Themes in 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens

The Title:
> 'A Christmas Carol'- refers to the traditional carols sang at Christmas time
> 5 staves rather than 5 chapters- reflects the structure of a Carol and links story to the joy of singing

Tiny Tim and the Cratchit family:
> Display to the reader that the spirit of Christmas can defeat poverty and evoke love
-"A Merry Christmas to us all, my dears. God bless us!"
-"They were not a handsome family; they were not well dressed...but, they were happy, grateful...and contented with the time"
> Provide a clear contrast to Scrooge who hates Christmas and is richer, yet more unhappy than they are

Fred:
> Persistent in his cheery approach to Christmas
-"A Merry Christmas Uncle! God save you!"
> He asks Scrooge round for Christmas every year and does not give up hope that Scrooge will, one day, accept his Merry Christmas

The poor at Christmas:

> Dickens contrasts the idea of joy and festivities, with the poverty and bleak weather at this time of year

-"Poulters' and grocers' trades, became a splendid joke: a glorious pageant"

> The poor cannot afford luxuries at Christmas. This contrasts to:

-"The Lord Mayor, in the stronghold of the mighty mansion house, gave orders to his 50 cooks and butlers"

> Christmas is just a reminder to poor people, of just how poor they are

-"The brightness of the shops...made pale faces ruddy as they passed"

The charity collectors:

> In stave 1, 2 gentlemen come to see Scrooge and ask him to donate some money to help feed and house the poor at Christmas

-"Prisons...Union workhouses....The treadmill and the Poor law"- shows the terrible places that desperate people have to live and highlights the injustice of wealth distribution.

-"Both very busy sir"- shows that poverty was widespread and affected many

-"Many can't go there; and many would rather die"- shows that the conditions in the workhouses are so dreadful that people would "rather die" than go there"

Ignorance and Want:

> In stave 3, the Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge 2 children hiding under his cloak. They are called "Ignorance" and "Want"

> The ghost tells Scrooge that the children are the responsibility of mankind. The rich must help the poor

Tiny Tim:
> In stave 3, Scrooge asks the spirit if Tiny Tim will die
-"If these shadows remain unaltered by the future, the child will die"
> Tiny Tim is a massive symbol of poverty in the novella
> We are told that if Scrooge (and indirectly the other rich people) do not start to help out the poor, then Tiny Tim (and indirectly the other poor people) will die

Poor but Happy:
> In stave 3, we find a description of the Cratchit family and a miners family
-"they were not well dressed...their clothes were scanty"- though they enjoy life and are grateful for what they have, the Cratchit family are obviously very poor
-"burial place of giants...bowels of the earth...walls of mud and stone"- the miners live in terrible poverty, in squalid conditions
> However...although both these families are poor, they are still happier than Scrooge, who is rich

What is Scrooge like?
> Miserable
> Miserly
> Rejects all offer of Chritsmas cheer

Evidence:
> "Christmas a humbug uncle!' Said Scrooge's nephew. 'You don't mean that, I am sure?"- we see Scrooge rejecting all the compassion and celebration that is linked with the festive season
> "Hard and sharp as a flint"- shows that Scrooge is miserable and has no feelings...but...flint starts fires which has connotations of warmth and happiness so this could foreshadow that Scrooge will change
> "Hang your Tim, for all I care"- shows that Scrooge does not care about Tiny Tim at this point. (Tim is a key character for showing Scrooge's transformation)

What is Scrooge like?
> He is beginning to see the error of his ways

Evidence:
> "Scrooge hung his head to hear his own words quoted by the spirit and was overcome with...grief"- Scrooge feels ashamed when the ghost uses his own words against him. We see him beginning to wish he could change.

> "Spirit, tell me if Tiny Tim will live"- where before, Scrooge had no care for Tim, he is now genuinely unsettled and upset by the thought that he might die

> "I hope to live a better man"- he has decided to change and he will change. This is the start of his redemption

What is Scrooge like?

> Generous

> Good natured

> A changed man

Evidence:

> "His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him"- Scrooge becomes generous and full of life. We see him welcomed into the homes of his family and friends and readers are delighted by his transformation

> "I will honour Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year"- He has completely changed his opinion of Christmas and has subsequently become a changed man

> "and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father"- Scrooge's opinion of Tiny Tim has completely changed and he now cares for him like a son