This is where the clerk lives. A Christmas Carol - Quotes and Analysis Stave 1 Stave 2 Stave 3 Stave 4 Stave 5 ( ) The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker and the chief mourner. Belle "Our contract is an old one. A Christmas Carol Key Quotes Major Themes Major characters How to revise effectively Isolation and loneliness Ebenezer Scrooge One mistake people often make is to try to revise EVERYTHING. In what ways does the text indicate lbn Batutta's social status? The opening line says, ''Marley was dead: to begin with. forgiving- "to Mr Scrooge, the founder of the feast.". Stave 4 - in the rag 'n' bone man's shop The idea that they shake hands with each person 'individually' shows the humanity with which they treat everyone - they do not see the poor as 'creatures' "Quite alone in the world, I do believe.". Bovey, Lee-James "A Christmas Carol Themes and Analysis " Book Analysis, https://bookanalysis.com/charles-dickens/a-christmas-carol/themes-and-analysis/. He stopped at the outer door to bestow the greetings of the season on the clerk, who, cold as he was, was warmer than Scrooge. 2003-2023 Chegg Inc. All rights reserved. Did the Anglo-Saxon period last between 449 and 1066? The image of the oyster is almost perfect for Scrooge at this stage in the book. Charles Dickens only really scratched the surface of this. The verb sparkled has magical and positive connotations, shows Fred is the antithesis of scrooge. Whatever the book. Fezziwig's office has a large fire which adds to the welcoming atmosphere, offering the reader an additional opportunity to compare it to Scrooge's cold office with the meagre fire. Hallo there! He also argues that Time is precious to me. This is most telling of all: whereas the old Scrooge saw little of value beyond his money hole, now he sees the truth that Time itself is precious; and it is, in fact, the most precious thing we. It is this love that consoles him in stave 4 when Tiny Tim is shown to be dead, a long with the memories of Tiny Tim as a patient and loving boy. sungiemarie. Whatever the genre. He listens for the church bell but when it comes, it strikes twelve. Stave 2 - Belle breaks off the engagement. 'The Ghosts' in A Christmas Carol (Key Quotes & Analysis) Dr Aidan 22.1K subscribers Subscribe 47K views 3 years ago Studying A Christmas Carol? Given an unexpected opportunity to communicateperhaps as a Christmas miracleMarley feels determined to help Scrooge and he warns him here. Shows Scrooge's inability to harness any other views that arent his. "the phantom slowly, gravely, silently approached", A description of the ghost of Christmas future; he is the darkest of the spirits, a reminder to scrooge of his terrible fate if he fails to learn his lesson. The girl is want. Bob said he didnt believe there ever was such a goose cooked., About Tiny Tim: If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will die., Bob Cratchit: Ill give you Mr Scrooge, the Founder of the Feast., About Ignorance and Want: This boy is Ignorance. Imagery of warmth has symbolism of generosity, compassion and forgiveness- Fred always makes a effort with scrooge. The adjective monstrous, creates a negative impression of the man, almost evil, and reinforces Dickens message that it was the ignorance of the rich that created many society's problems. Scrooge, showing that through the visits of the different ghosts he began to change more and more, as in stave two his "lip was trembling", but now he is having "a violent fit of trembling". Discuss why you think the poet made these choices. Dickens also suggests that, through his adoration of a false god, he is no longer a good christian. Dr Aidan, PhD, provides you with key quotes and analysis relating to the theme of 'Christmas'. The Victorian's would have seen this as fitting. Im sure you will all e familiar with the one percent statistic. This use of listing to describe everything as 'good' helps to demonstrate the far reaching consequences of Scrooge's redemption. Dickens uses these characters to challenge popular preconceptions that the wealthy had about the poor - preconceptions which led to support for the poor law and the workhouses. As it is used in line 32 , the word reticent means the opposite of. You are changed. He carried his own low temperature always about with him', 'No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him', 'It was cold, bleak, biting weather: foggy withal', 'Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerk's fire was so very much smaller that it looked like one coal. The ghost of Christmas presents it sitting on a throne of food. I am as giddy as a drunken man., Scrooge was better than his word. The spirit of Christmas is personified in his open heart, open hand, and outstretched arm. Oh! 'Long and wound about him like a tail made of cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds and heavy purses.'. He did it all and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father., He knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the Knowledge.. A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens On this page, readers can explore the quotes, they are broadly separated into a few sub-categories. Fezziwigs character is an understated part of the story of A Christmas Carol. jovial voice.". Stave 4 - About Scrooge's grave: Who suffers by his ill whims? ". the adjective idle reveals scrooge believes the poor are lazy and are to be blamed for their own situation. The metaphor shows he is rigid in his unfeeling behaviour to others. Dr Aidan, PhD, provides you with the 10 key quotes in Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol', along with in-depth analysis, to he. Stave 5 - Scrooge's reaction to discovering it is not too late Dr Aidan, PhD, brings you the second video. Bovey, Lee-James "A Christmas Carol Quotes " Book Analysis, https://bookanalysis.com/charles-dickens/a-christmas-carol/quotes/. The hellish atmosphere is emphasised by the fact that the ghost's clothing and hair appears to move as though in an updraft of heat, suggesting that the ghost is in hell. The final ghost is by far the most scary of the three it remains silent throughout their time together, only standing by as a guide, and leaving Scrooge and the reader to work out the story himself. ', Where the portly gentlemen explain to Scrooge about the plight of the poor and the responsibility of the rich to deal with it, In Stave 5, Scrooge begins to redeem himself for all the terrible things he did in the past, Victorian society was still extremely religious at this point and they believed strongly in the impact of sin upon the treatment of one in the afterlife, The way that Scrooge worships money would have been considered as sinful at the time as it is in a way idolising something that is not the holy lord, Stave 5: 'that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge', Stave 1: 'A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping clutching, covetous old sinner! The conditional subordinate clause represents Scrooge's future actions. However, how the poor were treated was far more extreme in Victorian England. A description of the school house that Scrooge was left in as a child, by his family. Scrooge is not unfortunate in the way of relatives - he has a family awaiting his . He always did!". Themes= greed and generosity/Christmas/poverty. () At the time, Camden town would have been a crowded suburb. Scrooges offences carry their own punishments. A frosty rime was on his head, and on his eyebrows, and his wiry chin. It is too much linked to his miserly ways thus suggesting that the learning is not finished yet. He must have slept through a whole day and half a night. Themes= greed and generosity of the poor. Where graceful youth should have filled their features out a stale and shrivelled hand, like that of age, had pinched, and twisted them. I am sure we shall none of us forget poor Tiny Timshall weor this first parting that there was among us? The speaker is clearly fed up with Scrooges behaviour and wants him to get to the end of his journey and realize his mistakes as soon as possible. Here, we get the image of a country that is united during this time of year; a place where Christmas and Britishness are inextricably linked, which would have been incredibly popular for a Victorian audience who were in the throws of empire building. ', 'I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it! With in-depth analysis, this video aims. Stave 2 - the spirit takes him to past Christmases including seeing Scrooge alone at school. The two children are the personification of man's ills - ignorance and want. Hallo!" Click the card to flip Definition 1 / 5 She looked at me as if I had insulted her. () The famous phrase Humbug really means either shame or hoax. Then, identify each underlined word by writing above it ADV for adverb or ADJ for adjective. In this quote, Dickens describes London as a dark and dangerous place. Oh, glorious! Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Of course, there is still a massive equality gap between the rich and the poor. Stave 1 - Scrooge's response to the gentlemen saying that people would rather die than go to the workhouse. It is through your support of visiting Book Analysis that we can support charities, such as Teenage Cancer Trust. When it was made you were another man. Pathetic fallacy - Scrooge can see now clearly - reinforced by the adjectives juxtaposing the foggy, misty scenes of earlier chapters when Scrooge could not see the error of his ways. We are reminded of the contrast between the rendered status. So we have tried where possible to focus on the most vital sections of the novella. Stave 5 - The response of the portly gentleman to the money Scrooge wants to give him: Scrooge was better than his word. Throughout the book, Dickens makes use of metaphors, personification, imagery, and more. The tremors of the great San Francisco earthquake that occurred in 1906 (was, were) estimated to have measured 8.3 on the Richter scale. The repetition of the word 'little' reinforces to the reader how young and innocent and undeserving of death was Tiny Tim. By the time he reaches the third ghost The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come he orders the ghost, using the imperative phrase Lead on! He is in control now, and wants the change desperately enough to be forceful about it. Lord bless me!" For example, the first ghost is a metaphor for how memories and the past shape ones experience, while the last ghost is a metaphor for death and ones legacy. Themes= family/greed and generosity/ time. The ghost of Christmas yet to come is a symbol of the effect that memories have on someone as they age. "Business!" Of course, the suggestion that people might be talking about him is beastly to Scrooge. Stave 4 - Tiny Tim's burial place is eden like - as, despite his poverty and place in life, he was good and will be welcomed by god. Instant PDF downloads. Everyone is entitled to be a little happier on Christmas, and the Ghost of Christmas Present helps them to be so. When he sees Tiny Tim and his jubilance despite his disadvantages, Scrooge cannot help but feel compassion and by association guilt, as he has seen from the effect Fezziwg had on his staff that he could have a similar influence on Tiny Tim. enthusiastic- "a merry Christmas uncle. These cover themes like wealth, poverty, Christmas, and kindness. "Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of things that May be, only?". "Crown of its head there sprung a bright clear jet of light." Description of the Ghost of Christmas Past, Stave 2, this ghost is much less scary than Marley which symbolises the innocence of childhood. This is said by criminals who plundered/ stole from scrooge after he died. Dickens was openly opposed to this view and challenges it throughout the novella. The gothic was a popular genre in the Victorian age and would have seemed fitting for a ghost story to Victorian readers. A Christmas Carol Key Quotes and Analysis. cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. "[He called out in a] comfortable,oily, rich. However, these are two children that he has no control over. Stave 3 - the Cratchits A merry Christmas to everybody! The style of A Christmas Carol is conversational and direct. Fezziwg really represents what Scrooge has and what he could (and eventually does) become. The verb sparkled has magical and positive connotations, shows Fred is the antithesis of scrooge. Belle to Scrooge: "Another idol has displaced me a golden one.". Tiny Tim's comment is generous in spirit, seeing his disability positively as it will remind others of the true meaning of Christmas by allowing them to think of Jesus on Christmas day. Does this line support or contradict the speaker's statement in the final stanza, "Nothing really happened"? A Christmas Carol: Key Moments Being such a short story there is very little that is extraneous. Themes= greed and generosity/time. "The noisy little Cratchit's were as still as status". "His eyes sparkled and his breath smocked.". Studying Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'? Jacob Marleys demise is possibly part of what shaped Scrooge into the person that he is. Scrooge becomes part of two families: Dickens reveals that we are part of not only our blood relatives but also a wider family that of society. Scrooge hung his head to hear his own words and was overcome with penitence and grief. So, therefore, we should take responsibility for being a positive influence. This is fitting because it is traditionally colder at Christmas but also because the cold is an apt metaphor for Scrooges personality. Accessed 4 March 2023. Along with the words, 'sole' and 'solitary' used throughout the novel to suggest that each individual must take responsibility for his own choices - just as Marley is paying for his individual sins. About Scrooge: As solitary as an oyster., External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge., If they would rather die, said Scrooge, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population., Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it., Marleys Ghost: Mankind was my business., Marleys Ghost: I am here to-night to warn you, that you have yet a chance and hope of escaping my fate., There was a boy singing a Christmas Carol at my door last night. At this point, Scrooges character has become fairly well established but the reason that this particular meeting is of such importance is that it highlights Scrooges outlook towards the poor as well as provides his comments about how the poor should be treated. The innocence of the 'angel' and the 'schoolboy' contrast with the hellish image of Marley's ghost, showing the reader that he will be saved. However, the verb 'profit' still has a hint of selfishness - as well as an implication of individual, even material, gain. The adjectives squeezing and wrenching, etc., relate to how one should imagine him with money, refusing to let go of his wealth. They often came down handsomely, and Scrooge never did. "Every person has a right to take care of themselves. A merry Christmas to everybody! I should like to have given him something: thats all., About the Fezziwig family: shaking hands with every person individually as he or she went out, wished him or her a Merry Christmas., Scrooge about Mr Fezziwig: The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it costs a fortune., Belle to Scrooge: Another idol has displaced me., Belle about Scrooge: I have seen your nobler aspirations fall off one by one, until the master passion, Gain, engrosses you., Belles husband to Belle about Scrooge: Quite alone in the world, I do believe., There was nothing very cheerful in the climate or the town, and yet was there an air of cheerfulness abroad., About the Ghost of Christmas Present: Sprinkled incense on their dinners from his torch., About the Cratchits goose: a feathered phenomenon., There never was such a goose. Stave 1 - description of Marley's ghost "Cherry cheeked apples, juicy oranges, luscious pears.". Stave 2 - Scrooge becomes distressed by what he is seeing. The tone is impatient as he does so. This again leads back to Dickens' idea of collective responsibility - that everything that we do influences others. The noun cell has connotations of Bob being imprisoned by scrooge. Stave 3 - description of Mrs Cratchit The workers will be repairing the building. Stave 3 - Christmas at Fred's () A famous geographer Thomas Malthus came up with the theory that the poor were just surplus population and thus should be left to their own devices - even if this meant letting them die. Oh, glorious. God bless us!, At the time people rid themselves of any guilt by blaming the poor for the fact they were poor. Dickens is very clever in his use of dialogue in this section of the story as the Ghost of Future Yet To Come shows Scrooge the people that are talking about his death. I am as giddy as a drunken man. This is a great description, wanders around holding a candle snuffer that looks like a hat. Thus Dickens is ending with the message that we can all change our selfish ways and be a positive influence. Ghost of Christmas Present, Stave 3, he warns that if Scrooge doesn't change himself that "doom" will be in his future. A Christmas Carol is rarely classified as a gothic novel. You must cook those fresh eggs for that kind of special salad. Stave 4 - in the rag 'n' bone man's shop ffects the change, pulling the curtains aside with his own hand. By this stage, Scrooge has already begun to see the error of his ways and has realised that he will benefit from the messages he is receiving and so he begins to take agency over the situation. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The ghost of christmas present is showing the two children that hide in his cloak and he says that the problems these children portray are the problems of mankind. Whatever the genre. But, they were happy, grateful, pleased with one another and contented with the time. - Scrooge, Ever idiot who goes around with merry xmas on his lips should be buried with a stake of holly through his heart, The use of nature with a type of plant typically seen around christmas time makes scrooges comment even more menacing saying that they should kill him with the very thing that is giving him happiness in that certain period.- Scrooge. External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. The relative clause describing Tiny Tim reinforces the idea that it is Scrooge's actions that caused him to live. Themes= Christmas/greed and generosity/family. " Stave 5 - pathetic fallacy These words are then used against him by the ghost of the Christmas present. 4 major themes of this novel are forgiveness, the influence of the past, greed, and poverty. that this creature, who appears to be both young and old, is an image of Jesus who was a baby at Christmas and yet who, as the son of God, represents the divine wisdom that Christians worship. 'Scrooge was his sole executor, his sole assign, his sole residuary legatee, his sole friend and sole mourner'. The father of a long, long line of brilliant laughs. The fog has lifted and Scrooge can 'see' the truth. Marleys ghost is the one that kicks everything off but also acts as a mirror to Scrooge to show him the error of his ways. Partially because of the nature of its main character. The synonyms 'alone' and 'by himself' emphasise again the loneliness of the life he has chosen. - Scrooge, Is scrooges staple opinion to christmas at the start of stave one, showing off his negative opinions to begin with, this is used to emphasise the change in scrooges character from the beginning to the end. Stave 2 - The first of the three spirits This quote shows Ebenezer Scrooge's miserly, miserable attitude toward Christmas at the opening of the story; he is obsessed with his money and has no time for festivities, family, or joy. The Christmas Spirit I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time the only time when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers.