Scrooge Flashcards
Describe how we are introduced to Scrooge’s character with references to the text
Cold hearted
* “no warmth could warm him”
* lots of references to cold weather “no wind that blew was bitterer than he”
* through his words e.g. attitude to the poor
Mean
* “hard and sharp as flint”
* the size of his “small” fire compared to Bob Crachett’s “so very much smaller” one
* not giving to the poor
Alone
* “solitary as an oyster”
* descriptions of others’ reactions to him (not even beggars approached him to “bestow a trifle”)
Cynical
* of Christianity and Christmas “What’s Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money”
* of anything other than money i.e If you’re poor you can’t be happy he asks Fred “what reason do you have to be merry? You’re poor enough”
How does Dickens use language and structure to introduce Scrooge’s character?
Weather
personification of cold weather
Changes in perspective - moves from focus on him to others’ reactions to him (e.g. not even beggars approach him, nobody asks him what time it is)
Surroundings - e.g. size of fire, keeping the coal to himself and leaving Bob Crachit to attempt to warm himself with a candle
Contrasts in characters e.g. Fred vs Scrooge
How does Dickens use contrast in characters to emphasise their characteristics?
Emphasises behaviour and physical characteristics
**Scrooge vs Fezziwig (boss) **
* thin vs fat, “grating” vs “jovial” voice
* walking out with a growl after he resentfully gives Bob Christmas Day off vs “skipping down…with wonderful agility”
* Scrooge’s treatment of Bob vs Fezziwig has a party
**Scrooge vs Fred (nephew) **
* “merry christmas” vs “bah humbug”,
* warm from walking “face all aglow”, ruddy complexion and sparkling eyes vs “shrivelled”, “thin blue lips”, red eyes & cold
How does Scrooge’s character change?
Goes from a rude miser into a better man who learns to be charitable and value companionship
How does Scrooge’s character change (give examples from the text)
Mean (and only focused on money) to generous begrudges Bob’s Christmas salary to “I’ll raise your salary”, and selfless buys the Crachits a turkey anonymously and makes a large donation to charity
Unsympathetic & cold-hearted - doesn’t want to help the poor, thinks that prisons and workhouses are enough, descriptions of him use cold and icy language “frosty rime” to empathetic - asks the spirit if Tim will die with “an interest he never had before”, he realises his opinions of the poor were wrong “overcome with pentience and grief”
Alone & cynical/rude to happy & sociable - nobody even speaks to him in the street, “solitary as an oyster”, everybody who wishes others Merry Christmas is an “idiot” vs valuing family (like a father figure to Tiny Tim at end), happy (smiles at everyone) and socialable - attends his nephew’s “wonderful party”
Do we ever feel any sympathy for Scrooge?
- Childhood - he is shown as a “lonely boy” near a “feeble fire” at his old school. Father won’t let him come home
- Loss of his sister - was very close to her and might isolate himself from Fred (her son) as it’s too much of a painful reminder of her
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Heartbreak with Belle - very distressed at the vision of Belle leaving him and pleads “in a broken voice” to be shown no more. Makes his bitter, cold personality easier to understand as he has suffered heartbreak
He is afraid - he fears poverty “there is nothing which it is so hard as poverty” so his selfishness towards those in need becomes slightly easier to understand (but not condone).
What themes are illlustrated by Scrooge’s character (i.e his beliefs and the changes in him)
Redemption - even someone as mean as Scrooge can change
Poverty
* he tells the charity collectors that it would be better if poor people would die (reflects a theory by economist Malthus that the human population would always grow faster than food supplies)
* his wealth & size of house vs Crachits’ lack of money and space
* he has no sympathy for the poor so exploits Bob
* he fears poverty “there is nothing which it is so hard as poverty”
Charity & goodwill/social responsibility/spirit of Christmas - at first only sees Christmas in monetary terms “a time for paying bills without money” but then gives to charity and buys the Crachits a turkey
oyster, warm, wind, flint
4 quotes to describe Scrooge as cold & alone
“solitary as an oyster”
“no warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him”
“no wind that blew was bitterer than he”
“hard and sharp as flint”
bills, population
2 quotes to illustrate Scrooge’s views on charity and Christmas
“a time for paying bills without money”
“decrease the surplus population”
What do we notice about Scrooge’s emotions when he sees Marley again?
They show the beginning of his transformation as he starts to experience new emotions
* a “terrible sensation” he hasn’t felt since “infancy”
* he has to make jokes to keep “down his terror” despite being “not much in the habit” of trying to be funny
* he begs for an explanation speaking with “humility and deference” (big contrast to how he speaks earlier in the chapter)
he tries to say “humbug” but can’t finish the word (already changing? losing his negative outlook??)
Before and After
Before: the fire was weak and small
After: Scrooge lets Bob buy more coal
Before and After
Before: Scrooge resents paying Bob at Christmas
After: he gives Bob a payrise
Before and After
Before: Scrooge’s dialogue is curt and is bad-tempered
After: he speaks cheerfully and energetically
Before and After
Before: he rejects family and Fred’s invitation
After: he joins the family party
Before and After
Before: refuses to** wish anyone a Merry Christmas** (think anyone who does is an idiot)
After: wishes everybody a Merry Christmas
