Welcome to the ultimate guide to A Christmas Carol for high achievers!
So…you’re studying A Christmas Carol! What are your thoughts so far? How confident do you feel?
This wasn’t a text I studied at GCSE myself but one that I have been LOVING teaching and examining for the last few years! I personally LOVE books that have a strong social message and try to incite change and this one absolutely does just that!
In this guide I’ll be taking you through step by step starting with the context, then the plot, followed by analysis, themes and finally quotes! I hope to ignite your passion for this book even more and help all you high achievers unlock those top grades!
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If you’re more of a visual learner, here’s is a video for you to watch below.
Context
A Christmas Carol was published in 1843. This was right in the middle of the industrial revolution. So…let’s begin by understanding what that all meant!
The industrial revolution refers to a period of time in England between the mid 1700s to the mid 1800s. There was huge growth in industry and factories were opening up. Cities were expanding, people were moving from farms to cities and there was massive development with machinery and electricity.
Firstly, there were three main classes. The lower classes generally lived in poor living conditions in the city centres, often slums. They were paid low wages and suffered harsh working conditions. The middle class were growing significantly and they consisted mainly of business and factory owners. They often lived in slightly nicer housing sometimes on the outskirts of cities. The upper classes mostly lived in huge manor houses in the countryside, often holding titles such as Baron, Earl, Duke and Lord.
The society was socially immobile. That means it was extremely difficult to rise above the class you were born into. Education and healthcare were privileges reserved only for those who could afford them and young children would be sent into work at a very young age.
If people found themselves homeless or destitute, they would be sent to the workhouse. This was an institution where food and shelter would be provided in return for work. The living conditions were often appalling and residents would often be treated more like prisoners being forced to work long hours. Interestingly, this is why the treadmill was first invented. Workhouse guards would force residents to walk on the treadmill all day or push around a heavy wheel to tire them out and punish them if there was no work to do done.
During this time, Christianity was the dominant religion of England and Christmas was the largest Christian festival. However, there were growing concerns at the time that people were losing sight of Christian values.
Charles Dickens faced many struggles growing up. His family were imprisoned for debt when he was a child. When this happened, he was pulled out of school and sent to work in a factory. Luckily, he was able to return to education but the experience never left him and heavily influenced his later work.
Summary
In a Christmas Carol, a middle-class factory owner called Scrooge is visited by several ghosts or spirits. The novel starts with his life as a factory owner. He refuses to provide help to the poor claiming they could simply go to prison or the workhouse. His nephew Fred visits him and invites him to come round for Christmas dinner. Scrooge refuses claiming Christmas is pointless because he was never made any money out of it. He also treats his employee, Bob Cratchit, very poorly, refusing to put coal on his fire and under paying him.
On returning from work on Christmas Eve, he is visited by the ghost of Jacob Marley. Marley was his business partner who died seven years ago. Marley explains that Scrooge will be visited by three ghosts who will try to change him and help him to become a better person. Scrooge is not best pleased.
Soon enough, the first ghost arrives. This is the ghost of Christmas past and is dressed in pure white. He takes Scrooge to his childhood where he has been left alone at school over the Christmas holidays. Scrooge starts to feel sorry for his old self. We then visit his first boss, Fezziwig. They are all celebrating and Fezziwig is hosting a Christmas party for his staff. Scrooge remembers how nice Fezziwig was and how he was grateful to have such a nice boss. Finally, we visit Scrooge’s ex-finance who is breaking up with him because she claims he loves money more than her.
Next up, the ghost of Christmas present shows up. In contrast he is dressed in a green robe and sits surrounded by luxurious food and drink. They set off and visit Bob Cratchit and his family who are celebrating Christmas. Despite their poverty, they still celebrate and it is obvious how much they love one another. Bob’s son, Tiny Tim, is very ill and the ghost tells Scrooge that he will soon die if they don’t get him the medication he needs. Later, we visit Fred, Scrooge’s nephew, who is also celebrating and playing games with his family.
Finally, the ghost of Christmas yet to come drops by. He is dressed in a black hooded robe and doesn’t speak. He takes Scrooge to see various groups of people who are all talking about someone who has just died. No one seems to care much about the dead man. It takes Scrooge a while but finally, when the ghost shows him his own grave, he realises he is the dead man they are all talking about.
Scrooge wakes up. It is Christmas morning. No more ghosts. He gets up and is a changed man. He is very giddy and happy. He opens the window and shouts Merry Christmas before sending a boy to go and buy a turkey for Bob Cratchit.
Analysis
The novel begins by stressing that Jacob Marley is dead and has been dead for seven years. Perhaps this is intended to reinforce this point so we as readers are more shocked when Marley appears as a ghost.
We are never told the name of Scrooge’s business or what industry it is in. Perhaps this is because Scrooge is intended to be a universal microcosm for all the exploitative factory owners at the time.
The ghost of Christmas past is dressed in pure white. Perhaps he represents purity and innocence. He holds a branch of holly perhaps symbolising peace. Additionally, on his head is a jet of light. Light here could represent the truth and knowledge that this ghost will bring to Scrooge. Interestingly, Scrooge tries to put out this flame suggesting he is not ready to receive his knowledge yet and doesn’t want it.
When we visit Scrooge as a child, he is alone. Perhaps as an adult, he pushes everyone away as a defence mechanism. If he rejects them first, they don’t have the chance to reject him. Perhaps he isn’t so mean and nasty after all. Maybe he is just a hurt and broken man trying to hide his pain.
The ghost of Christmas present is dressed in a green robe and surrounded by luxurious food and drink. Arguably, he could represent Father Christmas who traditionally was depicted as wearing a green robe. He could represent joy, opulence and abundance.
The Cratchit family are very poor but show love and kindness to one another. They honour the Christian festival of Christmas and embody the Christian values of love. Perhaps they represent all the lower classes who were struggling. Dickens challenges stereotypical ideas at the time that the poor were lazy, immoral and responsible for their situation.
When the ghost of Christmas present is about to leave, two small children appear from under his robe. He explains they are man’s. The girl is called want and the boy is called ignorance. The ghost warns Scrooge to be afraid of the boy most. These two children could represent the sins of mankind. Want could represent the greed people like Scrooge have. Ignorance could represent the fact they don’t understand how hard life is for the poor. Perhaps ignorance is the most dangerous because if they truly knew the effect they were having on others, they would not be so greedy. Scrooge wants to keep all of his money for himself. He doesn’t want to give any to charity or pay Bob Cratchit anymore. However, when he sees how much Tiny Tim is suffering he instantly wants to help. At the end of the novel, he instantly buys Bob a large turkey for Christmas and raises his salary.
Finally, the ghost of Christmas yet to come is dressed in a black hooded robe. He could symbolise the grim reaper and therefore death.
A big debate within the novel is whether Scrooge changes because he genuinely wants to be a better person or simply because he doesn’t want the same fate as Marley and therefore out of self-interest. This is left ambiguous because Scrooge asks the ghost of Christmas yet to come whether he can change his fate and the ghost doesn’t reply. Therefore Scrooge doesn’t know whether his new behaviour will be enough to change his future.
Themes
The main themes in the novel are change, family, poverty, greed, religion and Christmas.
Another word for change is redemption. Redemption is where someone saves themselves by reforming their behaviour and for Christians, avoiding the fate of hell.
Fred and Bob have wonderful families but both experience poverty. Scrooge is lonely in his wealth. By the end of the novel, he has learnt to value family and understand there is more to life than money.
The poorest characters in the play are the ones who show the most love and compassion. Bob and his family value one another’s company and make an effort to celebrate despite their difficult circumstances.
Scrooge suffers from greed at the start of the novel. However, when he understands what life is really like for other people he is more than happy to share his wealth with others. Like the ghost of Christmas present says, perhaps his biggest sin is not greed (want) but ignorance.
The characters who embody Christian values are often the poorest. Scrooge sess entirely detached from religion and only cares about monetary value. Through his journey he comes to understand the value of human connection, religion and love. In the novel, celebrating Christmas is not just about having fun but also about being a good Christian.
Christmas is also another big theme. The entire novel is called a Christmas ‘Carol’, a religious song sung at Christmas. The chapters are called staves which refers to a verse in a song. Perhaps the whole novel is intended to be one long song teaching us an important lesson at Christmas. Throughout the novel, Scrooge goes from hating Christmas to eventually embracing the true meaning of the celebration.
Quotes
“As solitary as an oyster” – Scrooge, Stave 1
Scrooge is lonely and isolated at the start of the novel.
“Are there no prisons, are there no workhouses?” – Scrooge, Stave 1
Scrooge doesn’t see it as his responsibility to care for the poor.
“Another word from you and you’ll keep your Christmas by losing your situation” – Scrooge, Stave 1
Scrooge threatens to sack Bob Cratchit if he speaks again.
“Poor boy!” – Scrooge, Stave 2
Scrooge begins to feel sorry for his old self when the ghost takes him to his old school.
“There were more dances, and there were forfeits, and more dances and there was cake” – Fezziwig, Stave 2
Fezziwig celebrates Christmas with Scrooge and his other employees.
“You will dismiss the recollection of it gladly as an unprofitable dream, from which it happened well that you awoke” – Belle, Stave 2
Belle breaks off her engagement to Scrooge and claims that he will remember it as a dream which made him no money and which he was glad to woke up from.
“Merry Christmas everyone!” – Tiny Tim, Stave 3
Despite his illness and his poverty, Tiny Tim shows joy and happiness.
“Dressed out but poorly in a twice turned gown” – Mrs Cratchit, Stave 2
The Cratchits are poor and Mrs Cratchit wears a dress which has been remade twice into different things. Despite their poverty, they still make an effort.
“It’s likely to be a very cheap funeral for on my life I don’t know of anybody to go it” – Businessmen, Stave 4
Lots of people are talking about a dead man in stave 4 but Scrooge can’t work out who it is.
“Assure me that I may yet change these shadows” – Scrooge, Stave 4
Scrooge begs the ghost to tell him whether he can change his fate by becoming a better man but the ghost doesn’t respond.
“I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as angel, as merry as a schoolboy” – Scrooge, Stave 5
By the end, Scrooge has made a total transformation.
“Do you know whether they’ve sold the prize Turkey that was hanging up n there?” –Scrooge, Stave 5
Scrooge gives the prize turkey to Bob Cratchit and raises his salary.