Point: family and community AND Conclusion

Not a quote, but Fred’s social gathering.

Fred reinforces his generosity at his Christmas party by inviting Scrooge, proving that Fred values his family and community more than holding grudges. He wants everyone to feel welcome and happy during the holidays.

t a C l, a h t m t i a t w

Dickens uses Little Fan to represent love, youth and optimism. She is also used as an embodiment of Christmas spirit, a common theme amongst the favoured characters within the novella; she tells Scrooge that they will be “together all Christmas long, and have the merriest time in all the world”. Through this assertion, Dickens reveals to the reader that Scrooge was not always someone who hated Christmas, a characterisation which starkly contrasts his portrayal in the opening stave. Therefore, it follows that Fan’s character is significant to the novella in what she reveals about Scrooge, as this allows the reader to learn more about the protagonist and his journey.

F i s m k t h u t b

Fan’s character is used by Dickens to humanise Scrooge, as this is the first time readers see positive and genuine emotion from his character. She also reveals the generational trauma burdened upon Scrooge’s shoulders, as they discover the absence of his father and his isolation, remaining in his boarding school even in the holidays. Little Fan assures him that “Father is so much kinder than he used to be,” perhaps suggesting that Scrooge suffered parental abuse; therefore, readers begin to understand why he finds it difficult to build relationships with other. From a structural perspective this is significant, as the reader is introduced to Fan during Scrooge’s first visit with the Spirits, the character who is portrayed in this contrasts to the negative and cold descriptions of the unsympathetic narrator at the start of the text.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Fred and Little Fan hold great significance in Dickens’ didactic novella A Christmas Carol; he presents them through symbolism, juxtaposition, and Scrooge’s childhood and character as symbols of innocence and goodness in his life. However, readers may feel that their roles as family and company is most prominent, whilst their optimism and generosity even through poverty, neglect and grudges become increasingly apparent as the novel progresses.