ACC: Poverty/Inequality/Social Injustice
In A Christmas Carol, Dickens critiques how harsh capitalism leads to poverty and class
disparity. By using Scrooge as a caricature and personification of capitalism, he critiques
Victorian society's lean on Malthusin by prioritising wealth, and personal gain that leads to
inequality over community and connection. His transformation reflects the need for Victorian
society to change into a true Christian society. Dickens's didactic message for his Victorian
audience is to develop a paternalistic role for the more vulnerable, give to charity, accept
social responsibility and prioritise communal values so that less inequality exists.
In the beginning, poverty is presented as a direct result of the upper-class greed as when
the portly gentlemen ask Scrooge for charity, he asks “Are there no workhouses'' and “If they
would rather die, they had better do it and decrease the surplus population.” The tone is
bitter; his words embody the Victorian cold, utilitarian mindset that prioritises wealth over
human compassion. But also there is a sense of irony in his words, despite being materially
wealthy, Scrooge is spiritually impoverished due to his greed. But, perhaps his greed for
wealth stems from his fear of poverty due to his poverty-stricken childhood. The ghost of
Christmas past reminds Scrooge of the innocence of his childhood as in “boarding school”
he is sat reading “Ali-baba”, immersing himself in a fantastical book which is a form of
escapism from his poor, wretched life and his isolation from family - he couldn’t even visit
during Christmas. It is his traumatic poverty childhood that leads him to become a victim of a
capitalist, utilitarian society where he is forced to prioritise finance as it is what he has been
taught.
However, Scrooge’s exposure to the communal and family aspects of the Cratchits forces
him to reflect on his greed and his Christian views as despite being from a lower class they
are content. The Cratchit's annual Christmas festivities idealise the poor, as they display
compassion, and gratitude and are the epitome of a good Christian family. Their holiday food
“nobody said or thought it was at all a small pudding for a large family. “ has a paradoxical
nature. The pudding is tangibly small (symbolic of the scarcity of food) juxtaposing their
compassion and connection to each other making it an abundance. This demonstrates what
family truly is, which teaches not only Scrooge but also Dickens's Victorian audience about
human connection and forming relationships. Perhaps, Dickens wants to not only dispel the
stereotype of the poor being criminals, and amoral but also critique the industrialisation of
religion and Christianity in Victorian society. Tiny Tim’s repeated “God bless us, everyone”
further reinforces this redefinition of Christmas as instead of money, family is central to the
holiday. Dickens writes this novella for the employers to force them to reflect and adopt
morals by using the stark contrast between the miser Scrooge and the Christian Cratchit
family. But also, to emphasise the importance of communal values not just during Christmas
but how it sustains life. He sees to it that despite being in poverty, one can still embody
Christian values which is what Dickens wants his Victorian middle/upper-class audience to
do - change and give to charity to help those in poverty by improving wages.
By the end of the play, Scrooge learns to break the patterns of attachment as he rejects the
role his father played and becomes a second father to Tiny Tim which reflects how Dickens
wants Victorian society to break the pattern of exploitation leading to a more equal society.
Scrooge’s concern for Tiny Tim is encapsulated in his plea "Tell me, Spirit, will Tiny Tim
live?". He feels empathy for Tiny Tim’s helplessness due to his disabilities but also to some
In A Christmas Carol, Dickens critiques how harsh capitalism leads to poverty and class
disparity. By using Scrooge as a caricature and personification of capitalism, he critiques
Victorian society's lean on Malthusin by prioritising wealth, and personal gain that leads to
inequality over community and connection. His transformation reflects the need for Victorian
society to change into a true Christian society. Dickens's didactic message for his Victorian
audience is to develop a paternalistic role for the more vulnerable, give to charity, accept
social responsibility and prioritise communal values so that less inequality exists.
In the beginning, poverty is presented as a direct result of the upper-class greed as when
the portly gentlemen ask Scrooge for charity, he asks “Are there no workhouses'' and “If they
would rather die, they had better do it and decrease the surplus population.” The tone is
bitter; his words embody the Victorian cold, utilitarian mindset that prioritises wealth over
human compassion. But also there is a sense of irony in his words, despite being materially
wealthy, Scrooge is spiritually impoverished due to his greed. But, perhaps his greed for
wealth stems from his fear of poverty due to his poverty-stricken childhood. The ghost of
Christmas past reminds Scrooge of the innocence of his childhood as in “boarding school”
he is sat reading “Ali-baba”, immersing himself in a fantastical book which is a form of
escapism from his poor, wretched life and his isolation from family - he couldn’t even visit
during Christmas. It is his traumatic poverty childhood that leads him to become a victim of a
capitalist, utilitarian society where he is forced to prioritise finance as it is what he has been
taught.
However, Scrooge’s exposure to the communal and family aspects of the Cratchits forces
him to reflect on his greed and his Christian views as despite being from a lower class they
are content. The Cratchit's annual Christmas festivities idealise the poor, as they display
compassion, and gratitude and are the epitome of a good Christian family. Their holiday food
“nobody said or thought it was at all a small pudding for a large family. “ has a paradoxical
nature. The pudding is tangibly small (symbolic of the scarcity of food) juxtaposing their
compassion and connection to each other making it an abundance. This demonstrates what
family truly is, which teaches not only Scrooge but also Dickens's Victorian audience about
human connection and forming relationships. Perhaps, Dickens wants to not only dispel the
stereotype of the poor being criminals, and amoral but also critique the industrialisation of
religion and Christianity in Victorian society. Tiny Tim’s repeated “God bless us, everyone”
further reinforces this redefinition of Christmas as instead of money, family is central to the
holiday. Dickens writes this novella for the employers to force them to reflect and adopt
morals by using the stark contrast between the miser Scrooge and the Christian Cratchit
family. But also, to emphasise the importance of communal values not just during Christmas
but how it sustains life. He sees to it that despite being in poverty, one can still embody
Christian values which is what Dickens wants his Victorian middle/upper-class audience to
do - change and give to charity to help those in poverty by improving wages.
By the end of the play, Scrooge learns to break the patterns of attachment as he rejects the
role his father played and becomes a second father to Tiny Tim which reflects how Dickens
wants Victorian society to break the pattern of exploitation leading to a more equal society.
Scrooge’s concern for Tiny Tim is encapsulated in his plea "Tell me, Spirit, will Tiny Tim
live?". He feels empathy for Tiny Tim’s helplessness due to his disabilities but also to some
