Point: representation of the exploitation of the working class

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Bob Cratchit, Scrooge’s Clerk, is introduced to the novella as a timid and nervous man. He remains unnamed for the first stave and is instead referred to as “the Clerk”. Perhaps Dickens only identifies Bob according to his occupation to highlight how the lower-class didn’t have an individual identity and were instead only recognised for their service. This illustrates the way in which the working class were defined by their positions in the workforce, which is where their value came from. In this way, it could be argued that Bob Cratchit’s role in the novella is to represent the plight of the poor, as he is an immediate source of sympathy in the novella.

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In the opening stave of the novella Scrooge is cruel and merciless towards Bob. He makes him work in a “dismal little cell” and complains that he is “ill-used” for paying “a day’s wages for no work,'' using an accusatory and aggressive tone towards the helpless clerk. It is interesting to note that the narrator is not sympathetic towards Scrooge but is sympathetic with regards to Bob, causing the reader to side with his character. This consequently characterises Scrooge as the villain. Following Scrooge’s transformation, Bob displays compassion as he forgives Scrooge for mistreating him, once again idealising his character.

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Bob Cratchit “tried to warm himself at the candle” This is interesting as it conveys a lot to the reader about Bob’s characterisation and the cruel treatment he faces at work. By using the pitiful verb “tried”, Dickens creates a sense of helplessness. This causes us to sympathise with Bob and acknowledge his powerlessness before Scrooge. Furthermore, the anticlimactic “candle” highlights the poor provisions in place for Bob at the workplace, as he has nothing but a lone candle to warm himself. Dickens follows this line with the blunt and matter-of-fact: “he failed”. This illustrates the nonchalant attitude that many of the rich held towards the appalling working conditions of the lower class.

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In Stave 1, Bob’s fire is described as “so much very smaller” than Scrooge’s fire. Here, the writer intentionally deploys the intensifiers ‘so, much, very’ serving to magnify Scrooge’s penny-pinching behaviour. This emphasises how Scrooge intentionally provides his employee with a meagre, inadequate fire in order to save on coal. Additionally, the comparative adjective ‘smaller’ reinforces the notion that Scrooge views Bob Cratchit as inferior and less deserving of warmth, a reflection of his perception of working-class people as subhuman. By denying Bob the same comfort he enjoys, Scrooge reveals his dehumanising attitude toward his employee. Through this, Dickens highlights Scrooge’s obsession with saving money, even at the expense of his employee’s well-being, underscoring his greed for wealth.