The Victorian Period lasted from 1832 to 1901 under Queen Victoria’s reign. The culture revealed in this era was a time of rapid change, social inequality, industrialization, supernatural and religious beliefs, and was accurately reflected in the works of Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. Roles of men and women were strictly defined, as were economic statuses. The hustle and bustle of the streets led to illnesses. Working conditions were destitute and unsanitary. Children often had little to no education, unless very fortunate. New advancements in technology arose, after the industrialization of the United Kingdom began.
As a result of Queen Victoria’s reign, a strict division between social classes was defined.
The working class
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The cotton, coal, trade, and ship-building industries were booming. Aside from shaping the historical reality of the time, Dickens represented narrative pathways, perspectival frames, and models of behavior that guided his modern society audience towards finding their places in a rapidly changing industrial age(Fiske). He wrote the entertaining novella, A Christmas Carol, as an escape from the world of modernity, into a world of spirituality. Regarding the religious beliefs in the Victorian Period, Victorians were primarily characterized by Christianity. The term “Victorian” is familiar with social decorums that encompass strong religious customs(Coleman). As a product of industrialization, the traditional British Christmas we know today is not found in the midsts of history(Flanders). Charles Dickens was partially responsible for Victorian England’s regained Christmas spirit. He reflected the themes of redemption, family, merriness, and Christmas spirit in his narrative. For example, “The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. Oh, Jacob Marley! Heaven and the Christmas Time be praised for this! I say it on my knees, old Jacob, on my knees!,” Dickens demonstrated Scrooge’s redemption and new found Christmas spirit(Dickens 82). Religion during the Victorian Period had a vast impact on Dickens’ writing, he wrote stories through his belief in Christianity. In addition to strong religious beliefs, Victorians turned to supernatural ways of reasoning. Due
The book was first published in 1843, a time when many of the wealthy people neglected the old Christmas spirit of charity. In addition, the Industrial Revolution had further done away with the simple pleasures of the season. Dickens’ intentions in writing ‘A Christmas Carol’ were not only linked to his childhood and sympathy for the poor, but he was also acting as a philanthropist by making an appeal to the rich people of society to mend their selfish ways.
In Charles Dickens film and novel A Christmas Carol, he shows his feeling of capitalism and how it affects societal wellness and individuals. The setting of the story is in Victorian England where Ebenezer Scrooge, the main protagonist, lives and dwells. In this time period in England many are poor and few are rich; the economic state of the city is in poor health. Scrooge is one of the scare rich individuals in the land and practices capitalism to a T. Dickens shows how his story is related to economics by using the setting of the story and also the capitalistic ideals of Ebenezer Scrooge.
During the Industrial Revolution in London, the poor were treated as inadequate citizens. Most worked just so they could have food and shelter. In A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens uses Ebenezer Scrooge to convey his critiques of Victorian society. Dickens uses the character Scrooge to express his judgements of Victorian society, greed, and the treatment of the poor. He also suggests a reform to these problems, charity and the spirit of Christmas.
Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol ‘A Christmas Carol’ written by Charles Dickens tells the story of a man named Ebenezer Scrooge who is taught the true meaning of Christmas and is shown the errors of his ways. ‘A Christmas Carol’ was published in 1843, this was a time of social and political unrest. Dickens motivation for writing this story was to encourage employers to treat workers well, he uses the Christmas Carol to portray this message. Charles Dickens felt strongly about the working conditions and poverty that many people endured. He wanted to encourage employers to treat their workers well.
Set up against the rampant industrialization of the 18th century, Charles Dickens classic novella “A Christmas Carol” endorses the notion that all people have a responsibility to ensure the safety and welfare of every member of society. By taking his seemingly irredeemable protagonist Ebenezer Scrooge on an other worldly journey. Dickens intends to convey to the complacent classes of the age, the necessity of various traits that are essential in life, such as the responsibility for those whom are less fortunate and other vital traits such as charity, generosity and simply caring for others. Dickens warns the reader of the consequences that will follow if these lessons are not taken into consideration.
chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail. Mind!
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens is a compelling tale of greed, love and charity. Studying this short novel at school is necessary because it concedes the threats of holding and leading a selfish life and how acting greedy is notorious on your fate and your perspective of life. Through his representation of Scrooge, Dickens wants the reader to learn from his miserable personality and encourages others
A Christmas carol by Charles Dickens is a significant novella written in the Victorian era. The protagonist Ebenezer Scrooge is used to demonstrate the upper class society and their attitude towards the poor. Throughout this redemption story, Dickens combines a descriptions of hardships faced by the poor with a heart-felt sentimental celebration of the Christmas season. The novella contains a dramatic and comic element as well as a deep felt moral theme. The text promotes the values of Ebenezer Scrooge, delving into his past, present and supposed future as well as contrasting between the enriching and depressing story; specifically
Life of the higher class and the lower class greatly contrasts in England during the Victorian era (the 1800s). Charles Dickens, a famous writer living in that time, wrote about the theme of social injustices in his profound writings. In his infamous short story called A Christmas Carol, Dickens illustrated the meaning of a true Christmas spirit. Two of the minor but most important characters are ignorance and want. In relation to the story, ignorance and want symbolize the causes of many social conflicts and the effects that lead to abundant poverty and needs in the world.
Charles Dickens’s, a British social reformer which has presented to an audience a brilliant novel: A Christmas Carol. The play is set in the mid 1900’s where the industrial revolution was introduced which resulted in inventions such as machines; people consequently were fleeing the countryside for work in city for good paying jobs, for good achieving business people this gave their business a massive amount of money but a small minority of people were underprivileged because money was distributed unfairly. The basis of the story is to show the audience that money alone cannot bring happiness, but it is how you use it.
‘Show me no more!’ Scrooge cries to the Ghost of Christmas Past. What he sees is a punishment to him. ‘But the relentless Ghost pinioned him in both his arms, and forced him to observe what happened next’ (Stave 2). The phantom as literary device enables Dickens to explore the social and moral issues central to his fiction: – poverty, miserliness, guilt, redemption. The ghosts borrow in their appearance from a tradition of allegory. There is the strange child/old man that is Christmas Past, clutching a branch of holly yet trimmed with summer flowers. There is the large and avuncular Ghost of Christmas Present, tinged more and more with age as his visions draw to their close. And there is ‘The Phantom’ that is the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, shrouded and ‘stately’ and mysterious. Their shapes tell you about author's moral
Due to the Industrial Revolution, the English society was divided into three classes. There was the Church and Aristocracy, the Middle Class and the Poor, Working Class. The Victorians were deeply religious, and families were generally large. People were more often than not Christian, churchgoers, and read the Bible regularly. By the end of Queen Victoria’s reign, people were starting to doubt Christianity or the organized religion. This has been reflected in Charles Dickens’ novel, “A Tale of Two Cities”. The beginning of her era started off with rapid economic growth and optimism, but later led to the disintegration of the British Empire.
Charles Dickens’ classic novella A Christmas Carol, focuses on the social responsibility of the wealthy to help the poor and less fortunate. Dickens, having lived in poverty as a child, knew of the many struggles of the lower class of London. As an author, he made it his goal to reform England as best he could. Many of his works ran in his weekly journal, Household Words, including "Christmas Stories" and Great Expectations. In a Christmas Carol, Dickens stresses the point that the writers of that time carried a special burden to speak out for those who lived in poverty and couldn't speak out for themselves.
Fictional stories, although based upon make-believe tales, can often expose the truth behind an author’s personal views and ideals, as well as act as powerful tools to present social messages and warnings to readers across many generations. ‘A Christmas Carol’, written by Charles Dickens, is a novella in which social inequality is highlighted through the journey of a notorious miser during the Victorian era in Britain. Throughout this morality tale, Dickens presents a warning to society through his ‘social commentary’ which centres on how society has become too self-absorbed and greedy in their ways. Dickens warns
Charles Dickens is one of the most renowned British writers with well-known and widespread work. Dickens was born in England in 1812 and died in 1870. During this time, Victorian England experienced an Industrial Revolution, which impacted his life tremendously. New factories and industrial machinery changed many lives of the lower class citizens. The family grew up impoverished and struggled to maintain a good lifestyle. The family’s financial situation was strained as John Dickens, Charles’s father, spent money that the family didn’t have. These societal factors were influential in Charles Dickens’s life, and the same themes present themselves in his works. When an author creates a work, frequently themes of their life events are incorporated into the theme of the book, consciously or unconsciously. Victorian Age industrial-influenced strife was a common theme in Dickens’s life and presented itself throughout Dickens’s books.