How Is Poverty Presented In A Christmas Carol Stave 1?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Poverty is represented by

the character Cratchit who is Scrooge’s clerk

. He symbolises their two classes through the motif of coal. Scrooge gets as much coal as he likes and gets the bucket to “top it up,” but Cratchit only gets “one piece” and daren’t ask for another in case he gets fired.

How Does A Christmas Carol show poverty?

Instead of creating a community in which life can be enjoyed by all, Dickens highlights the injustice of wealth distribution. Dickens

uses two wretched children, called Ignorance and Want

, to represent the poor. a stale and shrivelled hand, like that of age, had pinched, and twisted them, and pulled them into shreds.

How is poverty presented in A Christmas Carol Ignorance and Want?

Through the characters of ‘Ignorance and Want’ who lurk beneath the spirit’s gown, poverty is

presented as being incredibly harsh on those that suffer from it

. The spirit reveals to Scrooge how their limbs might, “be a claw, for the flesh” upon it.

What happens in Stave 1 of A Christmas Carol?


The reader is introduced to Ebenezer Scrooge who only cares about making money

. It is Christmas Eve and he won’t pay to heat the office properly. He tells Scrooge that his mean way of life will lead to misery and that three Ghosts will visit him to show him the error of his ways. …

What is the major theme of Stave 1 in A Christmas Carol?

The dark, wintry night, and the approach of Christmas Day, should provide the conditions for some seasonal camaraderie between Scrooge and his clerk, but

Scrooge’s misery wins out over all

. His greed is so extreme that he will not even spend the money to allow Cratchit to be warm in the office.

What is the moral of A Christmas Carol?

The moral of The Christmas Carol is

that society can be transformed for the better through generosity, empathy, and compassion

. Scrooge has forgotten how to feel for his fellow humans. … Later, the ghosts awaken Scrooge’s compassion for his employee Bob Cratchit and his family.

Why do ignorance and want cling to the ghost?

Ignorance and Want, the children of humankind, cling to the Ghost of Christmas Present because,

in Scrooge’s (and Dickens’s present), they are children, young, a new kind of social problem.

What do ignorance and want symbolize?

The children “Ignorance” and “Want” in A Christmas Carol symbolize

the poor in Victorian society

. Their inclusion in the story is meant to demonstrate how the poor have been forgotten and neglected by the middle and upper classes.

Who does Ignorance and Want belong to?

When Scrooge meets the Ghost of Christmas Present, he is shocked when two wild and ragged children tumble out from the giant’s robes. He thinks they must belong to

the giant

, but he tells Scrooge that they are Man’s. He tells him the boy is called Ignorance and the girl Want.

How does ignorance and want change Scrooge?

While Fan and Fezziwig help Scrooge to see the effects of generosity, Ignorance and Want force Scrooge

to confront his own worldview in a way that he has never had to

. Instead of simply moving past with blinders on, as he has done every moment up to now, he has to face the truth of the world.

Why did Marley’s ghost visit Scrooge?

Marley appeared to Scrooge

because he wanted to help him make more of his life

. Jacob Marley was Scrooge’s business partner. He died seven years before the book opens, on Christmas Eve. … The ghost of Marley tells Scrooge that he has to witness the inequities of the world without being able to change them.

Why is Marley’s ghost in chains?

Further on, we learn why Marley is forced to wear this chain in the afterlife: “

I wear the chain I forged in life

,” replied the Ghost. … As a result, he is forced to wear this chain in the afterlife to remind him of his neglect of others and to encourage redemption.

Why does Scrooge reject the carollers?

In response to the comment that many of the poor would rather die than go to the poorhouses or debtor’s prisons, Scrooge

says that they should die

, in order to “decrease the surplus population.” He tells the men to mind their own business, and they leave. Scrooge keeps his word about refusing the poor.

What are the 4 major themes of a Christmas carol?

  • Past, Present and Future – The Threat of Time. …
  • Family.
  • Greed, Generosity and Forgiveness.
  • Christmas and Tradition.
  • Social Dissatisfaction and the Poor Laws.

What does Marley’s Ghost Symbolise?

Marley’s Ghost can be seen as a physical representation of

the Christian belief system of heaven and hell and the importance of repentance and redemption

.

What do we learn about Marley in Stave 1?

What do we learn about Marley?

He died 7 years ago on Christmas Eve and he was Scrooge’s partner

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Leah Jackson
Author
Leah Jackson
Leah is a relationship coach with over 10 years of experience working with couples and individuals to improve their relationships. She holds a degree in psychology and has trained with leading relationship experts such as John Gottman and Esther Perel. Leah is passionate about helping people build strong, healthy relationships and providing practical advice to overcome common relationship challenges.