ACC
FAMILY
Fred and scrooge
key quotes act 1
A merry Christmas uncle!
bah! humbug!
external heat and cold had little effect
he had so heated himself
What reason do you have to be merry?
you’re poor enough
why did you get married
because you fell in love!
so a merry Christmas, uncle!
good afternoon
1 +2) shows how Fred is a foil to scrooge as the opposing ideas of Christmas and its merriment. As well as Fred being a metaphor for Christmas as a warm and kind character that we warm up to as soon as we meet him compared to the idea of scrooge and his cold, miserly demeanor, which starkly contrasts with the idea of christmas. We dislike Scrooge as we meet him because of his dislike for a joyous holiday.
3+4) Fred warms scrooge despite it being said that scrooge could not be warmed by an external heat this could show how family defies nature and how in the end scrooge will be changed by the power of family.
9+10) fred tries his best to get to know his uncle despite his uncle not caring for him.this could show how the power of family and love even when the family is rude and uncaring such as scrooge is to fred. We as the audience wonder why Fred puts up with scrooge's rudeness and unwariness towards him. Dickens perhaps uses their dynamic to compare his kindness to Fred at the end .
Crachits
As good as gold
because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see
Eked out by apple-sauce and mashed potatoes
Yet every one had had enough, and the youngest Cratchits in particular, were steeped in sage and onion to the eyebrows!
That was the pudding!
Two tumblers, and a custard-cup without a handle.
they were ten times merrier than before
They were not a handsome family; they were not well dressed; their shoes were far from being water-proof; their clothes were scanty
they were happy, grateful, pleased with one another, and contented
The Cratchit family, particularly Tiny Tim, are portrayed as innocent victims of this system. By showing Scrooge's eventual generosity, Dickens indirectly critiques the lack of social safety nets and calls for a society where the wealthy take responsibility for the welfare of the less fortunate.
A relatable presentation of the working class
Poverty is not a barrier of to happiness
United as a family
Mr+mrs Cratchit further idealisates his character as they cultivate love and happiness.