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G8/9 Essay on Charity/Generosity in 'A Christmas Carol'
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GCSE G8/9 Essay on how Dickens explores the theme of Charity/Generosity in 'A Christmas Carol'
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ACC: Charity and GenerosityIn A Christmas Carol, Dickens presents the theme of charity and generosity as central to
sustaining human fulfilment. By using Scrooge as a caricature and personification of
capitalism, he critiques Victorian society's lean on Malthusin by prioritising wealth, and
personal gain over community and connection. His transformation reflects the need for
Victorian society to change into a true Christian society. Dickens's didactic message for his
Victorian audience is to develop a paternalistic role for the more vulnerable, give to charity,
accept social responsibility and prioritise family values by abandoning greed and being
generous.
In the beginning, the theme of charity is consistently dismissed by Scrooge as when the
portly gentleman asks him to donate, he asks “are there no workhouses'' and “If they would
rather die, they had better do it and decrease the surplus population.” The tone is bitter; his
words embody the Victorian cold, utilitarian mindset that prioritises wealth over human
compassion. But also there is a sense of irony in his words, despite being materially wealthy,
Scrooge is spiritually impoverished due to his lack of generosity. Perhaps this is due to his
poverty-stricken childhood.This is because Scrooge’s relationship with his family, namely his
father, was damaging to his mind as children learn from their parents so he becomes
“cold”-hearted. The ghost of Christmas past shows Scrooge the innocence of his childhood
as in “boarding school” he is sat reading “Ali-baba”, immersing himself in a fantastical book
which is a form of escapism from his wretched life and his isolation from family - he couldn’t
even visit during Christmas. It is his traumatic childhood that leads him to become a victim of
a capitalist, utilitarian society where he is forced to prioritise finance as it is what he has
been taught.
However, Scrooge’s exposure to the communal and family aspects of the Cratchits force him
to reflect on his greed and his own Christian views about charity. The Cratchit's annual
Christmas festivities idealise the poor, as they display compassion, and gratitude and are the
epitome of a good Christian family. Their holiday food “nobody said or thought it was at all a
small pudding for a large family. “ has a paradoxical nature. The pudding is tangibly small
(symbolic of the scarcity of food) juxtaposing their compassion and connection to each other
making it an abundance. This demonstrates what family and generosity truly is, which
teaches not only Scrooge but also Dickens's Victorian audience about human connection
and forming relationships. Perhaps, Dickens wants to not only dispel the stereotype of the
poor being criminals, and amoral but also critique the industrialisation of religion and
Christianity in Victorian society. Tiny Tim’s repeated “God bless us, everyone” further
reinforces this redefinition of Christmas as instead of money, family, generosity and
compassion is central to the holiday. Dickens writes this novella for the employers to force
them to reflect and adopt morals by using the stark contrast between the miser Scrooge and
the Christian Cratchit family. But also, to emphasise the importance of family values and
generosity not just during Christmas but how it sustains life.
By the end of the play, Scrooge learns to break the patterns of attachment as he rejects the
role his father played and becomes a second father to Tiny Tim which reflects how Dickens
wants Victorian society to break the pattern of exploitation. Scrooge’s concern for Tiny Tim is
encapsulated in his plea "Tell me, Spirit, will Tiny Tim live?". He feels empathy for Tiny Tim’s
helplessness due to his disabilities but also to some extent, he relates to him as he too was
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