Cratchits Flashcards
(7 cards)
Overview
Dickens uses the characters of the Cratchit Family as a vehicle to highlight the plight of the lower class in Victorian England and their ability to endure hardship through close familial connections. Dickens wrote this didactic novella having read a report into the terrible working conditions of the 19th century lower class so was acutely aware of the divide in treatment between the rich and the poor.
Dickens uses the Cratchits as a vehicle to highlight the impact of poverty in the Victorian Era, and the suffering of many working class people. Throughout the novella, we see the Cratchits’ hopeful, grateful and resilient nature, and their dedication to their family. During the Victorian Era, there was a great amount of stigma towards the poor, with the introduction of the poor laws and ideologies similar to the Malthusian Theory. The Cratchits serves as a means to prompt reflection on this treatment of poorer people in society, and to attempt to incite a change in these attitudes
Beginning quotes
“My clerk, with fifteen shillings a week, and a wife and family, talking about a merry Christmas.”
“The clerk observed that it was only once a year.”
“The clerk promised that he would; and Scrooge walked out with a growl.”
“He ran home to Camden Town as hard as he could pelt, to play at blindman’s buff.”
Middle quotes
‘…dressed out but poorly in a twice-turned gown, but brave in ribbons.’
“he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see.”
“but nobody said or thought it was at all a small pudding for a large family. It would have been flat heresy to do so.”
“They were not a handsome family… But, they were happy, grateful, pleased with one another.”
Ending quotes
“My little, little child!” cried Bob. “My little child!”
“At last she said, and in a steady, cheerful voice, that only faltered once.’
“And to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father.”
“God bless Us, Every One!”
Beginning opening
At the beginning of the novella, Dickens uses the Cratchits to highlight the quiet resilience and warmth of the working poor, contrasting their joyful spirit with Scrooge’s cold-heartedness to expose the injustice of social inequality
Middle opening
As the novella progresses, Dickens presents the Cratchits as a symbol of moral richness despite material poverty, using their unity and faith to challenge Victorian attitudes towards wealth and social status.
Ending opening
As the novella comes to a close, the Cratchits are shown experiencing deep grief and emotional strength after Tiny Tim’s death, but their future transforms with Scrooge’s redemption, emphasising the power of kindness and love to change lives.
