Structure & Narrative

Question 1

Important things about the structure

Answer 1

Simple
5 chapters (or staves - 5 lines on a musical stave)
Each chapter has a purpose
Unusual time scheme (goes back and forth)
Hints for a happy ending - “once upon a time” like a fairy tale, foreshadowing (his dad becomes kinder, and Scrooge used to be kind)
Circular - ends with lots of parallels about Scrooge (eg fire, paying Bob)

Question 2

Significance of not following a chronological structure?

Answer 2

Emphasises the supernatural (each episode jumps in time but all happen on one night so each only has a short amount of time to help him)

Going back and forth in time might give hope that Scrooge can overcome the changes in personality and turn back to his former kind self

Question 3

Effect of the narrator on the reader?

Answer 3

Omniscient so we know everything about Scrooge

Casual and humourous tone at start - makes reader trust narrator

Influences reader with his choice of words (e.g. first impression of Scrooge)

Reveals Scrooge’s feelings so allows us to feel sympathetic

Controls us from disliking Scrooge to showing his powerful transformation

Question 4

Important things about Language

Answer 4

Narrator controls the tone

Personifcation (e.g. weather)

Uses mood (e.g. dark for highlighting issues, bright for Christmas)

Vivid descriptions - all 5 senses

Figurative language - similies (“as light as a feather”, metaphor (“the houses opposite were mere phantoms” - because of the fog), hyperbole - exaggeration to make things more entertaining (“the rarest of all birds; a feathered phenomenon…” about the Cratchits goose

Dialogue plus descriptions of characters

Questions - helps to engage the reader

Addresses the reader directly - involves us in the action and help make characters relatable e.g. Scrooge “began to think…as you or I would have thought…”

Question 5

Symbolism

Answer 5

Negative: - helps to emphasis his points on social responsibility
Marley’s chain (link by link)
Ignorance and Want
ghost 1’s bright light (truth)
ghost 2’s torch (transforming power of Christmas)
ghost 3’s dark cloak (death)

Positive:
Warmth & brightness = joy and companionship e.g. size of fire, dark rooms, weather
Music (e.g. parties vs sending away the carol singer)

Helps to emphasise Scrooge’s transformation

Question 6

How is Scrooge’s bed a motif?

Answer 6

motif = recurring object or idea

1st ghost’s visit begins at Scrooge’s bed
3rd ghost dwindles “down into a bedpost”

represents a private place and therefore his private thoughts and emotions

association with dreaming - helps the reader to suspend their disbelief