Mr and Mrs Cratchit Flashcards
(9 cards)
What does Bob Cratchit represent?
exploited, underpaid yet hard working employee.
Despite scrooges miserly ways, Bob toasts him describing him as what ?
‘the founder of..
the feast.’
Draws readers attention to his christian generosity of human spirit in face of financial hardship and ill treatment.
Mrs Cratchits contrasting attitude to Scrooge.
‘I wish i had him here..
I’d give him a piece of my mind to feast upon, and i hope he’d have a good appetite for it.’
Her righteous indignation is calmed by Bob, reminding her that it’s christmas.
Through this and Bobs toast to Scrooge, dickens sets expectations about forgiveness and goodwill to others at this time of year.
Conforms to ideas about women that they lack rational
thought and work off of emotions.
At start of novella, we see how bob is unable to keep himself warm at work.
He wears a ‘comforter’ (scarf) and tries to ‘warm himself at..
the candle.’
His fire was also ‘so very much smaller that it looked like one coal.’
Makes reader feel empathy for bob and criticise scrooge who was no concern for bobs comfort or welfare.
When he left Scrooges office, he..
‘Ran home to camden town..
as hard as he could pelt, to play at blind man’s buff’
He finds comfort and joy in his family and is excited about christmas.
Mrs Cratchit is introduced by drawing attention to her poverty.
‘dressed out but..
poorly in a twice turned down, but brave in ribbons, which are cheap and make. goodly show for sixpence.’
Her dress has been taken apart, turned inside out and resown twice, she still makes an effort with her appearance.
Her effort to mark christmas day with ‘ribbons’ contrasts with scrooges cold, bare rooms and lack of decoration.
She is described as Bobs ‘good wife.’
Bob describes Fred’s condolences towards the death of tiny tim near end.
‘i am heartily sorry for it, Mr Cratchit, he said, and heartily sorry..
for your good wife.’
Conforms to contemporary attitudes of time towards married women, who were judged by their role in relation to a husband. Dickens may have used this as he felt it had a relation to his own mother, as she was ‘warm’ about him being sent home.
Bob Cratchits significance of his job in relation to Mrs Cratchit,
She is his ‘legal possession.’
Anything she owned she had to pass it to him.
She was financially dependent on him, along with their children, so he had to keep his job.
The ghost of christmas present -takes scrooge to see cratchits on xmas dinner.
A positive celebration.
‘There never was such a goose’
‘Were the themes of universal admiration’
‘They hadn’t ate it all at last!’
Barely enough food - but sufficient - they’re grateful.
‘But, they were happy, grateful, pleased with one another, and contended with the time’
Very poor, but very happy.
Christmas at cratchits - wholly untouched by degrading effects of poverty.
Their warmth and cheer overrides their poverty, whereas scrooge has a ‘melancholy dinner’ despite his wealth.
