The Ultimate GCSE Grade 9 Analysis Bundle for
'A Christmas Carol'
GCSE FRED GRADE 9 ANALYSIS
Dickens masterfully employs Fred as the antithesis of Scrooge to awaken both
Scrooge and his targeted capitalist readers from their apathetic views. Fred's
thoughtfulness, cheerfulness, and '‘extraordinary kindness'' serve as a stark
contrast to Scrooge's character. This stark contrast is evident through the use of
heat imagery to describe Fred, who is portrayed as '’heated himself with rapid
walking'' through the '’fog'' and '’frost.'' This description conveys Fred's
enthusiasm and buoyancy as he rushes to engage with Scrooge, fearing that he
might not have another opportunity. The use of the verb '’heated'' suggests that
this warmth is a personification of Fred's compassionate nature. He consistently
seeks the good in people and in Christmas, embodying a metaphorical beacon of
light that radiates warmth to those around him and guides those who may have
adopted a bitter character.
This idea is reinforced through the repetitive use of '’merry Christmas'' in Fred's
conversation with Scrooge. It underscores Fred's eagerness and hopes that Scrooge
will embrace the true spirit of Christmas by being '’kind, forgiving, and charitable.''
Fred draws a clear line, emphasizing that embracing the qualities of Christmas
wisely is the catalyst for a successful future. Dickens also utilizes the vivid adjective
'’glow,'' which carries connotations of light often associated with purity and
innocence. This imagery suggests that Fred serves as a role model for Scrooge to
look up to and learn from. It also hints at biblical concepts of angels, implying that
since Scrooge is free of sins and resembles Dickens' vision of a role model in
society, he holds the same value as angels. This suggests that being '’kind'' and
'’charitable'' not only aligns with Dickens' message of tolerance and euphoria but
also fulfills the Christian duty of following God's teachings. Therefore, Dickens
strategically uses Fred's quintessential character to promote his socialist views,
illustrating that embodying the qualities of Christmas can lead to a brighter future
with a ripple effect throughout wider Britain.
This criticism of the upper class is further explored through Fred's character, who is
described as being '’in a glow,'' a stark contrast to the '’fog'' and '’frost'' he walks
through. This imagery symbolizes the lingering influence of the Industrial
,Revolution in the 1800s and the unfavorable aspects it brought, including apathy
and ignorance among the upper class. During this era, machines were introduced
into society, leading to reduced demand for workers, particularly those from the
middle class. While this economic boom benefited Britain, the '’fog'' blinded many
capitalists to the suffering of the people of London, caused by the failure of those
in power to protect them and by the prioritization of capitalism over socialism.
However, Fred's state of being '’all in a glow'' stands out against this metaphorical
atmosphere of capitalism and material gain, paving the way for goodness and
cheerfulness to penetrate Scrooge's melancholic life and prompt a transformation
from his solitude, akin to that of an oyster. In this way, Dickens strategically
employs the appealing aspects of Fred's character to paint a vivid image of a
typical working-class member and to align the audience against Scrooge, who
preys on those like Fred.
GCSE The Cratchit family Grade 9 Full Essay
Dickens uses the plight and poverty of the Cratchit family as a pawn to attempt to
shed light on the lives of the poor, yet indicate how vital Christmas is in one’s life.
This is evident through the use of the descriptive adjectives when Bob Cratchit
believes that it was a ‘’wonderful pudding’’, which suggests how he feels grateful
and pleased for what is being served, even though it is a very small ‘’pudding’’
which had to be eaten with ‘’applesauce’’. This emphasizes the mutual respect the
household contains between each other no matter how impoverished and
flourished they are by the class systems. It also suggests that the family gets easily
excited and surprised over genuine necessities, such as food, that humans need to
make use of daily to survive, conveying how Scrooge’s miserly ways have
abandoned the Cratchit family to live a normal quality of life but force them to
physically and psychologically suffer from the effects of poverty.
This act of the Cratchit fighting against the life of a working-class indicates how the
qualities of Christmas, such as being ‘’kind, forgiving, charitable’’, is the catalyst
that is fueling their hopes of a successful future. This also heightens the pivotal
role that Christmas plays in destitute families and people, especially during the
Victorian Era when poverty was a highly critical problem. The use of the adjective
‘’wonderful’’ creates an aura of excitement in the atmosphere, implying how even
though the Cratchits are being forced to live under the government of Scrooge’s
detrimental choices, the concept of love and celebrating Christmas will always
prioritize the idea of money and being financially stable. In this way, Dickens is
, using the Cratchit family as a vehicle to publish his socialist views that capitalism
will never be successful in a growing Britain as their self-centered character will
sow the seeds of discontent in society, which will mainly affect the working class,
such as the Cratchit family.
This idea that the Cratchit family is flourished by the class systems is further
supported through the horrifying state of Tiny Tim who is presented as a foil of
Scrooge to act as a catalyst for Scrooge's transformation and help him promote a
socialist view of equality. Scrooge is seen to be so preoccupied with capital gains
and business relations that he uses the Cratchit family as a pawn to seek further
profits. One way this is seen is through the use of violent adjectives to describe
how Tiny Tim had ‘’withered hands’’ and was in a detrimental state, yet still
wanted to ‘’bless everyone!’’. This conveys how pivotal social views play in the
Victorian Era as those who held capitalist views, such as taking advantage of those
below them, forced people as young as Tiny Tim to combat the struggles of life at
such an early age.
This also suggests that even though Tiny Tim is poor and physically weak, he still
tries to embrace life and promote positivity, emphasizing how important Christmas
dinner and its qualities of promoting contentment are to the Cratchits. This is
further heightened through the exclamation mark, showing Tiny Tim’s enthusiasm
and how he embodies the spirit of Christmas. However, this plays a critical purpose
to contradict Scrooge's way of life as although Scrooge is rich and financially stable,
he is still miserly and arrogant whereby wanting to ‘’decrease the surplus
population’’, yet Tiny Tim is seen to be more ‘’gold’’, conveying how using the
qualities of Christmas of being ‘’charitable’’ will overcome any form of needing
money as having a neutral connection with family and others in society fulfills the
duty of being a role model in the Victorian Era.
The use of the violent verb ‘’withered’’ suggests that Tiny Tim cannot protect
himself, and his life relies on society and people such as Scrooge, who are
financially stable, conveying how Scrooge's actions can dictate Tiny Tim's state and
health. This also reflects Scrooge's bitter apathy towards Bob and egocentric desire
for earning the most money, illustrating how Scrooge is the tool that is forcing Tiny
Tim to be on the verge of death and ‘’bore a crutch’’, heightening his miserly ways.
This self-centered aspect of Scrooge also foreshadows Tiny Tim's death and the
devastating bereavement of the Cratchit family, acting as a warning sign to
Scrooge that he must change his ways fast otherwise more and more innocent
children will die in society.
Through this very haunting concept of Tin Tim dying, Dickens is encouraging the
aristocratic audience to use this message as a device to attack their capitalist views
