What do you see as Dickens social aims Essay Example for Free

What do you see as Dickens social aims Essay This is when the ghost is hinting at Scrooges living relative that Scrooge should also show love to. Scrooge then becomes uneasy and Dickens using a style of writing known as Stichomythic this is due to the shortness of Scrooges reply because he is thinking of how he has mistreated his nephew. You can see changes of Scrooge during this scene as he compliments his dead sister and he starts to think about his nephew in a good way also Scrooge starts to feel sorry for the poor, you can see this when he quotes; There was a boy singing a Christmas Carol at my door last night. I should have liked to have given him something thats all. This is the biggest change so far as it illustrates to the reader that Scrooge is beginning to feel sympathy which is a first for him in the novel. The second of the three spirits is described by what it wore and this was a green robe which is the original colour of Christmas, the spirit was very cheerful and warm as he has Sparkling eyes and Cheery voice. The spirit was also surrounded with items that are significantly related to Christmas, Holly, mistletoe, red berries, ivy, and turkeys. This is to try and help Scrooge relate to Christmas as he never has before. The ghost of Christmas present takes Scrooge to the Cratchit household so Scrooge can observe a happy family enjoying their annual Christmas dinner. Everything in the Cratchit family household is to do with the contrast symbolism of Scrooge therefore warmth and light. The first change during this scene is he feels sympathy and concern about the life of Tiny Tim. You can see this when Scrooge asks the spirit Tell me if Tiny Tim will live. Also when Scrooge quotes; Oh no, kind spirit! Say he will be spared. This is a major change as Scrooge is now starting to show care for others. The spirit replies to this; If these shadows remain unaltered by the future, none other of my race will find him here. What then? If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population. Subsequent to hearing his own words quoted back to him Scrooge hangs is head in shame and realizes how harsh his own words had sounded, Scrooge now knows that if he does not change his ways Tiny Tim will die, Scrooge is now overcome with Penitence and Grief. This is also a change as this is a first for the reader to witness this. During this scene Scrooge also realizes how awful employer he is to Bob Cratchit, when Bob tries to raise a toast to Mr. Scrooge and Mrs. Cratchit replies; It should be Christmas Day, I am sure, on which one drinks the health of such an odious, stingy, hard, unfeeling man as Mr. Scrooge. You know he is Robert! Nobody knows it better than you do, poor fellow! This makes Scrooge think about how he treats Bob Crathit and how underpaid his clerk is for what he does. Dickens also describes Scrooge as the Ogre of the family which cast a dark shadow over the party this is relating to the symbolism of Darkness that Scrooge possess. The last of the three spirits is very dark and seems to symbolize death as it is described by dickens; the Phantom slowly, gravely, silently, approached. It was shrouded in a deep black garment which concealed its head, its face. It would be difficult to detach this figure from the night or separate it from darkness In this description the words gloom and gravely are related to death. The other words suggest mystery, fear and symbolism of darkness, which at the start of the novel was one symbol that was related to Scrooge. Scrooge shows a vast amount of terror in the presence of this spirit; Filled him with a solemn dread, His legs trembled beneath him also the fact that this Phantom is silent and communicates with Scrooge simply through hand gestures which is normally pointing. Scrooge is listening in on a conversation between a small group of business men about a death that has taken place some quotes from the conversation explain just how untouched everyone is about this death; I thought hed never die. What has he done with the money He hasnt left it to me. This pleasantry was received with a general laugh. Its likely to be a very cheap funeral. For upon my life I dont know of anybody to go to it. From these quotes the reader can immediately distinguish that these men are talking about the death of Mr. Scrooge, but as Dickens describes him Scrooge is ignorant therefore Scrooge will not accept or believe that these people are talking about himself. Due to this the Spirit guides Scrooge to a graveyard. When the spirit points to a particular grave before Scrooge lays his eyes upon it he begins to realize it was him that the people were talking about and this is clear from the question he asks the Phantom; Before I draw nearer to that stone to which you point. Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they the shadows of the things that May be, only? Scrooge saw the name EBENEZER SCROOGE Scrooge now is made to believe that he was the man that when he died nobody was affected and suddenly the ignorance vanished and he swears to change; I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. The spirits of all three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach me. This is Scrooges guarantee to change and never to change back to the ignorant, selfish, dreadful person that he once was. Scrooge stuck to his word he had changed, he is a complete contrast of what he once was and from the start of the last stave this is lucid; I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a school-boy. I am as giddy as a drunken man. In each one of these similes there is a contrast of symbolism to what Scrooge was at the start of the novel. Feather is soft. Angel is light. Merry school boy or Giddy drunken man is warm. It is also clear that he is kind as he increases the wage of his maid and his clerk Mr. Bob Cratchit. A key incident within the novel illustrates what Dickens wants to alleviate this is the scene when the two children immerge from the second spirits cloak; This boy is ignorance. This girl is want. Beware of them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware of this boy, for on his brow I see written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased. This is saying that Dickens think that we need to educate the poor to stop their ignorance and that the poor can help themselves, but when the rich are wilfully ignorant we need to help them to stop so that they can help change things to create a better world for everyone. Dickens novel produced some immediate effects and the poor were treated better by those who read the novel. Due to Scrooge changing throughout the novel from one extreme (hard, cold and dark) to another (soft, warm and light) it persuaded people who could relate to Scrooge in some way that they could do the same.