Themes in 'A Christmas Carol'
Family
Dickens emphasises the importance of family during the festive season, within the novella, as the theme links directly to the idea of Christmas being tied to an emotional element.
This is done by placing emphasis on ideas surrounding family and explores them in greater detail, by highlighting the positive effects that it can have - while explaining the negative consequences that can occur as result of it’s absence.
- Family is presented as a theme which embodies joy, strength and affection
- Scrooge (at the beginning of the novella) is also presented as the antithesis of these ideas
- The absence of family is a key factor which contributed to Scrooge’s initial characterisation
positive effects of family presence
- Scrooge’s nephew Fred generates a positive atmosphere, affecting both Scrooge and the tone of narration. His introduction brings warmth - in Stave one; he “heated himself”, looking to be in “a glow”, opposing the statement “external heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge” - suggesting Fred’s virtues are stronger than natural forces and spotlighting the value and power of family.
- Dickens emphahsises that Scrooge isolates himself from being around family; refusing Fred’s invitaition to “dine” on Christmas - potentially seen as a direct link to his downfall, as he later acknowledges that if he’d experienced being in a loving family “years ago”, he might have “cultivated the kindness of life” - demonstrating the idea that ==a supportive family can be instrumental in the development of a person==, making the concept of family appear as highly important within society
- The Cratchits are an ideal example of a common large family in the nineteenth century, making them a relatable representation of the lower class; idealising them by focussing on their unity, happiness and strength - despite their fanancial struggles, conveying the idea that poverty isn’t a barrier for happiness. This is highlighted through the description of the household on christmas day, with Dickens detailing that even the potatoes “knocked loudly… to be let out”, emphasising the joy and excitement within the Cratchit family.
- Furthermore, the unity of the Cratchit family after the death of Tiny Tim, allows the reader to witness them coming together to give Tim a loving funeral - a stark contrast to the ‘funeral’ for Scrooge, where his body layed “unwatched, unwept, and uncared for”. Use of Alliteration to emphasise his isolation, reinforceing the message that family is more important than money.
negative effects of family absence
- Fanny’s appearance at the school house to take Scrooge back home, allows us to infer that Scrooge had a close reationship with his sister. It’s at this point that she informs him that their father has become a “kinder“ man and that their home now feels “like heaven”. This acts as a meaningful simile and ==it brings attention to the power that family holds, as its emphasising it’s importance==. Therefore, when Scrooge glances “anxiously at the door“ and “mournfully“ shakes his head prior to Fanny’s arrival, it allows the reader to understand the sorrow he felt over her death. Her absence then ended up having a deep impact on his character, which is highlighted by how after he’s reminded of her kindness, he feels “uneasy“ which then causes him to reflect on his relationship with Fred - as he’s the last living tie to his sister. This action can be viewed as a display of his growth throughout the play, in comparison to his behaviour in stave one - which suggests ==the absence of a positive family member for support had a profoundly negative impact==.
- In Stave two, when Scrooge is taken to see Belle (his former fiancee), she reveals to him that she believes he’s replaced her with a “golden“ idol. This metaphor refers to Scrooge’s “passion“ over the pursuit of money and riches. ==Dickens presents the idea that Scrooge’s predispositions over money verses his those closest to him, has damaged his relationships and ultimately destroyed his opportunity to build a family of his own==. The magnitude of the loss he feels when seeing Belle playing with her children, acts asa a catalyst for him to question what his life could’ve been like if he had had children who “called him father“. The sorrow within the sentiment emphasises the regret felt by Scrooge, implying he’s finally coming to realise family is moreimportant than money.
context point
- Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had nine children & made their family dynamic something to be idealised and this dynamic ended up becoming percieved as normal; which led to ideas about families changing and becoming more encompassing of various circumstances (libk to work houses, large families, poverty), meaning that readers were more likely to resonate with Dickens’ various representaitions of the theme and its development.
Isolation
Dickens explores the theme of Isolation within the novella through the character development of Scrooge. At the beginning of the novella, Scrooge is considered to be an outsider within society, and is simultaneously a victim of self-inflicted loneliness; as result of him pushing away those who had been closest to him and ostracising himself from society.
Scrooge’s Isolation
- In stave one, Dickens’ narration describes Scrooge as being as “secret and self-contained and solitary as an oyster“. The sibilance from the letter ‘S‘ creates a hissing sound which leaves the reader with an ominous feeling and suggests something sinister may occur. The hissing created by the repetition of the letter ‘S‘ is reminisent of the sound made by a snake, which could be considered as a biblical allusion to the snake’s temptation within the Garden of Eden. This could be considered as Dickens’ way of saying that isolation can be deadly. The sibilance also creates a semantic field for isolation, allowing the reader to understand this as the type of