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Critical analysis of "a christmas carol" by charles dickens
Critical analysis of "a christmas carol" by charles dickens
Dickens' attitude towards the poor
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Another way Ebenezer Scrooge demonstrates being selfish is when the portly man says “But, sir, Mr.Scrooge… think of the poor.” Scrooge replies with “Take you leave of my offices,
At the beginning of the novella, Scrooge is presented as selfish and stingy because he simply does not understand the poor and the struggles they go through as he is only focused on his materialistic needs and views the poor as the “surplus population”. In stave 1, he is described as a 7 negative adjective, for example “squeezing and wrenching” which has connotations of struggling as scrooge struggles to assimilate with society and doesn't understand that the poor often lead very hard lives due to people like scrooge (especially businessmen) who don’t donate to charity, treat their workers horribly and belittle the poor. Scrooge is presented as one who is too focused on his selfish gains through his love for money, completely forgetting to
Scrooge appears irredeemable in the novella, because the anecdotes describing his callous and bad behavior are more numerous and dramatic than those described after his transformation. The majority of the first stave was written by Dickens to show the reader Scrooge’s horrible nature. In Stave One, Scrooge is approached by two gentleman canvassing for charitable donations, of which he declines to donate. In an appeal to emotion, the gentlemen then inform Scrooge that many of the poor would rather die than subject themselves to the governments assistance. In response Scrooge says, “If they would rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.”
How can a character overcome selfishness and transition into a compassionate character? Emotionally, Scrooge has transitioned from a selfish to a compassionate character. In the novel, A Christmas Carol, by Dickens, overcoming selfishness and transitioning into a compassionate character is illustrated in the theme. Scrooge overcomes selfishness and is more compassionate to others. Scrooge says, “Hear me!
Looking from the start of "A Christmas Carol", which I will call from now on "the book", Scrooge is described in the worst way a human could be described. Dickens' fantastic descriptions drew an image of a sharp, misanthropic, covetous old miser. His greed for wealth and his superb selfishness made him stand out like a goose in a queue of ducks compared to the charity men's benevolence and his comely nephew's good heart. as "the book" describes, Scrooge is a "tightfisted hand at the grindstone...hard and sharp as flint, solitary as an oyster. "(page 12), highlighting his selfishness and hostility.
Many people throughout their lives at least once acted recklessly and irrationally to overcome challenges. Without thinking thoughtfully, the actions they performed may have harmed others or themselves. This is why the phrase, “think before you act” is created, to prevent others from performing tactless maneuvers to satisfy their challenges and emotions. In the novel, A Brave New World, Aldous Huxley suggests that individuals who act recklessly in the face of adversity will fail miserably; these reckless actions will cause despair and grief for the individual or others because of their lack of thinking and overwhelming of emotions. In A Brave New World, author Aldous Huxley introduced an Alpha-Plus male named Bernard Marx.
He is excited to learn it is Christmas day, wishes others on the street a merry Christmas, and even fetches a young boy to go purchase a turkey for the Cratchit family. ” In these pieces of text, Dickens is showing us how Scrooge changed or redeemed himself. He was a greedy, grumpy man at the beginning of the story with no Christmas spirit. By the end of the story, he was exhilarated to be celebrating Christmas and was greeting people with cheer and spreading cheer by giving to others. A third example that Dickens utilizes
Throughout A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Scrooge is a vile and selfish character. He distrusts the poor and despises Christmas with all of his heart. Until The Ghost of Christmas Past appears to him. The Ghost of Christmas Past begins to expose Scrooge's true selfishness and insistence on keeping everything for himself as he undergoes his metamorphosis. After the change, Scrooge wants to live a better life.
Although skeptical in the beginning, Scrooge begins to understand why he must change his ways, and he discovers what he can do to become a better person. Throughout most of the first chapter, Scrooge is very greedy. When two kind men come and ask Scrooge for a small donation to help benefit the poor Scrooge asks if any of the prisons or poorhouses are still in operation, and the men tell him: “Many can’t go there; and many would rather die.” To which Scrooge replies with: “If they rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.” Scrooge was already being greedy by not giving money to the men, but he was also being extremely rude by saying people should hurry up and die.
In ‘A Christmas Carol’, Dickens presents Ignorance and Want in a metaphorical fashion, depicting them as children. This is done in such a manner as to shock and appall the reader, leading to greater emotional investment. Throughout the extract’s entirety, Ignorance and Want are depicted as children, increasing the atmosphere of pessimism that surrounds them. Dickens describes the manner in which the Ghost of Christmas Present “brought two children” – by describing Ignorance and Want as “children”, Dickens creates the impression of innocence, vulnerability, and weakness.
Scrooge had a cold heart and became lonely because of it. In the book, two men come to Scrooge’s door asking for donations to accommodate the poor, to which Scrooge replies by saying he wouldn’t help and that “If they would rather die, they had better do it and decrease the surplus population” (Dickens 9). Scrooge saying this shows how bitter and cold-hearted he is to people in need. Scrooge feels no remorse for saying these things. In Stave I Scrooge is an unhappy man.
“The righteousness of the blameless keeps his ways straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness”(Prov. 11:5). The story, “A Christmas Carol”, is about a cold-hearted man named Scrooge who transforms himself into a jolly, kind man when three Ghosts teach Scrooge about the spirit of Christmas. In the story, Charles Dickens illustrates the theme of how no one is past redemption through the transformation of Scrooge’s personality by the lessons of the Spirits. At the beginning of the story, Scrooge’s selfish personality is revealed, and the Ghost of Christmas Past comes and shows him the memories and truth of his life long ago.
Charles Dickens argues in his writing A Christmas Carol that the poor was being treated cruelly and the rich does not care for the poor. Pg 34 “We should make some slight provisions for the poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at this present time”. This statement shows that the poor and destitute were not provided with anything and they suffered a lot. ”If they would rather die they better do it, and decrease the surplus population”.
In page 13 Dickens sets up a scene in which two gentlemen come visit Scrooge seeking charitable help for the poor but Scrooge refuses to help and says; “If they would rather die,” said Scrooge, “they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.” meaning that if people would rather die than join the institutions he supports then they should. In this passage we learn that Scrooge is a very cold man, and a man unwilling to help. The effect of revealing the character traits indirectly is that it brings up examples of ones personality at play, like Scrooge actively showing how self contained he is and how he has a cold hearted personality by not helping
He steps forward to see a luminous light yearning for his attention causing curiosity to overflow through the bones of his body. The feel of the radiating spark is exhilarating, rapidly rushing adrenaline through his veins. His soul fills with extraordinary hope and a newfound love for life, yet he is left with the pain and sorrow of what could have been. Jonas’s light in the novel, The Giver, is the opening of the real world outside of his rigid, cruel society and what it has to offer. Throughout The Giver, the sled was an extremely powerful motif that was crucial to the general theme of the book; time is the essence of change.
