‘A Christmas Carol’

The Basic Plot

And for a little more detail... Summary of the novel

So just what was Dickens singing about in: ‘A Christmas Carol’? He wanted to highlight the level of deprivation across Britain at the time and to emphasise how the scale of poverty was being ignored by many of the influential people in parliament. He sought to exert pressure on policymakers to bring about changes in laws that forced people in to the workhouse. He was also very concerned about the plight of impoverished children who he believed often had little alternative but to turn to crime and delinquency in order to survive. His characterisation of Scrooge is used to show how Victorian society ignored, exploited, and abused its poorest and most vulnerable members. This cynical and callous disregard for humanity is, for Dickens, an outrage. The costs of such selfishness and bitterness are not borne by Scrooge alone, and Dickens’s highlights the enormous social costs—prisons, workhouses, increased mortality, the creation of ghettos and slums, the miserable state of both wealthy and poor alike. Through the novel he is clearly making a case for morality and social justice on a larger scale. Dickens demands that those who "have" act accordingly towards those who "have not.“ Dickens seems to be reminding us of the importance of taking notice of the lives of those around us of the dangers of ‘ignorance’ and ‘want’.

What about the Characters?

Can you match the symbol to what it represents in the novel? Symbols and Motifs The Symbol What it represents Scrooge The Ghost of Christmas past The Ghost of Christmas Present The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come The Cratchits Ignorance and Want The power of memory The plight of the poor Man’s inhumanity to man Generosity, empathy and Christmas spirit Death and moral reckoning Greed, selfishness and a lack of goodwill to all men Can you match the symbol to what it represents in the novel?

The Narrative Style Key things to remember: The novel is written in the third person. This is to create a sense of realism, it gives the illusion that an observer, someone who is detached from the action, is telling the story. However, Dickens is at times an ‘intrusive narrator’ and interjects in the story with jokes, exclamations and direct address to the reader e.g. ‘as dead as a doornail’. Dickens’ novel is rich in imagery. Dickens is a fan of similes and metaphors. He uses similes to paint a visual picture of character, we see this in stave 1 when Scrooge is ‘As solitary as an oyster’ and ‘hard and sharp as a flint’ whilst in stave 5 having been redeemed he is ‘as light as a feather’, ‘as happy as an angel’ and ‘as merry as a schoolboy’. He also uses powerful metaphors - the misery of Bob’s life as a wage slave is evoked through the image of his ‘cell’. The cold weather is personified throughout the novel as evil and malevolent. Dickens uses the weather to mirror Scrooge’s character and as such it is often depicted as destructive and sinister ‘misanthropic ice’ , ‘gnawed and mumbled’ ‘nipped’, etc Juxtaposition is used throughout the novel to draw attention to the divisions in society and highlight the theme of social inequality. Whilst the homes of the rich are ‘bright and warm’ in Stave 1, Dickens describes the ‘ragged men and boys’ desperately trying to warm their hands. He also frequently contrasts characters, perhaps one of the most powerful is when he describes Scrooge’s corpse as ‘plundered and bereft’ with Tiny Tim, whose body is in a room ‘lighted cheerfully and hung with Christmas’ Dramatic Irony is used throughout the novel, most notably in Stave 4 when the reader knows the dead man is in fact Scrooge. Dickens uses irony at key moments to build tension and anticipation for the reader.

Component 1 Section B In the Exam Step 3: Read the extract and highlight/underline/make notes on key words and phrases that relate to the question Step 1: Read the contextual information. This help you to identify what section of the text this extract comes from. Step 2: Read the question. This will help you to understand what to focus your analysis on. Step 4: Now answer the question.

Let’s take a closer look

How does Dickens present family in the rest of the novel? How Dickens portray the impact of ‘Little Fan’ when she enters the school room? How does the atmosphere change? How does Scrooge change? How is this reflected in the language? How does Dickens portray Belle and her family? How is her life juxtaposed with Scrooge’s? Why does Scrooge instantly regret choosing money over love? How does Dickens present the festivities at Fred’s house? What is he attempting to suggest about the importance of family through this scene? Think about Fred’s interpretation of his uncle but also his steadfast determination never to exclude him and always invite him to join their Christmas celebrations.

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