In this extract Dickens begins with an exclamatory sentence. The exclamation ‘Oh!’ tells the reader that the writer is shocked by what he is about to say. This is how he starts his diatribe of defining Scrooge’s demeanour, with intent to surprise the reader. The exclamation mark draws the reader’s attention to the description that follows. Dickens calls Scrooge ‘a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, old sinner!’ the use of this alliteration shows the reader how overwhelmingly bad Scrooge’s character is. Each adjective is also linked with the hands. This could suggest that he holds tightly to everything he has due to his stingy character. Dickens uses so many adjectives to give a cumulative effect on the reader. It is as if …show more content…
This is similar to Scrooge’s approach to life as he seems like he would just have the ability to hurt anyone if he deemed it necessary. Dickens also uses the simile ‘solitary as an oyster’ to portray Scrooge’s character. This analogy influences the reader to think that although Scrooge is a ‘covetous, old sinner’, there could still be a pleasant character hidden beneath this horrible façade. It could also suggest that Scrooge is prone to keeping things to himself and scarcely would you hear him expressing his feelings. An oyster shell is also hard and irregular in shape. This simile suggests that Scrooge has these tough and strange qualities and that he is hard to 'open'. This could be related to how Scrooge was a misanthrope and was hard to convince in many ways. However, he was hardest to convince in giving away some of his vast quantities of wealth. When illustrating the features of Scrooge’s face as ’pointed noise, shrivelled cheek...grating voice’, Dickens forms it in a long sentence. This device slows down the pace of a previously quick tempered extract. It puts emphasis on every description made so that the reader can create a very detailed image in their head. In this long sentence there is also a glimpse of colour imagery, such as ‘eyes red...thin lips blue’. This tells the reader that Scrooge has such a cold hearted personality, that it is reflecting in his exterior. He was also detailed as a tight fisted hand at the
Dickens uses the supernatural as a method of holding a mirror up to Scrooge who is forced to confront the error of his ways. Dickens shows us that if Scrooge fails to do this it will result in him having a similar fate to Marley. Dickens uses the ghost to emphasize that there is a chance of redemption for Scrooge “that you have yet a chance and hope of escaping my fate”. Dickens’ use of the supernatural continues throughout the story as a means of arousing nostalgia, thought, fear and action by Scrooge. All of these emotions, which Dickens shows us Scrooge is feeling, demonstrate the gradual change in Scrooge throughout the book, and as these changes take place, our thoughts and feelings towards the relationship we have with Scrooge also changes; we begin to understand him and see under his hard outer shell.
Further to this Dickens use of metaphors paints a picture of Scrooge as a "covetous old sinner!", in Stave 1 the narrator describes Scrooge to be a "tight-fisted hand at the grindstone". A grindstone is a thick disc of stone used for grinding and it was extremely hard to hold onto however the narrator uses the adjective tight-fisted to imply Scrooge as adamant and as one who is able to hold onto the grindstone or in
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is a moral tale that depicts the protagonist’s Ebenezer Scrooge’s moral journey from selfishness to redemption. It can be seen that his new found way of life is derived from the desire to be a good man of the community and to assist others such as Tiny Tim. The idea of Scrooge’s transformation not being selfish can also be seen in his aspiration to contribute to the wider community that suffers from a poverty stricken way of life. In addition to this, Scrooge also reforms his way of life in order to feel love and care from family, which satisfied his nephew Fred aswell as himself. However, this selflessness is only to an
Scrooge returns to the home of Jacob Marley, where Marley’s ghost tells him that he is going to have three ghosts visit him in the near future. The ghosts will give Scrooge an opportunity to reform himself. The text explicitly states that Scrooge was a tight fisted hand at the grindstone. Moreover, he was a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, matured sinner! Accordingly, his self-contained personality made him solitary as an oyster. In the text, it states, that Scrooge did not want to donate money to the poor since he could better use the money for himself. Scrooge declined to even to let his clerk have a day off for Christmas! The text explicitly said “it was a day that his clerk was allowed to rob him!” Scrooge finally agreed to let him have the day off with half pay. Scrooge’s catchphrase was “Bah!Humbug!’’.
'Squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching' these words portray Scrooge and how he acts upon things and how his actions and behaviour effects people around him. The repeating, rhythmic hard consonant sounds which have a negative effect on Scrooge shows the readers that he is a vile, wealthy man. Also the words are really strong it's like a claw, he has clutched on a bad, mean area of life and he can't let go and until he lets go he is going to stay
point that he is trying to make is that he is so mean that his
Dickens also uses his characters to endorse other lessons that he believed were essential in keeping Christmas ‘well’. Scrooge’s behavior in Stave 1 towards the two portly gentlemen and his rudeness displayed towards his ‘ruddy’ nephew Fred, encapsulates all the attitudes
The text explicitly states Scrooge, a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, clutching, covetous, old sinner has passed away. According to the text, he despises many things such as happiness, humor, and even Christmas. From the reading, I know that he is depressed all the time, consequently his mental state has led him to call other people stupid, dumb, and idiots. On page three, in the conversation with his nephew Fred, Scrooge insults his nephew about marrying and loving his wife. The text states, that he also “seized the ruler with such energy of action, that the singer fled in terror, leaving the keyhole to the frost and even more congenial frost.” From the reading I know that Scrooge isn’t a people person and is very down about life. Based on the text he doesn’t really like being around them. For example Scrooge didn’t donate any money to the poor, and blew off his nephew about spending Christmas with them. In the text it states that there is no wind as bare as Scrooge, this means he doesn't really care or doesn't have many feelings.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is one of the most classic stories that has been embraced by Western culture. There is a certain timelessness to the entire story, in that it demonstrates the powerful transformation of an incredibly stilted and unlikeable character to that of someone who is giving, kind and generous. The popularity and timelessness of this play is representative of how deeply human being want to believe in the possibility of change, even radical change, and that it's not too late to change one's life. However, the timelessness and popularity of this tale also reveals something else about human nature: there's a tendency such as an overwhelming whiff and desire for human beings to believe that transformation can be overnight and immediate. The reality is that most transformation and change takes years of hard work. However, change as it is presented in this play is a manifestation of the human desire to experience quick and instantaneous transformation, even with someone's character which has formed over a period of decades. In regards to the notion that "Ebenezer Scrooge is difficult to like, but easy to understand" this is generally true if an individual has had a fair amount of life experience. This paper will demonstrate that Ebenezer Scrooge is someone who has a fatal flaw, but the flaws which are demonstrated in this play, aren't as unique as some might view them. In many respects, Scrooge is
Scrooge shows his sadness when he sees “A solitary child, neglected by his friends is left there still.” Scrooge said he knew it. And he sobbed.” Regret is another emotion displayed on page 37. “Nothing. There was a boy singing a Christmas carol at my door last night. I should like to have given him something: that’s all. This quote could be a symbol of hope for Scrooge which, in turn, creates an intense effect for the reader because we see that Scrooge is changing slowly into a better man.
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol presents to the reader the transformation of an egotistic, miserable man, named Ebenezer Scrooge, to a compassionate and merrier elderly who finds the true perception of Christmas. Good afternoon, my name is Hayley Harris-Organ; I am here before you to address the importance of studying the humorous yet stern approach to Scrooge’s plight in the novella A Christmas Carol. This short novel acknowledges the threat of holding a selfish life. The author makes a clear reference to greed, cost on fate and redemption in the text.
in a number of ways. At the start of the novel, Scrooge is a penny –
The outlook of his house was dull. This quotation illustrated this “It was old enough, dreary enough, for nobody but Scrooge" ---------------------------------------------------------- The inside of his house was also dull and dark and was like nobody lived in it. He had splinters on his staircase and it was dark and dull, which was very similar to Scrooge’s character.
'Squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching' these words portray Scrooge and how he acts upon things and how his actions and behaviour effects people around him. The repeating, rhythmic hard consonant sounds which have a negative effect on Scrooge shows the readers that he is a vile, wealthy man. Also the words are really strong it's like a claw, he has clutched on a bad, mean area of life and he can't let go and until he lets go he is going to stay like a mean, malicious man. This
Throughout the last stave, Scrooge is portrayed as a ‘changed man’, shown through his many acts of kindness and love as well as his changed attitude towards poverty and prosperity. “He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town or borough, in the good old world.” This statement encapsulates the stark contrast between Scrooge’s character in the first stave when compared to the last. It can even be said that the last stave is written in a symmetrical manner to that of the first. This is made obvious through the stark opposites that can be seen in Scrooge’s personality in the first stave when compared to the last; where he used to be greedy and self-absorbed, he became selfless and compassionate. Dickens uses this example of symmetry to make Scrooge’s transformation even more discernible to readers as to allow them to note just how a model citizen should act towards others.