No wind that blew was bitterer than he, no falling snow was more intent upon its purpose, no pelting rain less open to entreaty. These include Scrooges cold nature, the power of wealth, and loss. The description of Marley's ghost has his chain wound about him. This almost prompts a realization in Scrooge as he catches on to the fact that his wealth provides him (and indeed Fezziwig) with the power to make people happy. Stave 4 - Tiny Tim's burial place is eden like - as, despite his poverty and place in life, he was good and will be welcomed by god. God bless us!, At the time people rid themselves of any guilt by blaming the poor for the fact they were poor. This poignant moment arrives when Scrooge is looking at Christmas yet to come. It is a dark, sad moment but Bob Cratchit handles the situation with grace and dignity. He must have slept through a whole day and half a night. This is where the clerk lives. The final ghost is by far the most scary of the three it remains silent throughout their time together, only standing by as a guide, and leaving Scrooge and the reader to work out the story himself. Then write the form of that verb The adjective dismal connotes a lack of light and hopeless atmosphere. And I know I know my dears, that when we recollect how patient and how mild he was; although he was a little, little child, we shall not quarrel easily among ourselves and forget poor Tiny Tim in doing it. Dickens was openly opposed to this view and challenges it throughout the novella. Family Theme Analysis. Glorious!'. ffects the change, pulling the curtains aside with his own hand. By this stage, Scrooge has already begun to see the error of his ways and has realised that he will benefit from the messages he is receiving and so he begins to take agency over the situation. Tiny Tim's comment is generous in spirit, seeing his disability positively as it will remind others of the true meaning of Christmas by allowing them to think of Jesus on Christmas day. One interesting feature of this stave relates to the fact that two people die in it: Scrooge and Tiny Tim: the richest and the poorest people in the book. in Its progressive form. The use of the word 'alone' is repeated showing again that selfishness will lead to a life of loneliness. Themes= greed and generosity/ time. It would have done you good to see how green a place it is.". Scrooge is particularly affected by the death, and this is a death he is able to reverse in the future when he amends his behaviour. Bitter- "no wind that blew was bitterer than he. It was a worthy place. The speaker is clearly fed up with Scrooges behaviour and wants him to get to the end of his journey and realize his mistakes as soon as possible. For characters like Fred and Bob Cratchit, Christmas represents the Christian ideal of goodness and moral prosperity, but Scrooge is at his most miserly when Christmas is mentioned. Marley 2. Studying A Christmas Carol? Jacob Marleys demise is possibly part of what shaped Scrooge into the person that he is. 5. The fog has lifted and Scrooge can 'see' the truth. Inclusive now of society - not isolated and solitary. I think he wanted to make it accessible to all classes so he could better spread his message. A Christmas Carol: Key Moments Being such a short story there is very little that is extraneous. The key theme for Dickens is that money does not lead to happiness, Greed is the single factor that is responsible for the breakup of Scrooge's marriage, 'Another idol has displaced me a golden one', Stave 2: 'The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it cost a fortune', The Cratchit family are used as a depiction of a family in poverty, More than any other time in history there was a huge divide between classes, the lower classes lived in deperate poverty and were in want while the upper classes enjoyed a life of luxury, Stave 1: 'Many thousands are in want of common necessities, sir and many hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts', Scrooge's staff selling off his old goods, Victorian aristocracy were very keen to remain ignorant about the sufferings of the poor. The workers will be repairing the building. This is said by criminals who plundered/ stole from scrooge after he died. Total Abstinence Principle more hilarious punning from Dickens. 2. If they would rather die, they had better do it and decrease the surplus population. Dickens also suggests that, through his adoration of a false god, he is no longer a good christian. We are reminded of the contrast between the rendered status. Dickens uses Tiny Tim to remind his readers of the story of Jesus performing miracles and his teaching of acceptance of all. In defending Fezziwig, he is taught a lesson and makes him think about how he treats his clerk, leading to his second moment of regret in which he'd like to 'say a word to two' to Bob. "Business!" Scrooge hung his head to hear his own words and was overcome with penitence and grief. So we have tried where possible to focus on the most vital sections of the novella. His selfish ways have left him this way. Who suffers by his ill whims? The opening line says, ''Marley was dead: to begin with. Stave 2 - The first of the three spirits Stave 4 - in the rag 'n' bone man's shop A description of scrooge as a young boy, he was left alone at school as others enjoyed their holidays. Themes= greed and generosity/ time. Hallo!". You must cook those fresh eggs for that kind of special salad. 'A Christmas Carol' Key Quotations Stave 5 Analysis Term 1 / 5 "I am light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy. Hallo there! Home Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol Best Quotes. This again leads back to Dickens' idea of collective responsibility - that everything that we do influences others. He has learned his lesson and been transformed from darkness into light - which is reflected in the world around him. The use of nature with a type of plant typically seen around christmas time makes scrooges comment even more menacing saying that they should kill him with the very thing that is giving him happiness in that certain period.- Scrooge If they would rather die, they had better do it and decrease the surplus population. By the time he reaches the third ghost The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come he orders the ghost, using the imperative phrase Lead on! He is in control now, and wants the change desperately enough to be forceful about it. Scrooge's sympathy for himself leads to sympathy for the carol singer from the night before. Stave 3 - the ghost uses Scrooge's words against him Oh, glorious, glorious! This went against what Victorians considered to be a 'good death' where you die surrounded by friends and family and then are mourned afterwards. Stave 2 - Belle breaks off the engagement. In this way, like a patient completing therapy, he has faced his past, but can now move on. This has a double meaning both as a sympathetic term of endearment and also the fact that thanks to Scrooge the man is literally poor. Dickens, therefore, is attacking the Malthusian capitalist theories. His narrator describes events as they happened and doesnt spend a great deal of time on extraneous details. The metaphor shows that the school didn't help any student achieve their dreams, instead it destroyed their lives as they could not fulfil their potential. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Version 1 December 2016 . The ghost of Christmas presents it sitting on a throne of food. However, this in itself would probably not have been enough to alter his ways. "Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of things that May be, only?". scientist; is. Does this line support or contradict the speaker's statement in the final stanza, "Nothing really happened"? Bovey, Lee-James "A Christmas Carol Themes and Analysis " Book Analysis, https://bookanalysis.com/charles-dickens/a-christmas-carol/themes-and-analysis/. Below one can explore the themes, symbols, and more that appear throughout the novel. cried Bob. The declarative 'will' conveys certainty showing how urgent it is that Scrooge change. Scrooge, showing that through the visits of the different ghosts he began to change more and more, as in stave two his "lip was trembling", but now he is having "a violent fit of trembling". As it is used in line 32 , the word reticent means the opposite of. Oh! The hellish atmosphere is emphasised by the fact that the ghost's clothing and hair appears to move as though in an updraft of heat, suggesting that the ghost is in hell. The adjectives: genial show his joy/ cheer, sparkling presents tense- has connotations of light and magic and open emphasises his generosity.Themes= greed and generosity/Christmas. How to revise from this guide You should be spending at least 30-60 minutes a week revising for English Literature from this point onwards, aiming to learn 5-7 key quotes for each character. This shows scrooges selfishness and his addiction to money with belle feeling replace with money she feels like she doesnt matter to him and that all he cares about is money. The idea that they shake hands with each person 'individually' shows the humanity with which they treat everyone - they do not see the poor as 'creatures' Analysing the evidence "I am sorry, with all my heart, to find you so resolute. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. Themes= Christmas/greed and generosity/family. " A solitary child, neglected by his friends is left there still - Scrooge sobbed, This shows scrooges lack of companionship and support even since a child this could show why scrooge became so money obsessed, I have always thought of Christmas a good time. A Christmas Carol is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a stingy, cruel, wealthy, old bachelor.The book opens with a funeral. Stave 2 - Scrooge becomes distressed by what he is seeing. The image of the 'lonely boy near a feeble fire' reflects very closely the older Scrooge we have seen, alone eating gruel. A description of the ghost of Christmas present. But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! What I think is really clever is that the story is framed so that when we see the ghost of Christmas past, seeing the things that shaped Scrooge into the man he is at the beginning of the play starts to let us feel sympathy for him so that when he is offered a second chance as a reader, we are glad he gets to redeem himself. Only financial gain. However, some of the scenes are to help develop Scrooge's character and add backstory. Check ()(\checkmark)() the blank before each sentence that contains a subordinate clause. The Cratchits are generous and loving in very difficult circumstances. "If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population." The ghost of christmas present is showing the two children that hide in his cloak and he says that the problems these children portray are the problems of mankind. It also explains why he becomes hard and sharp like a flint, later on. Dr Aidan, PhD, brings you the second video. The entrance of Scrooge 's nephew Fred at the beginning of the story introduces another side to the miser. They now drag him down in death, and hes forced to wander the earth, unable to undo what he did before. Fezziwig's office has a large fire which adds to the welcoming atmosphere, offering the reader an additional opportunity to compare it to Scrooge's cold office with the meagre fire. Scrooge listened to this dialogue in horror he viewed them with a detestation and disgust. ), phrases like holding a candle for someone mean to remember them, while candles are used in c. Scrooge finishes the stave by putting out the candle, which shows him symbolically putting down his past leaving behind the resentment he has harboured at having lost his childhood to neglect. The adjective monstrous, creates a negative impression of the man, almost evil, and reinforces Dickens message that it was the ignorance of the rich that created many society's problems. The most clearly religious image though is how it wears a tunic of purest white, as though it is a pure, innocent Angel sent to guide him. So, therefore, we should take responsibility for being a positive influence. With the title of the book being A Christmas Carol you would expect Christmas to feature prominently throughout the novel. A description of how the Cratchit family mourned the death of Tiny Tim. The word 'business' reflects Scrooge's earlier response to the portly gentlemen. Contrasting similes emphasise his god like figure- he is at once innocent and knowledgeable. Stave 1 - Scrooge's rponse to being asked to give money to charity, "If they would rather die," said Scrooge, "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.". Money 5. Scrooge becomes part of two families: Dickens reveals that we are part of not only our blood relatives but also a wider family that of society. The use of light throughout the novel suggests the truth/ the right path which Scrooge at first does not want to see. We have never had any quarrel, to which I have been a party. Stave 5 - description of Scrooge's redemption This reminds us of Freds line during the beginning of the book a phrase that Dickens later called The Carol Philosophy: It is only during Christmas that we open our shut up hearts and think of each other as being fellow passengers to the grave and not other beings on some other journey. During this section, Scrooge is reminded that we all die in the end, it is the only sure thing in life, and that all we have to work with is the short time that we have down here. The verb forged shows skill and effort- Marley spent his whole life's time and effort in his greed so is suffering the consequences. The repetition of the word 'little' reinforces to the reader how young and innocent and undeserving of death was Tiny Tim. Glorious! Scrooge's language has been formal and official: here he is informal, natural and joyous. Being such a short story there is very little that is extraneous. Dickens uses him to enable the reader to see that this is unfair, perhaps looking to make his readers reflect on the high mortality rate amongst poor children. The final ghost appears as a phantom a spectre dressed in black: clearly an image of The Grim Reaper himself. When you analyse poverty in A Christmas Carol, you may want to reference the setting as well as using direct quotes from characters. A happy New Year to all the world. This is fitting because it is traditionally colder at Christmas but also because the cold is an apt metaphor for Scrooges personality. Key quotes from a Christmas Carol- Stave 2, A Christmas Carol Vocabulary, A Christmas Car, myPerspectives, English Language Arts, Grade 8, myPerspectives: English Language Arts, California (Grade 9, Volume 1), myPerspectives: English Language Arts, Grade 7, myPerspectives: Grade 10, Volume 2 California Edition, A Christmas Carol - quotation analysis-Stave. Then, identify each underlined word by writing above it ADV for adverb or ADJ for adjective. The metaphor shows he is rigid in his unfeeling behaviour to others. Stave 5 - pathetic fallacy Fezziwg really represents what Scrooge has and what he could (and eventually does) become. Scrooge will avoid spirits for the rest of his life geddit? With in-depth analysis, this video aims. A Christmas Carol (Key Quotes) 'Mankind is my business' - Marley (Should be Scrooges and everyone elses too) 'I will honour Christmas in my heart and, and try to keepit all the year' - Scrooge (Willing to change, become better person) . These cover themes like wealth, poverty, Christmas, and kindness. Thus Dickens is ending with the message that we can all change our selfish ways and be a positive influence. When it was made you were another man. What is interesting is that a lot of the traditions that Dickens writes about werent quite so commonplace before his novella. It could also show that, as it has been so long since he was happy, he finds it difficult to describe. () The introduction of the portly gentlemen provide an opposition to Scrooge. A description of the ghost of Christmas past, who symbolises memory and who shows scrooge events from the past. Invite Scrooge to come for Christmas dinner 4. Stave 2 - the arrival of his sister, Fan Bovey, Lee-James "A Christmas Carol Quotes " Book Analysis, https://bookanalysis.com/charles-dickens/a-christmas-carol/quotes/. ', 'secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. Watching Scrooge forge his own invisible chain served as part of Marley's punishment for his deeds in life. cried the gentleman, as if his breath were taken away. She looked at me as if I had insulted her. Here in this quote, one can see Dickens playing with literal and figurative meanings to great effect. The Christmas Spirit I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time the only time when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers. In Victorian times, the deceased were usually dressed in their best clothes for burial but here, Scrooge's clothes after death have been removed and sold for money. In what ways did Louis XV differ from Louis XIV? All rights reserved. Stave 5 - Scrooge walks the streets enjoying the company of others. However, it could also be argued that ignorance reflects the lack of education of the poor. sungiemarie. Dickens creates sympathy for the poor, through the Crachit's and their tight knit family. ". Describes Fred, who is a symbol of Christmas spirit. The simile has connotations of stillness and endings. phrase on the line at the right. If you watch any of the adaptations of A Christmas Carol Tiny Tim is almost always one of the loveable characters and with good reason. Scrooge is presented as a miserly character - his money does not even bring him any happiness. The spirit of Christmas is personified in his open heart, open hand, and outstretched arm. For a start, there is the use of ghosts throughout. Stave 3 - Tiny Tim Scrooge has been transformed - just as his room has been transformed by the arrival of the Ghost of Christmas present - and wants to learn. I should like to have given him something: thats all., About the Fezziwig family: shaking hands with every person individually as he or she went out, wished him or her a Merry Christmas., Scrooge about Mr Fezziwig: The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it costs a fortune., Belle to Scrooge: Another idol has displaced me., Belle about Scrooge: I have seen your nobler aspirations fall off one by one, until the master passion, Gain, engrosses you., Belles husband to Belle about Scrooge: Quite alone in the world, I do believe., There was nothing very cheerful in the climate or the town, and yet was there an air of cheerfulness abroad., About the Ghost of Christmas Present: Sprinkled incense on their dinners from his torch., About the Cratchits goose: a feathered phenomenon., There never was such a goose. Oh! The noun 'father' shows the idea that one laugh leads to another - happiness breeds happiness. No Way- he tells them that the poor should go and die then there would be less people in the world. The Ghost of Christmas Past is an interesting vision it changes shape and size, it has many arms and then a few, it seems distant and close, old and young in fact it seems riddled with contradictory images. This quote from Fred shows him having opposing views to his uncle scrooge, Fred tries to make Scrooge someone who enjoys christmas however it is not him that makes scrooge appreciate it. The dying fire at the beginning of the novel symbolizes Scrooges lack of either. ', Stave 1: 'that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death. The Total Abstinence Principle was a phrase used for teetotallers (people who refrained from drinking). Stave 3 - ignorance and want It is uncared for just as he was uncared for, gasping out his last alone. Ultimately he tries to extinguish the ghost's light. This use of listing to describe everything as 'good' helps to demonstrate the far reaching consequences of Scrooge's redemption. The heaviest rain, and snow, and hail, and sleet, could boast of the advantage over him in only one respect. This is a great quote for highlighting the sort of character that Scrooge was in A Christmas Carol. a squeezing, wrenching . Fred represents the spirit of Christmas and carries Dickens' message about collective responsibility and how we should treat one another. Imagery of warmth has symbolism of generosity, compassion and forgiveness- Fred always makes a effort with scrooge. The innocence of the 'angel' and the 'schoolboy' contrast with the hellish image of Marley's ghost, showing the reader that he will be saved. Imagery of warmth has symbolism of generosity, compassion and forgiveness- Fred always makes a effort with scrooge. They were a boy and girl. Of course, the suggestion that people might be talking about him is beastly to Scrooge. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach. as if its hold were of uncommon strength." Of course, these changes seldom happen so quickly in reality and perhaps thats part of the reason that A Christmas Carol does not receive the critical acclaim that you could argue it deserves. A description of the school house that Scrooge was left in as a child, by his family. Dickens was familiar with the terrible working conditions of the poor and campaigned for education of children. Mr and Mrs Fezziwig ..'.shaking hands with every person individually as he or she went out, wished him or her a Merry Christmas.'. Scrooge's grave, by comparison to Tiny Tim's is 'overrun by weeds'. Marley tells scrooge he is responsible fro his punishment- he is suffering the consequences for his actions. Where graceful youth should have filled their features out a stale and shrivelled hand, like that of age, had pinched, and twisted them. I am as giddy as a drunken man. International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct,London, EC1A 2BN, United Kingdom, 2023 Book Analysis. Of course, the fact that this is obvious does not detract from the big reveal due to the way that Dickens masterfully creates tension. Discuss why you think the poet made these choices. Scrooge makes explicit reference to the Malthusian idea that the population must decrease in order to create better conditions. 'A Christmas Carol' is a widely studied book filled with memorable quotes. Theme= poverty/greed and generosity. forgiving- "to Mr Scrooge, the founder of the feast.". Flint is a type of ground that makes it difficult for life to grow kind of like how scrooges character allows no imaginations to grow. I am as giddy as a drunken man. Scrooge learns how little generosity creates a lot of happiness. A frosty rime was on his head, and on his eyebrows, and his wiry chin. This is a great description, wanders around holding a candle snuffer that looks like a hat. How does the speaker begin and end "Incident"? Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy., Scrooge says to the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come: I am prepared to bear you company, and do it with a thankful heart., Two Business Colleagues: Its likely to be a very cheap funeral, said the same speaker; for upon my life I dont know of anybody to go to it., Scrooge to the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come: I see, I see. Why show me this, if I am past all hope! For the first time, the hand appeared to shake. There is no doubt . We can infer that the only other person he cared for was Marley and even that wasn't really because of a friendship.

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