What is Dickens Social Commentary on Victorian England in A Christmas Carol
What is Dickens social
Commentary of Victorian
England in "A Christmas Carol"
Christmas is a time of thanks giving and happiness. The religious significance of Christmas is birth, life and death and so should be celebrated by thanking for what they have got. At Christmas people give presents and have a service in church but in Victorian England things were very different to these days because back then food and presents were only given because of some people's generosity. Dickens is saying through the character of Scrooge that Christmas is a time of spending time with the family but in the modern days people are very capitalist and worry about how much profit they make rather then spending time with the family. Christmas is a time of giving and being generous but Charles Dickens explores the 19th century by showing the poverty and that there were no benefits for the poor so if you didn't work you didn't get. Today life is very different because benefits are available and other welfare schemes to help the poor. In the 19th century the Industrial Revolution took place so more money came into the economy but the poor were still left hungry, without shelter but the rich got richer. In A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens is criticizing the rich who do not treat the poor well by showing that the rich cannot live apart from society because everyone plays their part and that respect is very important. Dickens shows this through Scrooge and the ghost of Christmas future when no one will care when you die. Dickens moral message in the novel is that everyone should respect each other whether poor or rich.
Dickens expresses his criticism of the lack of the welfare system through the words of Scrooge by showing that the rich were very rich and the poor very poor and the only way through it was to work at the work house. However the work house was seen a shameful place to work at, therefore many of the poor people would rather make a living begging. Dickens shows this egocentricity of the rich through words of Scrooge when Scrooge says to the Charity collectors:
'If they would rather die.....they had better do it, and
decrease the surplus population.'
This shows that scrooge believes that it is the poor people's responsibility to live for them selves even if they are feeble and unable to work. When scrooge says 'decrease the surplus population,' this emphasises that Scrooge is very selfish and doesn't care for people as long as he gets what he wants. Therefore Dickens is emphasising through the character of Scrooge that some rich people would rather see humans die just because they believe that it would help the environment, such as in this situation scrooge wouldn't have a care in the world if he saw poor people die, however would see it as a benefit to him. Scrooge shows us that some rich people were very miserly and didn't care for the poor, even those who worked for them. Scrooge is a very closed and selfish person even though he has got more than enough of wealth. This is shown when:
'Oh! but tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge!
A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching,
covetous old sinner!'
This quote shows that scrooge is very stingy and tries to get every thing out of Bob Cratchit. The verbs used here demonstrate that he is very mean and self centred man who doesn't care for others as long as he can grab of everything he can get hold of. Scrooge is a very penny-pinching man even though he is rich because at his house when he sees Bob Marley's ghost he is sitting in the dark because he doesn't want to get no candles because ...
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A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching,
covetous old sinner!'
This quote shows that scrooge is very stingy and tries to get every thing out of Bob Cratchit. The verbs used here demonstrate that he is very mean and self centred man who doesn't care for others as long as he can grab of everything he can get hold of. Scrooge is a very penny-pinching man even though he is rich because at his house when he sees Bob Marley's ghost he is sitting in the dark because he doesn't want to get no candles because he has to pay for them. This is proven by:
'Darkness is cheap and Scrooge likes it'
Ironically this quote also suggests that Scrooge is happy being ignorant of the suffering of those so needy in society. It is the word 'darkness' that also suggests that Scrooge lives in a very ugly manner and deprives the needy away from him so he doesn't have to give anything. It is very common for the rich people to say that they don't need anyone including God. This shows that these people can do anything with there money and would go pretty far to get as much as they could. Dickens clearly criticizes this of the rich people in Victorian times through the character of Scrooge. This is shown when Scrooge says:
"every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should!"
This quote shows that Scrooge is saying that Christmas is worse than any normal day because presents have to be given and money has to be spent. This shows that some of the rich people in Victorian times didn't like spending their wealth on other people. Therefore Christmas would be a problem to them especially to their businesses because the workers would want a day or two off and a pay rise because it's Christmas.
Scrooge was brought up in a cruel and emotional manner. Scrooge was educated at a boarding school were life was very difficult for him. This is shown by;
'The school is not quiet deserted,' said the Ghost.
'A solitary child, neglected by his friends,
is left there still.' Scrooge said he knew it. And
he sobbed.'
This quote clearly shows that Scrooge was unfairly treated at school and didn't have anyone to help; this is probably why he doesn't trust anyone now and treats others of how he was once treated. It wasn't just Scrooge's school life which was terrifying but also his home life. Scrooge's dad didn't care for him and did not allow Scrooge to return home from boarding school for Christmas. The words 'solitary' and 'deserted' epitomise the sad and lonely upbringing Scrooge endured. It could be argued that this was where the seed of his miserly and ungenerous approach to life was planted. This most likely defines why Scrooge never does anything to celebrate Christmas. However Scrooge was once a heartful person who did have love for a woman. Unfortunately Scrooge's business drove her away from this fruitful relationship, most likely because of his greed for money. Scrooge did have this once in a life time opportunity but blew it away. Dickens refers to the:
'Shadow of the growing tree'
This symbolizes that his greed was formed early in life and pushed away all those he may have been close to. The lady which he loved so much got on with her life by getting married with another man and having a family, amazingly but sadly Scrooge carried on with his business whilst at the same time becoming a cruel and cold blooded man. However the only other person which showed love and compassion for him died very soon, which left Scrooge as miserly man with a heart for no one. Dickens shows through the character of Scrooge that some rich people only saw money as their way of life and left everything else behind them. This is shown with:
'Wept to see his poor forgotten self'
This quote shows that Scrooge forgot everything in his childhood because of his greed of money. Scrooge's money was used as a weapon to get over his emotion, to show that he didn't need anyone when he really did. He also used money as a weapon by controlling other poor people such as the Cratchits so they did almost what he told them to so they could get a better living. Scrooge's father also used money as a weapon by making sure that Scrooge stayed in boarding school and stopped Scrooge from getting a good quality life. Dickens shows that greed for money can destroy lives and being a very poor was better off in Victorian times than being rich because if you are poor you can sleep peacefully whilst the rich selfish people just want more and don't want to lose a penny. Scrooge is woken up by his remembrance of his youth, his happy and dark days. Dickens shows this with:
'A bright clear jet of light'
This shows that Scrooge is realizing what he once was, a cheerful, loving person. The light represents a sense of alertness to show that Scrooge has done great harm and hope. This quote also opens the sight to the audience of Scrooge's past time and why he is the way he currently is.
The Cratchit's are an example of the impoverished people who, Dickens felt, were very honest. The poor people were never too worried about getting more than enough but just wanted something decent to live on. The clothes they whore were past down from parents or older siblings. The food was shared equally so that no one would be left too hungry, all these actions make the poor increase their love for each other. Dickens shows this when:
'There was nothing very cheerful in the climate(......)
Yet there was an air of cheerfulness abroad'
This quote shows that even though the weather and atmosphere was very dull, the Cratchits still were happy for the sake of Christmas. This shows that Dickens is emphasizing that the poor had good characters, because they made the most of what they could and hardly complained whilst on the other hand the rich weren't so graceful.
Dickens clearly shows that the rich are greedy and do what will benefit them so they live in a crafty way to get more money. The rich do more and more to feel satisfied but they still want more which leaves them with corrupt lives. In this manner the rich never see the real wonder and beauty of life. This is shown by Dicken's through the character of Scrooge when Scrooge has never been to Bob Cratchit's house. Here he sees how the Cratchits, despite being very poor, can be happy at Christmas. Bob and Mrs. Cratchit struggle because their family is large: there are six children. Scrooge sees how frail Tiny Tim is and asks the Spirit if he will live. The ghost tells him that unless something changes in the future, the child will die. This makes Scrooge feel bad and some emotions in Scrooge's feelings are shown. Later on in this stave the Ghost of Christmas Present takes Scrooge to Fred's house. Fred is having a party and Scrooge is brought by the spirit to see and hear it to show him the benefit of a warm family life and that money could be used to share love and happiness. Scrooge's nephew Fred says:
"his offences carry their own punishment".
This quote shows that whoever does evil, then evil will come back to him, in this case Scrooge has no care for the poor and so he is punished by being lonely with no family or friends. It also shows how Fred does not have any ill feelings towards his uncle.This quote suggests that Dickens felt that the rich weren't always happy and secure because of their possessions but needed respect for who they were, to be happy. Fred is a very generous rich man and Dickens shows that not every rich person was selfish and greedy but some were kind and caring. Dickens shows you could be rich of love and happiness with family and friends, even for the poor. Dickens explains this through the character of Fred when we are told:
'Scrooge is to be pitied, not despised.
He is rich but his money does him no good'
This quote shows that the rich were not always seen as the mighty, glorious people in the Victorian times but some were seen as being very low. The second part of the quote clearly emphasizes that money couldn't buy everything. But in some circumstances money was a hindrance. Dickens also shows us that having all the money and wealth in the world cannot make you as joyous as being generous and kind. Dickens emphasizes this in his novel through the character Mr. Fezzywig, who is a very generous rich man, who had great love and joy.
At this point in the novel, Scrooge is more emotional about how he has treated other people. He finds out that the Cratchits are happier than he had assumed but are suffering severely especially Tiny Tim. He finds out the truth of how his nephew really feels about him. However he knows that he has one more journey to go to and that is the future. The Ghost of Christmas future brings a sense of fear into the scenes, because of the way he only points but doesn't speak and his head is covered with a hood.
'The phantom slowly, gravely, silently approached'
This shows that Dickens was very serious about the issues of poverty and that he wanted everyone to know how horrific it was to be so greedy and not give anything to the poor. The quote shows us that something dreadful is to come. Similarly Dickens criticizes the rich who do not give to the poor by saying that they will have no one to care for them when they are feeble. Dickens shows this when the old woman says:
'I thought he'd never die.'
This quote shows that Dickens is emphasizing how desperate people will be to get rid of such selfish, tight fisted people who have no care for others. The quote has a very strong message because it illustrates how worthless money can make a person. Dickens shows this worthlessness of money if not used properly can make a rich person worthless. This is shown when:
'It's likely to be a very cheap funeral'
This quote shows that people did not care about this person who has died. Dickens' message here is that no matter how rich you are, you will not be worth a penny if you are careless and greedy. Scrooge gets scared and worried of what he sees. Scrooge shows lots of emotion, this is shown with:
'In his agony he caught the spectral hand.'
This quote shows that Scrooge has become very feeble of his feelings because he has finally realized how dreadful of a person he has been. Dickens uses 'agony' to show the amount of pain and misery a greedy person's death would be.
In conclusion, Scrooge learned that money isn't everything and that being generous and respectful to others is the most important thing. Scrooge also learns that family and friends come before money and business. In the following century society had many improvements such as benefits for the elderly and disabled. Most of these improvements were made into society after World War 2. This was mainly due to that in the world war, both the poor and rich fought together as one nation. Therefore the rich got to know the poor better and money was shared to provide for all the people so they could help in the war. Food rations were one of these schemes, so the world wars had a huge impact on how society was treated. In the modern society we live in there are many changes due to everybody contributing such as taxes. However in the Victorian times society was very closed and the message Dickens was trying to get over was that everyone should help each other whether poor or rich. There are many modern day Scrooge's we can refer to even though it's been over a century since Dickens era. However the Scrooge's we can refer to in this century have been the more clever, sneaky one's. An example of this is when DNA was discovered. The men who were seen as discoverer's were Watson and Crick. However the real people behind the scenes actually made this discovery but the credit and glory was all given to Watson and Crick. Unlike in Dickens times, the modern society's can get hold of money easily but nowadays it is more about pride and glory. Similarly of how poverty was present in Victorian England it still exists in the third world such as Africa but the Scrooge's are known as the politicians however the poor are still the public.
Lukman Hussain
Candidate no. 3265
