich want the poor who are unable to work out of their way rather
than having to deal with them and removing the poverty
'I can't afford to make idle people merry'
-doesn't understand how hard they work
-doesn't want to spend his money on anyone else, as well on himself
Scrooge calls the poor the 'surplus population'
-extra, unwanted, unnecessary people - he sees them as waste
Carol boy - 'scant young nose...hungry cold'
- Scrooge shuts him off, doesnt accept the poor

Fezziwig's Ball

'In they all came, one after another'

- Fezziwig's ball, everyone's there, even the poor
'The happiness he gives is quite as much as if it costs a fortune'
-contrasts earlier quotation ('can't afford to make idle people merry')
-importance of helping the poor
-bringing happiness is more effective than money - Christmas message of
happiness and joy

The spirit of Christmas present - contrasts poverty

'Heaped up on the floor to form a kind of throne'

-emphasizes his abundance, lists different foods. What Christmas should
be like, however contrasts what the poor actually have - the food should
be distributed, rather than being concentrated in certain areas.
'sprinkled...from his torch...good humour was restored'
-spirit sprinkled his happiness on poor more than rich
-only a bit from the ghost could make things much better for the poor
C.D.'s message - easy for the rich to help the poor and just a little gives a
big affect

Cratchit's House
-give a face to the poverty
-an example of the deserving poor

Over sentimentalised - 'Alas for Tiny Tim'

-persuasive, sense of pathos created

'There's such a goose'

-excited about food which isn't very special
-small amounts of money bring great happiness
'thread-bare clothes darned up and brushed, to look seasonable'
-make the most, can't afford new clothes, but recognise Christmas a time
to dress well, so try to dress as well as possible
'which all the family re-echoed'
-family unity, all help eachother in making it a happy time, rarely together
often
The fact that TT doesn't die shows the way that the rich can positively
impact the lives of the poor if they choose to act - persuasive
Ignorance of Want
-give a face to neglect and extreme poverty

'youth should have filled them....a stale and shrivelled hand, like that of
age, had pinched, and twisted them, and pulled them to shreds'
-society hasn't given them what they deserve
-they should have been like any other child, however have been neglected
by society
-old age and shrivelled hands have connotations of death
'he tried to say they were fine children' - he can't hide that he was
'appalled' at I+W
-Scrooge reflects society - they try to ignore the poverty and pretend it's
not there
'They are man's'
-man's responsibility, to look after and care for
-they are mortal, human beings are not meant to be cared for by spirits
The name 'Ignorance and Want'
'most of all, beware of this boy' (ignorance)
-can't just address what the poor want (e.g. money and food) have to look
at the ignorance behind it
-ignorance represents lack of education and the way it brings poverty (at
the time, only men educated...)