By the end of the novel we start to like Scrooge as his language begins to change, such as he greets people saying “hello my love” also Scrooge starts to “glow” in the end. This is a big contrast from being described as “frozen” at the beginning of the novel. This contrast actually shows that Scrooge has changed so much that Dickens now refers to him with warm and positive adjectives.
The narrator uses a conversational and avuncular style to gain our trust and confidence, “I might have been inclined… wisdom of our ancestor…”
The use of “I”, first person narrative makes the novel more personal and it addresses directly to the readers, this has an impact on the readers as they think that the narrator is speaking to them personally, however the use of “our ancestor” gets the readers further involved in the novel.
Addressing the readers with such warmth such as calling us “Dear reader” persuades us to feel that the narrator is a friend. This further helps Dickens to manipulate our feelings as it allows us to trust him and take his word for everything he says.
Dickens uses rhetorical question: “Scrooge knew he was dead? … How could be it be otherwise?” makes the readers think about what has been said, and it keeps them interested. This is one of the techniques Dickens uses to manipulate his readers; it makes the readers wonder, as they want to know the answers to their question thus making them read further on because they feel involved. Dickens cunningly plays with our curiosity.
However, throughout the novel the narrator is omniscient, meaning he seems to know everything initially. The fact that the narrator is omniscient makes us feel like he knows everything and thus couldn’t be wrong. Hence, this way we will also take “A Christmas Carol” seriously, just like Dickens intended.
The narrator speaks informally using abbreviated words such as “don’t”, again making us think that he is a friend because normally you would speak to a friend casually without any formality. This makes the reader and the writer feel connected.
On the day before Christmas, Scrooge stays at home alone; eating porridge meanwhile people buy fancy clothes and food, enjoying themselves with friends and relatives. They greet each other in a polite manner saying: “Merry Christmas”, whereas grumpy Scrooge, says: “Humbug”. By looking at this you can easily identify that Scrooge doesn’t celebrate Christmas or believe in it, as he stays home alone eating porridge, while people are having a great time outside. It also tells us that everyone loves Christmas excluding Scrooge, as he thinks Christmas is a perfect day of “robbing” a man. His negative attitude towards Christmas makes us dislike him. Scrooge is portrayed as a mean person because of his bad language: “Humbug”, he should be saying words like Merry Christmas instead of “Humbug”. The narrator’s intention at the beginning of the novel is to control our emotion into disliking Scrooge. He uses the technique of contrast to manipulate his readers.
“ A merry Christmas uncle!” We readers have a positive feeling towards the nephew as he greets “cheerfully” unlike Scrooge.
“Bah” said Scrooge “Humbug”. The contrast between Scrooge and his nephew emphasises on Scrooge being unrealistically ‘evil’.
Another contrast is shown between him and the charity workers. When asked to donate some money for the poor, Scrooge replies “If they would rather die…they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.” Scrooge’s reply can get as rude and cruel as it already is. His answer shows that he really is a “cold” person. The phrase “better do it” has a huge impact on the reader’s feelings as it clearly signifies Scrooge’s attitude towards poor. A person who feels no care towards others lives has no right to be shown any care towards his life either.
In stave one Dickens exaggerates Scrooge’s image by saying how “… the cold within him froze his features… made his eyes red his thin lip blue”. The use of “red eyes” which is a strong negative adjective to describe an eye shows us that Scrooge is evil, as red eyes are often associated with devilish stuff. You would not expect a normal person to have red eyes unless they are evil thus giving Scrooge a negative personality.
The use of multicolour e.g. “blue lips”,” red eye” makes Scrooge sound like a cartoonish character and this makes him seem ridiculous.
In stave two and three Dickens reveals Scrooge’s past by saying how he was left on his own at Christmas day also that his father didn’t want him. This explains to us why he hates Christmas now, this statement about his past makes us readers pity him. Dickens intention here is to make us empathise with Scrooge. He does this by revealing his past life, showing us how it’s affecting him now.
When every one else goes home, “… a lonely boy was reading… Scrooge sat down upon a form, and wept to see his poor forgotten self as he used to be.” The word “wept” comes to us as a shock as we would have never imagined the ‘evil’ Scrooge have any such emotions. The fact that Scrooge “wept” shows him more as a real person. Some one we can relate to, as we all have cried at some point in our lives. The word “forgotten” suggest to us that Scrooge was very lonely in his childhood. What Dickens reveals of Scrooge’s past enables us to feel sorry for him and understand why he is the man he has become.
We feel frustrated when Scrooge lets his girlfriend dump him, “may you be happy in the life you have chosen”, from this moment and onwards it seems like Scrooge has lost his happy life. This event helps us to understand why Scrooge is the way he is, e.g. grumpy, as he has lost the love of his life.
The warning that the ghost of Christmas present gives Scrooge was: “Beware them both” meaning that he’s being ignorant and greedy. He does this by showing two skinny, bony and innocent children, one which represents “ignorance”, who’s very skinny that his hands looks like a “claw” the other representing “Want” as she wants food and shelter to survive. By looking at these children Scrooge empathises with them: “have they no refund or resources? cried Scrooge” the verb “cry” shows that Scrooge is getting very emotional, like a normal human being would be. This is a contrast to how he was at the beginning of the novel. This is another way on how Dickens manipulates our mind about Scrooge, by making him emotional and feel sorry for others. Dickens controls our feeling here by making us realise that Scrooge is becoming a better person. Dickens manipulates our mind into liking Scrooge, which is a contrast to what he was trying to do in the beginning of the novel.
The Spirit replies “ Are there no prisons…. Are there no workhouses”. Normally we were expecting Scrooge to say this, as at the beginning of the novel Scrooge was saying “…workhouses… are they still in operation?”. The ghost is throwing Scrooge’s own words right back on his face. This makes Scrooge realise the cruelty in his past words and how sharp they must have hurt those who were in need of his donations.
Changing of language means that Scrooge is changing in person, he’s suddenly realising his ignorance. At this moment we readers are starting to like Scrooge. This is exactly what Dickens wants.
We are worried about Scrooge because here he’s on the right path but he can still lose track.
The appearance of the last phantom, ghost of Christmas yet to come is described, “…deep black…concealed its head, face, its form and left nothing of its visible…”, the reason the ghost “concealed” it’s form is because he/she is from the future and no one knows how future would turn out to be. The ghost may not be a typical ghost it might be a scary, out worldly looking creature. The reason Dickens describes the last ghost so dangerously is to build tension and gain the readers attention. He wants the readers to feel scared for Scrooge. He wants the readers to feel scared so that we could realise that we actually care for Scrooge at this stage. Just as Dickens intended.
The ghost of Christmas yet to come doesn’t speak much, it only “…pointed onwards with its hand”. This ghost performance is different form other ghosts as it doesn’t speak. His unique style might reveal something, which is important. This leaves us anxious.
Scrooge fears this ghost most as he says: “I fear you more than any spectre I have seen… your purpose is to do me good, and as I hope to live to be another man from what I was.” This quote “ your purpose Is to do me good” shows that Scrooge understands the kind of man he was and wants to change. The idea that Scrooge himself realises his mistakes and desires to change, makes us care for him even more. We now want Scrooge to change and live happily.
The quote, “live to be another man from what I was…”, this manipulates our mind on thinking that Scrooge is changing, and this issue is making us like him even more, as he is giving his word to the ghost that he would change for good. Dickens intention here is to make us realise that sometimes people learn their mistakes the hard way, just like Scrooge. Even the hastiest deserve a second chance.
We feel sorry for Scrooge, as he doesn’t know whom he is speaking to also those “ghostly eyes intently fixed upon him”. This could mean that Scrooge is a target here or perhaps a victim, as he doesn’t know what would happen to him next, nor do we. This makes us pity him and feel worried for him.
The ghost shows Scrooge people that Scrooge used to know, speaking together, but the problem is that, “Scrooge looked about in that very place for his own image” but sadly he didn’t see himself anywhere. This builds up tension as we readers begin to wonder, where is Scrooge? Dickens uses tension as another technique to emotionally control the readers.
The spirit takes Scrooge to a place where “business men” were having a conversation: “Scrooge… listened to them talk”.
“I only know he’s dead”, said one of the men. He makes us more suspicious and concern, as the person who has recently died could be Scrooge, and also we readers begin to wonder, why the ghost wants us and Scrooge to hear this conversation unless there’s a deep meaning behind it.
“What has he done with his money? Asked a third talking …”, this builds up tension as we know from the beginning of the novel that Scrooge loves his money and wouldn’t spend it on anything, not even on Christmas.
Later on Scrooge “looked toward the spirit for explanation.” Here we feel sorry for Scrooge as this dead person is mostly likely to be him but Scrooge wants to be ignorant, as he doesn’t want to be thinking that it is actually him who is dead.
Later on the ghost shows Scrooge a person who died and people are stealing his possessions from him, even the blanket the dead man was covered in. We also see no friends or relatives, crying.
Scrooge hears a woman whom he knew, happily saying, “we’re not going to pick holes in each others coat”, this tells us that the woman is in dept and no longer have to pay back as her boss is dead, and she’s happy about it.
This tells us that the person that has died is definitely Scrooge. Yet Scrooge doesn’t know it’s him.
In the end of stave four Scrooge realises he’s the person who has passed away: “the case of this unhappy man be my own”. We feel sorry for Scrooge as no one came to visit him; but steal stuff from him. Also people are happy about the fact he’s dead, the reason for this is that people no longer have to pay their debt additionally destitute people have an opportunity to get stuff for free, making them happy.
A woman says: “…can’t be uglier than he died… Scrooge listened to his dialogue in horror”, and thought about what he used to be, which was being a pain for people.
After observing all this scenes from the future Scrooge asks the Spirit “…are these shadows of the things that will… or might be”, the use of “may be” shows us that Scrooge wants to change. Already we can tell that Scrooge is scared but is determined to change for good.
“I will honour Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all year”, the use of “I will” shows that he is definitely determined. The quote: “keep it all year” shows that he’ll give charity all year not just only on Christmas day. The contrast that has been used manipulates the readers, and makes them like Scrooge firmly, as Scrooge was saying the opposite to this in the beginning of the novel, which made us dislike him.
We are manipulated into liking Scrooge, as he is becoming what the write wants him to be and therefore fulfilling his intention, which is to treat destitute people with respect and care for them just like you would care other people, his intention is to change us as well.
Serious sounding biblical language is used to scare Scrooge and the readers; gives us an idea of how important it is for Scrooge to change.
In conclusion, Dickens has been successful in creating a real character that we can believe in and care for. We believe in this change because Scrooge has been changed through his own experience.
Scrooge was a good character from the start but he was very ignorant and greedy with his money, he thought he knew about poor people but he didn’t.
The message behind this novel is to never treat destitute people badly as they have a heart too; they are normal human beings. There’s an old saying that what goes up must come down. This was shown to Scrooge in the future by the ghost “Christmas yet to come”.
However this novel also shows that ignorant people learn through their mistakes, and experiences. The last message probably is always be nice and friendly with people and take care of them and this will keep you happy in the long term, as they would do the same for you in return.