A Christmas Carol 4

Explore how Dickens uses the character of scrooge to highlight Victorians’ attitudes to the poor.

On December 19th 1843 Charles Dickens published his most famous novel, A Christmas carol. The novel was written in Victorian England where the attitudes of the upper classes towards the poor were a lot different to what they are today. During the time the book was published the poor law was enforced, meaning that the poor had to work for their welfare as most wealthy people thought that too much money was being paid to them so they made a law where they had to work for it. This meant that people in the working class had to work in workhouses where the living conditions were putrid. Charles Dickens expressed his views on the social attitudes towards the poor through some of his different characters in the novel. This was the best way to broadcast his views to the upper class as they were the only people who could afford books, also it’s the upper class he is targeting this novel at because it is them who needs to change how they treat the poor.

In stave 1 we are introduced to the main character Ebenezer Scrooge who is described as being “tight-fisted”, “self-contained” and “solitary as an oyster” this indicates that scrooge was not charitable, generous or a giving type of person, more of a greedy, self centred man who is trapped in his own world where all he sees is himself . These extreme adjectives have been used for effect as they are incredibly negative so when Scrooge shows a magnificent transformation at the end to become a kind, warm and giving person it is a huge contrast. Scrooge does not want to contribute to society or help the people who needed help the most all he cared about was his money and himself as Dickens goes on to say “The cold within him froze his old features” which suggests that not only is his exterior cold and bitter but his interior, his feelings are just as bitter and frozen as his exterior. Charles Dickens has created this image to...