Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
A christmas carol character analysis essay
Charles dickens literary criticism
Dickens's style of writing
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Examination and analysis of “A Christmas Carol”
The principal purposes of this essay are to analysis the development of the character Scrooge and evaluate the language techniques and practices demonstrated in the novels text. In addition, to this investigation, we will also reconnaissance the similarities between Dickens personal experiences and that of the characters. Furthermore we will take a brief look at how dickens uses his characters to express his beliefs.
In order for the reader to genuinely understand the relationship between Charles Dickens and the novel in question, it`s necessary to understand the aspects of his life, which inspired the conception and influenced the creation.
Charles John Huffman Dickens was born on the 7th February
…show more content…
To his absolute astonishment, he sees the face of his deceased friend and ex business partner, Jacob Marley. Scrooge endeavours a dismissal “pooh, pooh' however the audience is well aware that Scrooge is truly horrified. Scrooge feels an 'inexplicable dread'. Furthermore the ghost says to Scrooge “you don't believe in me” then Scrooge replies that “he doesn't”; Scrooge unconvincingly tries to convince the ghost that he believes he is merely 'undigested piece of beef' which he suggests would give him hallucinations; the audience knows he is frightened and simply attempting to deny the Ghosts existence, as a coping method. "I wear the chain I forged in life," pronounces the Ghost. "I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!" Within these quotes, Dickens is exploiting Marley, in such a way that contradict Scrooge, because these are all entities Scrooge desires no part of. Dickens however wishes the audience to understand that Marley is attempting to widen Scrooges perspective on the world; beyond …show more content…
Marley’s ghost informs Scrooge, of the misery, of which is his death and to be 'captive, bound and double-ironed'. Scrooge’s obligation is to learn about the misery and fortune of other individuals. The ghost's responsibility is to awaken Scrooge from his ill-advised, ignorant mind set, convey peace to the world in the midst of it`s being and inculcate with Scrooge that he has 'misused' 'life's opportunities'. Scrooge is informed by Marley that two more ghosts will visit him during the night, the ghost of Christmas present and then the ghosts of Christmas yet to come.
Charles Dickens exploits each of the three ghosts (past, present and future) to construct Scrooge recognition of his faults and utilises the ghosts as a philosophical literature tool, to deliver his opinions, on the notion of being able to visit the past in addition to recognizing your mistakes, to have the ability to see one’s self in a different light in contemporaneous time and foresee the end of the path, one`s self is currently following in the
Dickens displays guilt as the main form of how Scrooge’s character develops into a compassionate person by the end of the novella. As Scrooge feels this quilt, it's purely based on the visions that the ghosts provide which further causes Scrooge to realise the consequences of his actions. His alienation from specific characters that he used to love such as Belle, “...has displaced me…” whom left Scrooge, due to his desire for money and wealth which grew. This desire grows with him as he is rejecting the christmas joy and spirit as he continuously states that Christmas is a “humbug,” but by stating this it provides comparison. Dickens depicts that Scrooge has become a better person because of fear but in the end he has become kinder. As the
During the other stave’s scrooge is learning more how to be nice and care for others but he is still not at his full potential. Scrooge meets 3 ghost. Ghost of Christmas past, ghost of Christmas present, and ghost of Christmas yet to come.
These similes provide the reader with a clear image of Scrooge as somebody who is wealthy but is unwilling to share what he has got. In writing the novel Dickens presents a portrayal of the rich and poor people in 1843. The fictional works of Charles Dickens are profoundly intertwined with the real events of his past. Dickens' themes often prove to have powerful reference points in his personal experience, particularly to those of his youth and adolescence.
On Christmas Eve , Scrooge is gone by a progression of ghosts,starting with his old business accomplice, Jacob Marley. The three spirits follow,the Ghosts of Past , Christmas present and Christmas future ,show how his ,mean conduct has influenced everyone around him. Toward the finish of the story ,he is soothed to find that there is still time for him to change and we see him changed into a liberal and kind hearted person.
Attitude Toward the Poor in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol Dickens encourages readers to change their views by showing what scrooge is like before, during and after the ghosts have visited him. " A Christmas Carol" is about a horrid old accountant and how people react around him on Christmas Eve. He is visited by 3 ghosts and they try and change his wicked ways. Dickens knows what it is like to work in factories because, as a child. he used to work in one, putting labels on shoe polish bottles.
In the play, Mr. Scrooge is a greedy man who thinks Christmas is “Bah Humbug!” (Dickens 3). His family has always wanted him to join them for a Christmas feast, but Mr. Scrooge has never wanted anything to do with Christmas. Marley, Mr. Scrooge’s old business partner, didn’t want Mr. Scrooge to end up like him with chains of greed attached to him when he died, so he sent Mr. Scrooge three spirits: Christmas Past, Present, and Future.
In this essay I am going to distinguish the personality of Scrooge also show you how he was at the beginning of the novella in the 1st Stave to how he changes at the end in the 5th Stave.
Dickens used his great talent by describing the city London were he mostly spent his time. By doing this Dickens permits readers to experience the sights, sounds, and smells of the aged city, London. This ability to show the readers how it was then, how ...
This is shown in the quote:” Not so much in obedience, as in surprise and fear.” When Marley tells Scrooge to stop when he reaches the window he does as he is told but not because he is respecting Marley’s command but because he is terrified of what he might witness. He is afraid of what it might mean and what it could lead to as “The air was filled with phantoms, wandering hither and thither in restless haste.” Dickens uses the motif of fear to portray Scrooge’s fate if does not change. The words “restless haste,” shows how not only will he be regretful and sorrowful as Marley was but also he will never be free. The phantoms move around desperately wanting to be free in hope that they can change their ways and make up for the things that they didn’t do but it’s too late as they burdened by the weight of their regrets. This foreshadows Scrooge’s fate if he resists change. This gives the reader an understanding and warns modern day readers and the Victorians to change before it is too late. It foreshadows the truth that Scrooge is so afraid of as he stops “not so much in obedience, as in surprise and fear.” Scrooge is the result of us realising our mistakes. And that is what Dickens was trying to
Memory serves as an important tool for the ghosts to reach out to Mr. Scrooge’s sympathetic feelings, thus contributing to the change of personality that Mr. Scrooge undergoes towards the end of the novel.
In this Stave, Dickens shows the importance of kindness by showing Scrooge’s absence of it and the effects of his harmful indifference. Scrooge is taken into his own past and shown memories of when he was young. The Ghost shows him scenes of when he was small and alone on Christmas. This memory makes him regret his harshness towards a young caroler that had come to his door the previous day. He sees that he lacked kindness and wishes he gave something to the caroler. His indifference towards the caroler insured that Scrooge would remain alone. The Ghost also reminds Scrooge of his beloved sister, Fannie who had died and left only her son. “’Always a delicate creature, whom a breath might have withered,’ said the Ghost. ‘But she had a large heart!’ ‘So she had,’ cried Scrooge. ‘You’re right. I will not gainsay it, Spirit. God forbid!’ ‘She died a woman,’ said the Ghost, ‘and had, as I think, children.’ ‘One child,’ Scrooge returned. ‘True,’ said the Ghost. ‘Your nephew!’ Scrooge seemed uneasy in his mind; and answered briefly, ‘Yes.’” (pg. 33-34). Scrooge’s only connection to his kind and gentle sister is his nephew, who also shares Fannie’s sweet nature. Scrooge is then filled with regret because of his callous treatment and lack of relationship with his nephew, who only wanted to be kind and spread the joy of the season. Scrooge’s sheer indifference and lack of kindness towards his nephew prevented
During the story, Scrooge is visited by the Ghosts from Christmas past, present, and future, who shows the ill-tempered Scrooge how to be feel compassion towards others human beings. A large quantity of the story revolves around money, and it plays a large role, to contrast how generosity is viewed in society. Scrooge is incredibly wealthy, as he lives a l...
At the beginning of the novel, Dickens presents Scrooge as an outsider by describing Scrooge as physically Cold hearted and unemotional person. This is seen in the quote, "A frosty rime was on his head, and on his eyebrows, and his wiry chin. He carried his own low temperature always about with him.". The words ‘frosty’ and ‘wiry’ shows the uses of adjectives and metaphor. Dickens uses these figurative techniques to emphasize to the reader how Scrooge has secluded his soul against society as a result of his own actions. Dickens uses dramatic irony here effectively to symbolise how the rich who are characterized as the construct Scrooge, who is presented as a gothic and supernatural being. This is ironic as the rich in Victorian society are
In "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, Ebenezer Scrooge undergoes a transformation as a result of his encounters with three ghosts and becomes a kind, happy, and generous man. His greedy, cruel, and grumpy demeanor is replaced seemingly overnight, but he doesn’t just wake up and decide to be nice. It takes three Spirits to change his outlook on life - The Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Future. The Ghost of Christmas Past makes Scrooge begin to regret his selfishness, and the Ghost of Christmas Present begins to teach him about others. This second Ghost helps to make him realize that money doesn't buy happiness. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, however, teaches the most profound lesson of all: unless he changes, no one will care if Scrooge dies. Because of the Ghosts, by Christmas morning Ebenezer Scrooge is a completely different person from the man who went to bed on Christmas Eve.
Charles Dickens is well known for his distinctive writing style. Few authors before or since are as adept at bringing a character to life for the reader as he was. His novels are populated with characters who seem real to his readers, perhaps even reminding them of someone they know. What readers may not know, however, is that Dickens often based some of his most famous characters, those both beloved or reviled, on people in his own life. It is possible to see the important people, places, and events of Dickens' life thinly disguised in his fiction. Stylistically, evidence of this can be seen in Great Expectations. For instance, semblances of his mother, father, past loves, and even Dickens himself are visible in the novel. However, Dickens' past influenced not only character and plot devices in Great Expectations, but also the very syntax he used to create his fiction. Parallels can be seen between his musings on his personal life and his portrayal of people and places in Great Expectations.