In Stave One, Dickens presents his reader with Ebenezer Scrooge, a man who has become
one of the most famous characters in English literature; ‘…he was a tight-fisted hand at the
grindstone, Scrooge! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old
sinner!’. At the very start of the extract Dickens depicts Scrooge negatively and somewhat
morally and socially wrong. This is very potent as Dickens portrays Scrooge as a ‘covetous
old sinner’. This portrayal of Scrooge being a ‘sinner’ characterizes Scrooge’s actions as not
only morally and socially incorrect but also against religious beliefs. The Victorian audience
will most categorically feel as if Scrooges actions, and beliefs are barbaric and unacceptable.
Dickens portraying Scrooges actions as a sin places emphasis and importance for the
audience, and this would make the reader/audience create a vivid depiction of Scrooge as a
member of society who is morally and socially reprehensible.
As Stave One proceeds, Dickens continues to use language to present the tight and miserly
aspects of Scrooge’s character to readers; ‘Up Scrooge went, not caring a button…
Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it’. Dickens skilful utilisation of language to illustrate
the misanthropic nature of Scrooge and how miserly and ‘’tight-fisted’ he is. The very crafty
use of the metaphor of: ‘Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it’ very distinctly portrays the
avaricious nature of Scrooges life and how self-centred his is. The Victorian audience would
most potently feel anger towards Scrooge as he is choosing to be an avaricious and self-
centred member of society. Moreover, Dickens including the metaphor: ‘darkness is cheap’
gives the connotations of death. This could give the reader a hint into the fate of Scrooge is
he doesn’t change his miserly ways.
As Marley’s ghost arrives in Stave One, Dickens begins to establish the idea of change being
one that is crucial to the novella; ‘How now!’ said Scrooge, raising his voice. ‘What do you
want with me?’ ‘Much!’ Marley’s voice; no doubt about it.’ Dickens utilises the device of
Jacob Marley as a catalyst to inhibit the theme of change and redemption in the novella. In
this specific part of the novella Jacob Marley is telling Scrooge the changes he needs to
make in order to redeem himself and change from a miserly misanthropic outsider to
society. Specifically, the pronoun ‘much’ gives the implications that Scrooge has lots to learn
but his redemption isn’t unachievable. Jacob Marley is not just used to show Scrooge what
he needs to do he is an example for Scrooge to compare from to potently show Scrooge his
fate if he doesn’t change his nature and ways.
In Stave Two, Dickens begins to depict the changes in Scrooge’s character, as the Ghost of
Christmas Past shows him his memories; ‘There was a boy singing a Christmas carol at my
door … I should like to have given him something; that’s all’. Dickens includes a passage of
the novella taking the reader back to when Scrooge was younger and attending school to
show the initial change in Scrooge’s nature. The similarities between Scrooge and the young
boy singing at Scrooges door would most definitely make the reader contemplate the initial
change in Scrooge. The utilisation of the ‘boy singing’ has connotations of innocence giving
the Victorian audience a hint to the redemption of Scrooge to come in the later stages of
the novella.
In Stave Three, the Ghost of Christmas Present begins to highlight the changes in Scrooge’s
character as a man who is ashamed of his past actions; ‘…If he be likely to die, he had
better do it, and decrease the surplus population.’
one of the most famous characters in English literature; ‘…he was a tight-fisted hand at the
grindstone, Scrooge! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old
sinner!’. At the very start of the extract Dickens depicts Scrooge negatively and somewhat
morally and socially wrong. This is very potent as Dickens portrays Scrooge as a ‘covetous
old sinner’. This portrayal of Scrooge being a ‘sinner’ characterizes Scrooge’s actions as not
only morally and socially incorrect but also against religious beliefs. The Victorian audience
will most categorically feel as if Scrooges actions, and beliefs are barbaric and unacceptable.
Dickens portraying Scrooges actions as a sin places emphasis and importance for the
audience, and this would make the reader/audience create a vivid depiction of Scrooge as a
member of society who is morally and socially reprehensible.
As Stave One proceeds, Dickens continues to use language to present the tight and miserly
aspects of Scrooge’s character to readers; ‘Up Scrooge went, not caring a button…
Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it’. Dickens skilful utilisation of language to illustrate
the misanthropic nature of Scrooge and how miserly and ‘’tight-fisted’ he is. The very crafty
use of the metaphor of: ‘Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it’ very distinctly portrays the
avaricious nature of Scrooges life and how self-centred his is. The Victorian audience would
most potently feel anger towards Scrooge as he is choosing to be an avaricious and self-
centred member of society. Moreover, Dickens including the metaphor: ‘darkness is cheap’
gives the connotations of death. This could give the reader a hint into the fate of Scrooge is
he doesn’t change his miserly ways.
As Marley’s ghost arrives in Stave One, Dickens begins to establish the idea of change being
one that is crucial to the novella; ‘How now!’ said Scrooge, raising his voice. ‘What do you
want with me?’ ‘Much!’ Marley’s voice; no doubt about it.’ Dickens utilises the device of
Jacob Marley as a catalyst to inhibit the theme of change and redemption in the novella. In
this specific part of the novella Jacob Marley is telling Scrooge the changes he needs to
make in order to redeem himself and change from a miserly misanthropic outsider to
society. Specifically, the pronoun ‘much’ gives the implications that Scrooge has lots to learn
but his redemption isn’t unachievable. Jacob Marley is not just used to show Scrooge what
he needs to do he is an example for Scrooge to compare from to potently show Scrooge his
fate if he doesn’t change his nature and ways.
In Stave Two, Dickens begins to depict the changes in Scrooge’s character, as the Ghost of
Christmas Past shows him his memories; ‘There was a boy singing a Christmas carol at my
door … I should like to have given him something; that’s all’. Dickens includes a passage of
the novella taking the reader back to when Scrooge was younger and attending school to
show the initial change in Scrooge’s nature. The similarities between Scrooge and the young
boy singing at Scrooges door would most definitely make the reader contemplate the initial
change in Scrooge. The utilisation of the ‘boy singing’ has connotations of innocence giving
the Victorian audience a hint to the redemption of Scrooge to come in the later stages of
the novella.
In Stave Three, the Ghost of Christmas Present begins to highlight the changes in Scrooge’s
character as a man who is ashamed of his past actions; ‘…If he be likely to die, he had
better do it, and decrease the surplus population.’
