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GCSE AQA English Literature 'A Christmas Carol': Fred Essay.
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I scored 25 out of 30 on this essay. I explored the significance of Fred in 'A Christmas Carol'.
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In ‘A Christmas Carol’ Dickens deliberately uses the character of Fred to investigatewider themes such as poverty, the pursuit of greed and the social responsibility of
Victorian middle class business owners. In using Fred to challenge the behaviour of
Scrooge, Dickens challenges the views of Thomas Malthus, who believed that the
poor should be allowed to die. Fred symbolises what Scrooge could and should be.
He epitomises charity, compassion and joviality. Furthermore, he is the antithesis of
Scrooge, used to highlight and expose Scrooge’s negative facets of character.
Moreover, Fred allows Scrooge to achieve salvation and redeem himself.
In the opening of the extract, the reader is able to see Fred showing positivity
towards his Uncle. Dickens deliberately dichotomises these two characters to
reinforce Fred’s positive attributes and Scrooge’s curmudgeonly nature. Dickens in
the role of the intrusive narrator tells the reader that Fred speaks with a ‘cheerful
voice’. The adjective ‘cheerful’ highlights that Fred embodies the spirit of Christmas
and brings warmth into Scrooge’s cold office. This heat is further reinforced when
Dickens uses the semantic field of heat to describe Fred. The reader learns that Fred
was ‘a glow’, ‘his face was ruddy’ and ‘his breath smoked’. This description is
antithetically juxtaposed against the coldness of Scrooge at the start of the novella
with his ‘frosty rime’. The verb ‘glow’ and ‘smoked’ remind us of the warm, charitable
heart of Fred. Using the verb ‘glow’ and ‘sparkled’ symbolises light that is linked with
purity and hope. Dickens uses Fred to highlight what Scrooge has the potential to
become.
Notably, Fred demonstrates virtues associated with Christmas. Dickens uses the
character to display goodwill, family values and he demonstrates community spirit.
His speech to Scrooge at the end of the extract shows that Fred displays
philanthropic values. He uses a metaphor to show that he resists the stratification of
Victorian England saying, ‘fellow-passengers to he grave not another race of
creatures bound on other journeys’. Dickens uses the character of Scrooge to
challenge the ideas of many Victorian middle class business owners who saw the
working classes as a work force to be exploited to raise their profits. In using the
metaphor ‘fellow-passengers’ and comparing life to a journey, Fred defends the
‘people below’ and he challenges capitalism. Dickens depicts him as selfless and
caring.
Dickens uses Fred acts as a role model for Scrooge to learn from. In this extract, he
embodies Christmas cheer. Fred is revealed to have been walking through the ‘fog
and frost’. Perhaps, Dickens uses the fog to symbolise the Industrial Revolution and
blinkered capitalists. Fred challenges capitalism and the pursuit of wealth. Fred asks
him why he got married and Fred reveals ‘because I fell in love’. He is shown to
value love over money because he is ‘poor’. Whereas, we see that Dickens chooses
a ‘golden idol’ over love. Fred is used open the door to goodness into the melancholy
life of Scrooge.
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