A Christmas Carol - Characters
Friday 2 May 2025 12:39
Scrooge
Vehicle : Dickens uses Scrooge as a vehicle to intially epitomise the ignorance and selfishness
his predominantly upper class Christian readership, whom Scrooge served as an allegory for.
However, as the novel progresses, Scrooge is used as a vehicle to celebrate the ability to cha
and redeem oneself into a better person, which is reflected by Scrooge becoming benevolen
caring and generous, serving as an antithesis of his previous self. Through the allegory of Scr
Dickens emphasises the ability for people to change, and he encourages himself and his
readership to become more like Scrooge, because nobody is exempt from redemption, in Dic
christian beliefs, until they die.
Start : scrooge presented as a wretched, greedy and ignorant man who has no compassion o
care for others nor a will to aid them
' covetous old sinner'- 7 adj, 7 deadly sins, covetous, 10 commandments says no covet, sinne
establishes him as a bad man. But he is like the upper class audience, so they are also bad, d
blame others look at urself
'And the union workhouses' Scrooge demanded - explanation on the right
'decrease the surplus population' - the endemic poor, he sees them as extra, he is inhumane
makes the rich feel bad as they feel the same as a 'covetous old sinner' - link to Malthus and
rich people liked his ideas
'it might involve the necessity of an embarrasing explanation' - power imbalance, Scrooge w
him to sit down to be on a higer level, and also he thinks he can embarrass him as he is bette
Middle : Scrooge is presented as becoming aware and ashamed of his past misdoings, while
needing to do a bit more to fully redeem himself (most analysis on the right)
'scrooge hung his head to hear his own words quoted by the spirit, was overcome with
penitence and grief' - redemption being glimpsed, as he is dismayed at his previous thought
this repentance could inspire his readership to reflect back.
'spirit, said scrooge, submissively….let me profit by it' - profit shows he is still business mind
cannot do anything without worrying about gains or losses, focused on money, but submissi
shows power change and juxtaposes stave 1, where he tried to 'embarrass' Marleys ghost w
asking him to sit down - he is aware he is not superior.
'for he had an expectation that…… these riddles easy' - when taken in to the future by the g
he still has expectation of what to see, he wants to be better but expects things to be given
him, doesn’t understand his mortality
End : Scrooge is presented as a redeemed, benevolent man who cares about others and
Friday 2 May 2025 12:39
Scrooge
Vehicle : Dickens uses Scrooge as a vehicle to intially epitomise the ignorance and selfishness
his predominantly upper class Christian readership, whom Scrooge served as an allegory for.
However, as the novel progresses, Scrooge is used as a vehicle to celebrate the ability to cha
and redeem oneself into a better person, which is reflected by Scrooge becoming benevolen
caring and generous, serving as an antithesis of his previous self. Through the allegory of Scr
Dickens emphasises the ability for people to change, and he encourages himself and his
readership to become more like Scrooge, because nobody is exempt from redemption, in Dic
christian beliefs, until they die.
Start : scrooge presented as a wretched, greedy and ignorant man who has no compassion o
care for others nor a will to aid them
' covetous old sinner'- 7 adj, 7 deadly sins, covetous, 10 commandments says no covet, sinne
establishes him as a bad man. But he is like the upper class audience, so they are also bad, d
blame others look at urself
'And the union workhouses' Scrooge demanded - explanation on the right
'decrease the surplus population' - the endemic poor, he sees them as extra, he is inhumane
makes the rich feel bad as they feel the same as a 'covetous old sinner' - link to Malthus and
rich people liked his ideas
'it might involve the necessity of an embarrasing explanation' - power imbalance, Scrooge w
him to sit down to be on a higer level, and also he thinks he can embarrass him as he is bette
Middle : Scrooge is presented as becoming aware and ashamed of his past misdoings, while
needing to do a bit more to fully redeem himself (most analysis on the right)
'scrooge hung his head to hear his own words quoted by the spirit, was overcome with
penitence and grief' - redemption being glimpsed, as he is dismayed at his previous thought
this repentance could inspire his readership to reflect back.
'spirit, said scrooge, submissively….let me profit by it' - profit shows he is still business mind
cannot do anything without worrying about gains or losses, focused on money, but submissi
shows power change and juxtaposes stave 1, where he tried to 'embarrass' Marleys ghost w
asking him to sit down - he is aware he is not superior.
'for he had an expectation that…… these riddles easy' - when taken in to the future by the g
he still has expectation of what to see, he wants to be better but expects things to be given
him, doesn’t understand his mortality
End : Scrooge is presented as a redeemed, benevolent man who cares about others and
