scrooge's attitude towards the poor essay

A Christmas Carol

Describe scrooge's attitude toward the poor and the unfortunate provide a quote of scrooge's that sums up his attitude..

describe srooge's attitude in a formal way and give a quote that goes with your answer.

Initially, Scrooge finds the poor and poverty stricken to be an annoyance. He feels that they somehow deserve their plight and he should not be expected to prolong their miserable existence by giving charity. When a charity worker laments that people would rather die than go to the filthy workhouses, Scrooge replies:

"If they would rather die," said Scrooge, "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."

He was an old miser and he was malcontent.

We are learning about this in school in ELA and I just thought you might want to know this :)

im not really sure if i want to put these answers because there not sentence wise .

" if they would rather die, they better do it and decrease the surplus population."

The word "surplus" is an adjective, the adjective indicates an excess in population therefore a reader can infer that Scrooge thinks there is no need for the poor and the destitute that they are in excess. the adjective "surplus" further interlinks with the Malthusian Economic Theory, it shows the inchoate mentality the people of convention had.

i think scrooge is selfish and self-centered towards the poor

Ok so the gcse questions you have to answer now have a way different format of answering so I'm gonna put an answer that would be more convenient to use using the answers above and from the website I've put plus my own writing coz I'm answering a question like this myself rn.

In the 19th century, poverty was a major problem and was a crucial crisis for those who couldn't support themselves. Dickens reflects ACC back to those who were unfortunate and his own experience as a message to the reader to take heed. After the poor law had passed in 1834, life was harsh and workhouses were the only option of being supported but they were horrible and miserable places. Dickens uses language, punctuation, imagery and his own experience to present the theme poverty.

In stave 1, our impression of Scrooge is that he was an old bitter miser and was malcontent. Initially Scrooge finds the poor and poverty to be an annoyance and feels they deserve their plight and that he should not be expected to prolong their miserable existence by giving charity. When a charity worker laments that people would rather die then go to workhouses Scrooge replies,"if their would rather die...surplus population". The word 'surplus' is an adjective which indicates to excess in population therefore the reader can infer that Scrooge thinks that there is no need for the poor and destitute as they are excess. The adjective 'surplus' interlinks with the Malthusian economic theory which shows the inchoate mentality people had. Scrooge continuously asks the workers questions showing his reluctance and displeasure to give charity. "Are there no prisons?" And,"and the union workhouses?" He also asks about the poor law which shows he doesn't care about the poor and dismisses them as they aren't his responsibility. He refers to them as "surplus population" and that they should die which tells us the welfare of the poor doesn't concern Scrooge. He says "mine occupies me constantly" confirming the readers suspicions that Scrooge is inconsiderate and parsimonious.

It's clear that Dickens has a very sympathetic attitude towards the poor and views then as victims of the circumstance. He advocates the giving of charity and strongly opposes the poor law to help ease the burden of charity.

https://quicklitsstudyhelp.wordpress.com/2018/01/27/how-does-dickens-present-poverty-in-a-christmas-carol/

^the question I had to answer that for was :

write about scrooges attitude to poverty in stave 1

if any of my classmates stumble on this you don't know me and don't copy word to word

In stave 1, our impression of Scrooge is that he was an old bitter miser and was malcontent. Initially Scrooge finds the poor and poverty to be an annoyance and feels they deserve their plight and that he should not be expected to prolong their miserable existence by giving charity. When a charity worker laments that people would rather die then go to workhouses Scrooge replies,"if their would rather die...surplus population". The word 'surplus' is an adjective which indicates to excess in population therefore the reader can infer that Scrooge thinks that there is no need for the poor and destitute as they are excess. The adjective 'surplus' interlinks with the Malthusian economic theory which shows the inchoate mentality people had.

"If they would rather die," said Scrooge, "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population." is the quote he used

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‘A Christmas Carol’: Sending the Poor to Prison

• December 22, 2017
• By Matthew Caruchet

Illustration of the Ghost of Christmas Present by John Leech from the 1800s.

When he was 12 years old in 1824, Charles Dickens worked 10-hour days in a rat-infested shoe-polish factory for six shillings a week. That’s the equivalent of £30.68 or $41.06 in 2017 currency.

It was all the money he had to get by. His father, mother, and five siblings aged 2-11 were in prison because the family was in debt. This is what Western society did with the poor in the mid-1800s. If you fell behind on your bills or couldn’t pay legal fines, you and your family went to flea-ridden government workhouses where you would labor to earn your keep.

Your work did not, however, pay off your debts – you could spend the rest of your life there. If you died in a debtor’s prison, your body was given to anatomists to dissect in the name of science.

Needless to say, Charles Dickens grew to hate the system and rail against it in his works. In his seminal novella “A Christmas Carol,” Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by two portly men raising money for the poor.

“At this festive season of the year, Mr. Scrooge,” said the [one of the gentlemen], taking up a pen, “it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir.” “Are there no prisons?” asked Scrooge. “Plenty of prisons,” said the gentleman, laying down the pen again. “And the Union workhouses?” demanded Scrooge. “Are they still in operation?” “They are. Still,” returned the gentleman, “I wish I could say they were not.” “The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour, then?” said Scrooge. “Both very busy, sir.” “Oh! I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course,” said Scrooge. “I’m very glad to hear it.” “Under the impression that they scarcely furnish Christian cheer of mind or body to the multitude,” returned the gentleman, “a few of us are endeavouring to raise a fund to buy the Poor some meat and drink, and means of warmth. We choose this time, because it is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices. What shall I put you down for?” “Nothing!” Scrooge replied. “You wish to be anonymous?” “I wish to be left alone,” said Scrooge. “Since you ask me what I wish, gentlemen, that is my answer. I don’t make merry myself at Christmas and I can’t afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned: they cost enough: and those who are badly off must go there.” “Many can’t go there; and many would rather die.” “If they would rather die,” said Scrooge, “they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.”

Interpretations of “A Christmas Carol” have often tried to turn it into an assault on the wealthy, critiquing capitalism’s effect on society. It is not. There is nothing wrong with being very wealthy in Dickens’ book. The two good men raising money for the poor are capitalists and entrepreneurs. They are “portly” in a time when food was scarce and people starved on the streets.

The evil in society comes from indifference towards fellow people and a reliance on a governmental system that does more harm than good.

Take for instance the “Treadmill” and “Poor Law” mentioned above.

A treadmill at Brixton Prison in London in the 1800s.

The treadmill was a feature in prisons where inmates would walk endlessly, pushing a huge wheel while holding bars at chest height. With every step, the wheel would turn, grinding corn. Prisoners were allowed 12 minutes of break every hour. It was meant to be a form of “preventive punishment” so difficult that that nobody exposed to it would ever risk reoffending.

The Poor Law is a reference to the popular economic theories of Thomas Malthus. Malthus argued that ruinous poverty and starvation were necessary ills, as society could not possibly provide for everyone and death would remove the undesirables from the population. He supported the Poor Law to create workhouses for the poor, as people who were unable to sustain themselves did not have the right to live.

In the fevered haunting of the second night, Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present visit the holiday celebration of Bob Cratchit, with its tiny pudding to serve a family of seven. Bob works 60 hours a week and earns 15 shillings – £89.78 or $120.19 in 2017 dollars.

His son, Tiny Tim, would have died under the Poor Law system. That’s why, of all the Christmas spirits, the Ghost of Christmas Present has the most disdain for Scrooge, mockingly spitting his words back at him.

“God bless us every one!” said Tiny Tim, the last of all. He sat very close to his father’s side upon his little stool. Bob held his withered little hand in his, as if he loved the child, and wished to keep him by his side, and dreaded that he might be taken from him. “Spirit,” said Scrooge, with an interest he had never felt before, “tell me if Tiny Tim will live.” “I see a vacant seat,” replied the Ghost, “in the poor chimney-corner, and a crutch without an owner, carefully preserved. If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will die.” “No, no,” said Scrooge. “Oh, no, kind Spirit! say he will be spared.” “If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, none other of my race,” returned the Ghost, “will find him here. What then? If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.” Scrooge hung his head to hear his own words quoted by the Spirit, and was overcome with penitence and grief.

It’s easy for Scrooge to feel sorry for Tiny Tim. It’s someone he knows – a single instance with a face and a personality. But it’s harder to feel compassion for large swathes of people, faceless segments of the population hidden away in debtor’s prisons and workhouses. That’s why the Ghost of Christmas Present has more words to throw back as he dies.

“Forgive me if I am not justified in what I ask,” said Scrooge, looking intently at the Spirit’s robe, “but I see something strange, and not belonging to yourself, protruding from your skirts. Is it a foot or a claw!” “It might be a claw, for the flesh there is upon it,” was the Spirit’s sorrowful reply. “Look here.” From the foldings of its robe, it brought two children; wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable. They knelt down at its feet, and clung upon the outside of its garment. “Oh, Man! look here. Look, look, down here!” exclaimed the Ghost. They were a boy and girl. Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish; but prostrate, too, in their humility. Where graceful youth should have filled their features out, and touched them with its freshest tints, a stale and shrivelled hand, like that of age, had pinched, and twisted them, and pulled them into shreds. Where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked, and glared out menacing. No change, no degradation, no perversion of humanity, in any grade, through all the mysteries of wonderful creation, has monsters half so horrible and dread. Scrooge started back, appalled. Having them shown to him in this way, he tried to say they were fine children, but the words choked themselves, rather than be parties to a lie of such enormous magnitude. “Spirit! are they yours?” Scrooge could say no more. “They are Man’s,” said the Spirit, looking down upon them. “And they cling to me, appealing from their fathers. This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased. Deny it!” cried the Spirit, stretching out its hand towards the city. “Slander those who tell it ye! Admit it for your factious purposes, and make it worse! And bide the end!” “Have they no refuge or resource?” cried Scrooge. “Are there no prisons?” said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. “Are there no workhouses?”

Note that Ignorance is worse than Want. Want is an immediate need – food to eat, a bed to sleep in. But Ignorance keeps you from ever improving your situation. Without education, children are condemned to a lifetime of poverty, creating a permanent underclass that dooms society as a whole.

As we all know, Scrooge awakes from his last ghostly visit a new man. He buys Bob Cratchit a turkey and pays the two portly men hefty sums to help the poor. Then he goes to celebrate Christmas at a sumptuous party thrown by his wealthy nephew Fred.

Again, “A Christmas Carol” is not an attack on wealth. Scrooge remains wealthy in the end, and the ideal Christmas is a celebration filled with excesses of food, drink and gifts. But it condemns the violence of looking away, ignoring the evils foisted on people who cannot afford to survive in society, and the political structure that keeps mortifying poverty in place.

It’s easy to believe we don’t live in a society with the sheer injustice of Victorian England. But there are many similarities.

A debtor’s prison in London.

Two hundred years ago, the United States banned debtors’ prisons, but they still exist today . State and local courts raise money by charging fees to people convicted of crimes. In Washington State, people who are unable to pay parking tickets and fines for low-level offenses are jailed , without options for alternatives or community service.

In prison, people often have to pay for their own incarceration , a debt that follows them when they are freed. Prisons have also become workhouses, paying inmates paltry wages for work while incarcerated. In Washington, inmates earn $0.36 an hour working for private industry , and up to $2.70 an hour working for state-owned industries.

We have a tax system in Washington reliant on property and sales taxes, which affect the poor more than the rich. While the poorest in our state pay 16.8 percent of their income in state and local taxes, the rich pay only 2.4 percent.

Our education system is chronically underfunded , with one of the highest student-teacher ratios in the country. Increasing amounts of money are being funneled out of public schools and into charter schools – cementing Ignorance in the children of families who can’t afford a private education.

In Seattle, we have the third-highest homeless population in the country , even though Seattle is the nation’s 18th-largest city. Black people are being priced out of the city . Seattle is now at a level of income inequality rivaling San Francisco .

Dickens wasn’t against wealth; he was against greed. He was against income inequality so stark that the people at the bottom could barely survive, and that people who could not work were better off dead.

Dickens also believed it’s never too late for redemption. “A Christmas Carol” teaches that people who turn a blind eye to suffering are still inherently good in their deepest heart. They are just unable to put themselves in the shoes of the less fortunate. Or, as I would like to believe happens to many of us, they are so overcome with the enormity of society’s problems that they are stricken with paralysis.

To that, the story provides an elegant solution – enjoy your life, help those around you that you can have an immediate effect on, and work to change a system that propagates destitution.

• Leave a Reply

The Multiple Tragedies of “Skibbereen” ‹ https://www.cherrycreekchorale.org

[…] a debtor’s prison, your body was given to anatomists to dissect in the name of science. (from “A Christmas Carol: Sending the Poor to Prison”—The entire article is well worth a […]

Mar 3 2020 at 4:25 PM

Do you not realize that capitalism is what causes “the indifference towards fellow people and a reliance on a governmental system that does more harm than good”?

Dec 4 2020 at 10:36 AM

Capitalism does not cause indifference toward our fellow people; a desire to lift oneself above others feeds that inequality, and it sadly happens in any economic system.

Dec 13 2020 at 7:21 PM

Bruce Veale

One only has to look at places like CA, NYS and NJ to see high income taxes, high property taxes and high sales taxes. Giving Inslee an income tax is just handing him another source of money to tax and he’s never seen a tax he didn’t like.

Dec 31 2020 at 1:02 PM

Does anyone know the names of the gentlemen who asked for donations from Scrooge?

Dec 1 2021 at 3:39 PM

Benjamin George Coles

Mostly I thought this was a good essay, but I felt it skirted some difficult questions, like: Is it OK to live in luxury, while people around you don’t even have the means to meet their basic needs (and, in fact, through no fault of their own, fundamentally – but because of the system you describe)? You do object to greed towards the end of your essay, but that’s one common-sense way you could define greed. Earlier in your essay, you seem to say it’s OK for some to be ‘portly’ while others starve – you seem to say the portly can still be ‘good’ in that case. Isn’t that the same greed you condemn at the end of the essay? If not, how so? Also: What exactly qualifies one as ‘wealthy’? Does wealthiness, just conceptually, imply fairly extreme inequality? Or could everyone be wealthy? If resources were sufficiently distributed for everyone to have the means to meet their basic needs, would there be enough left for anyone to be wealthy, in your sense? Or for anyone to live in luxury? If not, what then?

And as for your interpretation of Dickens… I don’t know. It’s been too long since I read the book. You might be bang on. But I think the material you quote doesn’t quite show what you imply it does. For instance, the fact that those gentlemen were collecting for charity does not necessarily mean they’re ‘good’ in any simple sense, or that Dickens viewed them that way. Dickens may have meant their portliness is to indicate their own hypocrisy. That wouldn’t necessarily mean they’re evil either. Just normal people, with good sides, and bad sides.

Dec 6 2021 at 10:28 AM

I love this story. However it isn’t until now at life’s midpoint and all its experiences that has led me to realize our place in the world. Some people argue for the free market and capitalism others fairness and living wages. While others will take advantage of both. All these examples are found here in this story. Amazing it’s reverence in our lifetime.

Dec 8 2021 at 12:29 PM

The two gentlemen are not named in the Dickens novel.

Dec 25 2021 at 9:11 PM

Capitalism is the allocations of scarce resources that have alternative uses. Put differently, it is anger management at reasonable (2%) ratio of risk.

Jan 12 2023 at 10:20 AM

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Scrooge as a very Victorian character

I can use context to explain the characterisation of Scrooge

Lesson details

Key learning points.

• Thomas Malthus was an economist who raised concerns about the sustainability of the growing Victorian population
• Dickens fundamentally disagreed with the dismissive and callous attitudes of the wealthy towards the poor.
• Scrooge is an embodiment (and criticism) of the Malthusian ideology that pervaded Victorian society.
• The Poor Law in 1834 reduced the amount of individual charity the wealthy were willing to contribute.
• Scrooge exemplifies the quintessential misanthropic Victorian employer in his treatment of Bob Cratchit.

Common misconception

Students think Scrooge is just a wicked character who hates other people, especially the poor.

Scrooge is a product of his environment and exemplifies the attitudes of many Victorian employers and wealthy citizens.

Malthusian - The word ‘Malthusian’ refers to the ideas of an economist called Thomas Malthus who influences Victorian attitudes towards poverty.

Embody - To embody means to be the perfect example of - to exemplify something.

Ideology - An ideology is a system of beliefs or values.

Philanthropist - A philanthropist promotes the welfare of others, often by giving money to charity or campaigning for equality.

Misanthropist - A misanthropist is someone who views the human race distinctly negatively. They harbour a dislike or hatred for other people.

Content guidance

• Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
• Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited ( 2024 ), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Starter quiz

6 questions.

The population is too large -  

"decrease the surplus population"

Poverty is poor people's fault -  

"it's not my business"

Charity makes the poor lazy -  

"I can't afford to make idle people merry"

Poor people should be worked -  

"the Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour then?"

Additional material

A Christmas Carol

Charles dickens, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

A Christmas Carol: Themes ( AQA GCSE English Literature )

Revision note.

Exam responses that are led by ideas are more likely to reach the highest levels of the mark scheme. Exploring the ideas of the text, specifically in relation to the question being asked, will help to increase your fluency and assurance in writing about the text.

Below are some ideas which could be explored in A Christmas Carol. This list is not exhaustive and you are encouraged to identify other ideas within the text.

• Family and Relationships 

Transformation and Redemption

Death and loss.

The theme of poverty is one of the most p revalent themes within the text. Dickens makes the reader fully aware of the “poor and destitute” from the outset and this is continued throughout the n ovella .

Knowledge and evidence:

• Their appearance is contrasted with scenes of abundance and, by doing so, Dickens alludes to the idea that there is enough for everyone if it is shared equally
• The Cratchit's dwelling is small and humble
• Dickens uses Ignorance and Want as an a llegory as they are representative of children who are forced to live in terrible conditions
• Bob and his daughter Martha both work and Bob is hoping to obtain work for his son, Peter
• Bob is presented as a devoted father and loving husband, which is in sharp contrast to Scrooge
• The Cratchit family is presented as i ndustrious
• The Cratchit family conveys an impression of Christmas as a time of generosity and goodwill and, despite the fact that the family struggles financially, they are deeply appreciative of what they have
• Despite Scrooge’s cruelty towards Bob and his wife’s anger towards Scrooge, the family still display their compassion in raising a toast to Scrooge
• Images of disease and illness are depicted among the poor due to their lack of food and dreadful living conditions
• Bob’s insufficient wages mean that he cannot provide adequate care for his son
• By being a better employer, Scrooge could help the Cratchit family have a better life 
• Although the charity collectors in Stave I represent goodness at Christmas, it could be suggested the poor should be helped at all times of the year
• Scrooge reveals his ignorance of the poor as he makes no distinction between the lower classes and criminals, declaring: “Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?” 
• Scrooge’s support for prisons and workhouses illustrates his flawed views on how to solve the issues of poverty
• Scrooge’s first stage in his changed attitude to the poor is when he regrets not having given money to a carol singer: “I should like to have given him something, that’s all” 
• Scrooge eventually uses his wealth to improve the lives of others and to make society a better place
• Bob works in a “dismal little cell” suggesting a gloomy c onfinement from which he cannot escape, which could be viewed as a wider symbol of his poverty
• His situation depends on businessmen like Scrooge and so subsequently does the fate of his family

What is Dickens’s intention?

• Dickens attempts to ensure Scrooge becomes aware of his own poverty in relation to b enevolence and kindness towards those who are less fortunate than him
• Dickens highlights the importance of charity and benevolence, but he also illustrates how the poor are not provided with the resources to help themselves and instead are reliant on the charity of others

Family and Relationships

Dickens explores many ideas relating to family and relationships within A Christmas Carol. Dickens presents this concept in very positive terms through various characters, for example, the Cratchits and Fred, and emphasises the fundamental importance of family to people’s lives.

• Although Dickens states they were partners for “many years”, the relationship that is presented is one merely associated with business, rather than an affectionate friendship
• This is further highlighted when Dickens declares that Scrooge “was not so dreadfully cut up by the sad event”, which illustrates their shallow relationship and Scrooge’s lack of affection for anyone
• Scrooge’s lack of emotion makes the reader initially view him as callous and hard-hearted 
• Scrooge’s initial character is revealed through his relationship (or lack of) with the rest of society:
• Similar to his former partner Marley, Scrooge is entirely isolated and o stracised from those around him: “Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say, with gladsome looks, “My dear Scrooge, how are you?”
• Scrooge’s isolation from society enables him to remain ignorant of the plight of the poor and the social problems which surround him
• Fred is Scrooge’s only nephew, yet Scrooge displays an aloofness and hostility towards him and refuses to celebrate Christmas with Fred’s family:
• Fred is in complete contrast to Scrooge (a foil) in both spirit and appearance, yet despite his uncle’s disdain for him, he remains loyal and charitable towards Scrooge
• Dickens uses the character of Fred, with his optimism and cheerfulness, to make Scrooge’s miserly and p essimistic behaviour appear even worse
• Scrooge does eventually reconnect with his family through Fred and establishes a ‘new’ family through the Cratchits
• She represents the contented life that Scrooge could have had and underscores the corrosive consequences of greed and the terrible consequences it can have on a loving relationship
• Bob is presented as the ideal family figure: he is a devoted father and husband who is loved and respected by his family:
• Through Bob, Dickens underscores his message about the importance of family and its centrality to people’s lives
• His relationship with his children is continually shown to be loving and affectionate: “Tiny Tim upon his shoulder”/“Why, where’s our Martha?”
• Bob’s change in character due to Tiny Tim’s predicted death demonstrates his affection for his son and shows how the loss of a loved one can impact someone’s life 
• The Cratchits are presented as a united family and they all join in with the preparation of their Christmas meal: “Mrs Cratchit made the gravy... Master Peter mashed the potatoes... Miss Belinda sweetened up the apple-sauce...”
• Dickens underscores his message about the importance of family and its centrality to people’s lives
• Dickens demonstrates how an obsession with greed and material possessions can destroy relationships 

Ideas relating to t ransformation and r edemption are recurrent themes throughout the n ovella . Scrooge undergoes a journey of redemption and his change in character is instrumental to the plot of the text.

• Scrooge is used as a signal to the upper classes to change their dangerous and harsh attitudes toward the lower classes
• Scrooge’s preoccupation with materialism is d etrimental to his happiness:
• His former fiancée Belle ends their engagement because he has replaced her with a “golden idol”
• This is also echoed by Fred when he declares that his uncle’s wealth is of no use if he “doesn’t do any good with it”
• Dickens conveys the message that everyone has the ability to show compassion and kindness to others, regardless of their social position:
• Dickens presents those who show kindness as contented and fulfilled, while those who do not are depicted as bitter and unhappy
• Scrooge’s heightened emotions endear him to the reader and illustrate the change in his character: “And he sobbed”
• Through the Ghost of Christmas Past, Scrooge’s memories become a catalyst for his transformation  
• In Stave II, his first stage of remorse is revealed when he regrets not having given money to a carol singer 
• Through the character of Tiny Tim, Scrooge develops his ability to empathise with those who are less fortunate: 
• Tiny Tim plays an important part in inspiring Scrooge’s transformation which is central to the narrative
• Dickens clearly presents Scrooge’s transformation from avarice to benevolence:
• By the end of the novella, Scrooge has been transformed into a charitable philanthropist : “ I am light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy, I am giddy as a drunken man” and “I am not the man I was” 
• Through the character of Scrooge, Dickens conveys a universal message that everyone is capable of change, regardless of how impossible it may seem
• Dickens conveys the message that everyone has the ability to show compassion and kindness to others, regardless of their social position

Death and loss are recurring ideas within A Christmas Carol. Dickens uses these ideas to underscore the permanency of death and to signal to the reader that it is never too late to change.

• It is Marley’s death which makes Scrooge’s transformation possible 
• His death is described in a clinical and detached manner which alludes to Scrooge’s cold character
• Marley’s ghost serves as a warning to Scrooge and to the reader that everyone is responsible for their actions and will be held accountable
• “The cold within him froze his old features…his thin lips blue” suggests that something within Scrooge is also dead
• Dickens uses the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come as a foreboding symbol of death, bringing punishment or reward:
• While the previous two spirits were associated with light, this spirit is linked to darkness, death and concealment and is an o minous and s ombre figure
• For example, the green of Tiny Tim’s burial ground is contrasted with the darkness of Scrooge’s grave
• Dickens uses Tiny Tim to highlight the high levels of child mortality in Victorian England, especially for those who were poor
• Tiny Tim’s death highlights the poor living conditions and malnourishment experienced by many poor children
• Scrooge’s annoyance at Fred’s merriment could be seen to be motivated, in part, by his resentment towards his happy marriage
• Dickens is critical of the unjust c a pitalist system in which individuals are forced to exist 
• Dickens aims to encourage others to look after one another and to work towards a society where all members are treated more equally and fairly

It is crucial that you develop the skills to find your own ideas and arrive at your own meanings and interpretations to the text. Try to take a more exploratory and discursive approach to your reading of the text as the examiner will reward you highly for this approach. For instance, you could begin to develop your own interpretations by using sentence starters such as: ‘Dickens may have used the character of Tiny Tim to highlight ideas about …’ 

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Author: Nick

Nick is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and King’s College London. He started his career in journalism and publishing, working as an editor on a political magazine and a number of books, before training as an English teacher. After nearly 10 years working in London schools, where he held leadership positions in English departments and within a Sixth Form, he moved on to become an examiner and education consultant. With more than a decade of experience as a tutor, Nick specialises in English, but has also taught Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies.