Point: serves as a foil to Scrooge; contrasting the miser's avarice and isolation with warmth and generosity

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Mr Fezziwig is Scrooge’s former employer and a key figure in Stave Two when the Ghost of Christmas Past transports Scrooge back to his youth. Through his characterisation, Dickens contrasts charitability and warmth with parsimony and misanthropy. Described as having a “comfortable, oily, rich, fat, jovial voice,” Fezziwig is immediately established as cheerful and full of life through Dickens’ personification of the asyndetic list of adjectives. The adjective “jovial” in particular reinforces his open-hearted nature and positions him as the embodiment of the Christmas spirit - a man who takes delight in others’ happiness rather than in personal wealth.

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Fezziwig epitomises the generous and joyful spirit that Dickens sought to promote. He closes his warehouse on Christmas Eve, declaring, “No more work to-night. Christmas Eve, Dick. Christmas, Ebenezer!” The asyndetic structure of this command - quick and lively - mirrors his cheerful personality and sense of spontaneity. The repetition of “Christmas” reinforces his enthusiasm and celebration of community.
As an employer, Fezziwig acts as a foil to Scrooge. His warmth, sociability, and compassion starkly contrast with Scrooge’s miserliness and isolation. While Fezziwig halts work on Christmas Eve to celebrate, Scrooge begrudges Bob Cratchit even “a day’s wages for no work.” The juxtaposition between these two attitudes underscores Dickens’ moral lesson: joy and kindness cost nothing but enrich everyone around them.

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Fezziwig’s party scene symbolises everything Scrooge has lost - laughter, friendship, and community. The description of Fezziwig “skipping down from the high desk with wonderful agility” evokes a sense of vitality that transcends age and wealth. Dickens personifies joy through Fezziwig’s movement, presenting him as an emblem of life and energy. His physicality reflects his emotional openness, unlike Scrooge, who is repeatedly described through the imagery of cold and rigidity.

w t b h p i e s o t t

Mrs. Fezziwig is described in a similar way to Fezziwig himself - a lady who was “worthy to be his partner in every sense of the term”. This assertion shows that she was his equal in terms of business and marriage, allowing the positive descriptions of Fezziwig’s character to reflect on her. Moreover, Dickens presents her and Fezziwig’s relationship as ideal which is a structurally interesting choice as he follows this passage with the breakdown of Scrooge and Belle’s relationship. By setting up this contrast he heightens the emotions of both situations, causing the Fezziwig’s relationship to appear perfect which makes the subsequent breakdown of Scrooge and Belle’s relationship appear worse.

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I t’s n h p, t m h, a I’ll u i

“In came Mrs Fezziwig, one vast substantial smile” Dickens uses parallel syntax (repeated sentence structures) for Mrs Fezziwig’s introduction, as the opening phrase “in came” is repeated throughout the paragraph. This emphasises her unity with the rest of the people at the party, presenting her as a lady who has assimilated into the crowd and is well-liked. He also uses a synecdoche (when one part is used to represent a whole), as he refers to her as “one vast substantial smile”. This shows how her smile characterises her, presenting her as an individual who embodies goodness. “If that’s not high praise, tell me higher, and I’ll use it.” Dickens uses the narrator to elevate Mrs Fezziwigs status by interrupting the narrative with this comment. The conversational tone and direct address causes the reader to fully appreciate her virtue, solidifying her position as a good character.