His treatment to the poor is appalling as when he is asked to give a donation for them he replies, "Are there no prisons?" "And the Union Workhouses?" this is very harsh and selfish, because he is basically saying they should be put in prison instead of trying to get money off of him, this instantly creates bad impression on him. His counting house is described by Dickens to be like a "dismal little cell", this gives the impression that it is cheap, dark and cold because the fire he describes is so small its as if it only has one coal. Being so cheap and not wanting to spend anymore money than he has to he only employs one person Bob Cratchit (... ... middle of paper ... ...ery clear that, is you are not kind to people then you will have something bad happen to you in your afterlife.
He is viewed by others as a demeaning figure who is to be shunned because of his uninviting manner. People who were content with their lives were surrounded by their peers and neighbors and never encour... ... middle of paper ... ...p to humanity. He once dared to venture to the depths of darkness, where all hope of ever returning would be lost, but he was saved by the the Spirits who helped him realize that he was terrorizing himself. In the end, Scrooge lived with a bigger smile, louder laugh, and jollier step than anybody else; it was a happy ending. Had Scrooge not changed, it would have ended on a dark note with many forgotten deaths and unfortunate stories of dead bodies.
This seemed to be the worst place to end up, as many people would rather have died than gone into the workhouses. When people went to the workhouses, they were separated from their families, forced to work long hours and hardly fed at all. The workhouse system was the upper classes solution to poverty, but it did not help at all. The lower classes were still living very hard lives. Dickens published 'A Christmas Carol' in 1843 to try to bring the lower classes hard lives to the attention of people who could do something about it; the upper classes.
Willy lives in his fantasies where he is the man. Who goes out to another place and comes out rich, he is love by everyone and admired by his family. In real life, he is lazy and does not live up to his own ideals. “As Aristotle explains, a tragic hero must be one of noble character and must fall from power and happiness.”(Www.ccd.rightchoice.org/lit115/poetics.html) but Willy neither has a noble characteristic nor does he fall from power because he does not have a position of power. According to Miller, a tragic hero is someone who dies for personal dignity.
Dickens knew that the poor could be helped by the rich upper class. Dickens drew Scrooge as a stereotypical figure as he compared him to the rich men, who miserly gave nothing to the poor. Scrooge had a mean look, a grey-haired, cold look. He was a "tight-fisted hand at the grindstone", "a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!" he gave nothing to anybody.
Ebenezer Scrooge a hard working businessman who was rich enough, but an uncharitable man, unsympathetic to the poor and without a true friend in the world. He hated Christmas. Dickens portrays Scrooge as, “A squeezing, Wrenching, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!” We can clearly see from this that Scrooge is an unpleasant man who needs to change the errors of his ways, as the lasting impression we are left with is that, he is the worst possible employer there is. We see a true representation of Scrooge’s character, when charity workers visit him. “ I help to support the establishments I have mentioned: t... ... middle of paper ... ...ally emphasises the fact that how if small actions are changed the major differences it can make in people’s lives.
Having suffered continual hardships as a child, Dickens' attitude toward the wealthy was in fact bitter. As a result, his feelings toward the wealthy, represented by Scrooge as a whole group, was one centered around resentment and disregard. The Cratchits, however, portrayed the lives of many impoverished peoples during the era, and described them as being hardworking simpletons with a kind-hearted spirit, regardless of their situation. Tiny Tim was one such example, as he always blessed everyone on multiple occasions, despite his continuing ailments. One key element in Dickens' description and thoughts towards Victorian Society is that of moral standing and the satisfaction and happiness of the very contradicting social cl... ... middle of paper ... ....
He spends his day counting profits wishing that the whole world would leave him alone. His entire life is based on making more profits. Dickens describes Scrooge as a"squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!" and that "No wind that blew was bitterer than he," meaning he was harsh and very bitter. He also states that he is as "Solitary as an oyster," which means he did not open up to people and was often alone.
The Overcoat by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol The hero of “The Overcoat”, Akaky Akakievich, engenders both hatred and pity from the reader. His meekness and his pathetic life deserve sympathy, while his utter detachment from his peers and his singular obsession with a coat are often despised. He is drastically different from any of his peers, but there is a certain purity in his way of life which the overcoat defiles. Akaky’s world is completely devoid of any excitement; his sole source of pleasure lies in his work. However, his career itself is excruciatingly mundane and only a man as simple as he could extract happiness from it.
His eyes were melancholy, and were set back deep under his brow. His face was ruggedly formed, but it looked like ashes – like something from which all the warmth and light had dried out. Everything about this old man was in keeping with his dignified manner (24) Mr. Shimerda was indeed a prosperous man in Bohemia, but had made his living in the business world, not by running a farm to provide for his family’s needs. His hands show that he rarely performed hard manual labor, but that he did work hard with his hands to weave. His face however shows signs that he was already having doubts about the welfare of his family and their survival.