A Christmas Carol
By Charles Dickens
Themes:
Redemption
Supernatural
Social justice
Family
Poverty
Memory
Death and loss
Finding happiness
Forgiveness
Time
Christmas
Main characters:
Ebenezer Scrooge
The spirit of Christmas past
The spirit of Christmas present
The spirit of Christmas yet-to-come
Ghost of Jacob Marley - Scrooges old business partner
Bob Cratchit - scrooges clerk
Tiny Tim - cratchits sick son
Mr Fezziwig - scrooges old boss
Fred - scrooges nephew
Belle - Scrooges fiancée
Fan - Scrooges sister, mother of Fred
Context:
Written by Charles Darwin and published in 1843.
Dickens was born into a middle class family, however when he was 12, his father was
arrested and sent to a debtors prison.
As a result of this, Dickens had to work in a factory as child labour, in poor conditions
and bad pay.
When his father was released from prison, he returned to school and became a court
reporter where he watched the effects of the harsh justice system first hand.
A common theme in Dickens novels, that shocked his Victorian audience, was that the
‘gentlemen-like’ characters (wealthy and educational) were portrayed as the villainous
characters, whereas the poorer, uneducated characters were portrayed as more
morally good.
, Dickens campaigned for a fairer justice system, workhouse reform and the rights of
the poor (especially children) to have access to education.
Died in 1870 after collapsing from overwork. His work made him one of the most
famous English novelists of his time, in England and America.
In dickens times, the Industrial Revolution was happening, and there was a substantial
growth in cities, as the economy shifted from agriculture to industry and trade.
Those who worked in the factories were underpayed, worked and lived in poor
conditions, and were looked down on by the rich owners, who further widened the
rich/poor pay gap.
Child labour was very common in the Victorian era as it was not compulsory for
children to be in school.
Housing in this period for the poor was appalling with high spread of disease and
deprivation, as well as this most families could barely afford to buy food, which led to
the child mortality rate being very high.
The main causes of death in these areas was due to drinking polluted.
For those unable to support themselves, there were workhouses, which were
deterrents for the poor, and were institutions of hard labour, poor conditions and
separated families.
The rich lived in luxury, with large houses, plenty of money and food and clothes. Their
children went to school, had everything they wanted and never had to work. Civilised
manners and adhering to social morals were key in Victorian society, however the
upper class often abused these views and were criticised for being hypocritical.
A Christmas carol quotes
Redemption:
"I will live in the past, present and future."
In this quote, we can see the redemption arc of Scrooge as he has been influenced by
the spirits of past, present and future. The connotations of time represents how
Scrooge has chosen to change himself, with all aspects of his being, that being his
past, present and future, which emphasises his strong intentions to change his way of
life. The use of the strong defective verb ‘will’, further reinforces the idea that Scrooge
has the intentions to change permanently, as he is vowing to change.
‘solitary as an oyster’ → ‘as giddy as a schoolboy’
The simile suggests that he is isolated from society as a result of believing he is
superior to the lower class due to his status. Despite this, the noun ‘oyster’ suggests
that he has the capabilities of opening himself up to society and providing them with
something as beautiful as a pearl which could suggest his money. However it may be
diffiicult for Scrooge as he is reluctant to do this due to him being a ‘solitary child
neglected by his friends’ earlier on in his life which suggests how he was mistreated by
his so called ‘friends’ and so this is why he shuts himself off to society so he would no
longer be vulnerable. As well as this he was also neglected by his family linking to why
he also rejects any sort of relationship with them. Consequently, due to him forcefully
isolating himself Dickens uses the Ghost of CP to lead him on to a journey of
redemption by lowering his guard where he finally accepts the idea of loving people
and towards the end of the novella he transitions into a complete person who is ‘as
