Poverty in A Christmas Carol
Dickens as an author was a man who was very against malthusian views and believed in the
message of charity, kindness and giving. Also he believed that the rich and wealthy had a duty to
care for and look out for the poor. But at the time, there were laws and attitudes in place that saw
the poor as lazy, undeserving and generally in need of punishment in order to rid of the poverty
that had spread over the country. There was an idea of a surplus population: that the poor were a
burden and part of the population that could be rid of easily.
The fact that there are so many examples where dickens explores poverty in the book suggests
that he had a very strong conviction to spread the message and that he saw poverty as a huge
issue. He also explores the idea that poverty is not a choice, but a hard to break cycle, that many
are born into, and it doesn’t matter how kind or good you are, the circumstances you are born
into can cause you to live in poverty for your entire life. Dickens uses the Cratchits as an example
of this.
Dickens believed that punishment was not the answer to solving poverty, but that giving and
hearty could help ease the problem. His father had been sent to a debtor’s prison and he had
experienced poverty himself, leading to his philanthropic nature.
Social injustice:
At the time, the divide between the rich and poor, cased a social injustice for those less fortunate.
Though there are many elements to social injustice in a society, Dickens highlights: selfishness
and the refusal of the wealthy to help the poor (shown in Scrooge’s refusal to donate money),
ignorance and want of both the rich and poor (shown by the two vile children), the self-
centredness and denial of one’s reputation among the poor and how death is received by those
who have been put in difficult situations (shown in the thieves who stole Scrooge’s belongings
after his death and the couple who were relived by his death) - this also shows the reader how to
appreciate the failings of only thinking of oneself. Dickens’ novella greatly criticises the social
injustice caused by the wealthiest inability to care for the poor.
Christmas:
Generally Christmas was perceived to be a joyous time among everyone, regardless of social
status and money, as it has always been a celebration of family and faith - and it was, at the time,
a moment where people became generous, forgiving and charitable. But dickens explores the
way in which sometimes the message of charity is forgotten and overshadowed by greed and
selfishness. Dickens uses the christian values of Christmas to appeal to the ideas of readers at
the time.
Dickens also explores the effect of poverty on the vulnerable, and uses the empathy often
portrayed by society towards the young, old and sick to emphasise the negativity caused by the
pitiful living and standard conditions. Fred and fezziwig are also good examples of the rich being
charitable and kind to the poor.He also explores the idea that it’s not just money that needs to be
given around to help the poor, but kind attitudes and behaviour too (explored with fezziwig’s
treatment of his workers and the way he is kind without the intention of receiving money)
Portrayal of poverty and allegorical characters:
- the children
- Bob and Scrooge (divide in wealth and mentality)
- The Cratchits
- The portly gentlemen
- The thieves and couple.
- The two children - ignorance and want - are pitifully portrayed as two symbols of the fatalistic
characteristics of the social injustice exemplified in the Dickensian novella. Ignorance is a
symbol of the lack of education which was a key cause in making it hard to break the cycle of
poverty, while want is the symbol of the needs of the poor, and the need for the rich to provide
aid. By portraying them as children, Dickens contrasts the idea of innocence and kindness
often associated with young children and symbolised the burden that the divide has caused
and the effect on everyone including the young. The vile description is the opposite of what is
usually associated with children and emphasises the effect, and the quote “are mankind
, responsibility” further highlights dickens message that people have a duty to care for the poor
and look out for them while they remain vulnerable.
- The contrast between Bob and Scrooge is symbolic of the advantages presented to the rich
regardless of their attitudes, and it highlights the effect of greed associated with money, and in
some way suggest that the poor may live in a happier mental state due to the lack of constant
greed from earning and wanting more. Wealth wise, Scrooge’s position had conditioned him to
care only about money and business, and this is presented in may way throughout the novella.
He is innocent of the knowledge regarding anyone else but himself and his work, and lives
alone in misery. This is contrasting by Bob’s undying love for his family and his commitment to
providing for them. Though he and his family struggle and don’t live as well as most, the
feelings of love and care are presented in his attitudes, solely because being in poverty had
taught him and his family to appreciate everything they have, including everyone they love. This
creates and opposite divide to the divide of wealth between Bob and Scrooge. Bob lives more
happily than Scrooge because he is surrounded by those he cares about, regardless of the
income tat he gets to support them, while Scrooge remains miserable and never even spends
the money on himself to brighten up his life. Similar to the cycle of poverty, scrooge is stuck in
a cycle of misery, caused only by his greed and fortunes.
- The portly gentlemen - the two men are a symbol of charity, not only do they come about in
hopes of gaining donations, but they remind the reader of the importance of giving to the poor
at Christmas. Their interaction with Scrooge and his response also reminds the reader of the
fact that the refusal and denial of the rich is a huge factor in that the poor are struggling to
survive. Also the talk of the ‘work houses’ and the ‘prisons’ is a reminder of the punishment and
poor conditions that the poor must endure simply because of the wealth status. However at the
end of the novella, after scrooge’s journey has been seen to make him a more philanthropic
man, we see his want to donate and redeem the mistakes he made by not aiding in the past.
This represents again, Dickens’ message that the rich need to give to the poor, and that not
only will it help to build a society were the living conditions are better and the country is not to
plagued by poverty, but that it will make you feel better too - the fact that it is one of the first
things that he does in his path to redemption, portrays it as an important step in the eyes of
Dickens.
- The thieves who steal the belongings of Scrooge after his death are representative of the poor
who benefit from the deaths of others. Not only does it open Scrooge up to the severity of the
problem, that people would be so delighted in his death because it gives them something to
sell ad earn money from, but it also highlights that people are desperate enough to steal from a
lonely old man. Similarly it open Scrooge up to the ideas that his ignorance blinded him to the
fact that he never cared about anyone but himself and that it caused people below him to hate
and despise him. The couple who were in debt to him, showed emotions of relief in regards to
his death which suggested that their situation had been causing them unneeded anxiety and
that their money problems, initially helped by Scrooge but then unsolved until his death had put
them in a problematic place, and the fact that they were so relieved also implied to Scrooge
that his effect on other people is greatly negative and oppressive. It was also a common thing
at the time, that many poorer people were in debt because of their struggles to provide for
themselves and their families, and debt collectors and loaners made their lives miserable if they
were unable to pay it back, this meant that it kept them in the poverty cycle until they could pay
it back. This part of the novella also explores the slums, and greatly highlights the awful
conditions that many who live in poverty have to endure - it was likely that as a character,
Scrooge had never experienced or taken the time to have seen this part of poverty, and in turn
it was unlikely that the reader would have either, so it brings to light the importance of solving
the issue for the benefit of those enduring the pitiful conditions.
- The Cratchits, Dickens’ main example of a poor family, are a close-knit loving group of people
who care deeply for each other, even if their situation is one filled with disadvantages and
poverty. During many of the scenes with the Cratchits, we see that they use everything they
have in multiple ways and don’t take for granted anything that is available to them. They are a
big family which means more people to provide for, and we see the eldest boy getting ready to
work and bring in money for the family - this idea that he children had to start working as soon
as possible to bring in money for the family creates the sense that they’re desperate for more
