Money and Kindness

Scrooge is avaricious and obsessed with money, replaces his love

Scrooge is avaricious and obsessed with money, replaces his love

‘Gain, engrosses you’

‘What idol has displaced you?’ ‘A golden one.’

Fezziwig

‘The happiness he gives is quite as great as if it cost a fortune.’

Fezziwig represents what S could be like as an employer. He prioritises making his employees happy rather than money.

Fezziwig didn’t spend much yet still managed to make his employees happy; happiness doesn’t cost much

Lack of charity, portly gentlemen

‘I don’t make myself merry and I cannot afford to make idle people merry’

Illuminates Scrooge’s miserliness and his prioritisation of monetary profit over human connection and joy.

No desire to help others celebrate Christmas as he doesn’t celebrate it himself.

Miserly towards his clerk

Bob Cratchit is only allowed one coal to heat up his room.

S describes Christmas as ‘a poor excuse to pick a man’s pocket every twenty-fifth of December’

This highlights Cratchit’s poor pay and that S avoids small expenses including paying Cratchit for one holiday off, which emphasises his obsession w money.

Gap between Rich and poor illuminated by Fred v.s Scrooge

‘What reason have you to be merry? You’re poor enough.’ Scrooge believes that people who have no money have no reason to be happy.

‘What reason have you to be morose? You’re rich enough.’ Fred does not understand why the only thing Scrooge cares about is money, and why it cannot bring him joy at a time such as Christmas.

Gap between rich and poor social class

The mayor ‘gave orders to his fifty cooks and butlers to keep Christmas as a Lord Mayor’s household should’

compared with the tailor who had been ‘fined five shillings’ demonstrates plenty versus lack.

Gap between rich and poor as demonstrated by Marley

‘Mankind was my business’

Marley believes he should have been giving to others instead of taking money from them and consequently causing their suffering. Dickens’ big idea

Benevolence

Ghosts are kindly and meant to be benevolent through education. Teaching Scrooge to be a better person

Ghost of Christmas Past shines a light on Scrooge, which may represent self discovery and truth.

By showing memories of the past, Scrooge is shown the goodness that used to be in him and of the people he used to love.

Fan

‘But she had a large heart’

Scrooge agrees and awknowledges his sister’s kindness

Fezziwig’s respect

‘Shook hands with every person individually as he went out’

How S could have been as an employer yet is not. Fezziwig shows kindness to all and sees everyone as an equal

Pity towards S’s past self

‘Wept to see his forgotten self as he had used to be’

Scrooge shows his past self pity and kindness allowing him to eventually grow as a person

Fred

An antithesis to Scrooge

‘I mean to give him the same chance every year, whether he likes it or not, for I pity him’

Fred shows kindness to Scrooge by persisting he visit him for dinner regardless of Scrooge’s nasty attitude, concern revealed by his persistence and pity