Oh! How is the theme of isolation presented in A Christmas Carol? The Student Room and The Uni Guide are both part of The Student Room Group. And we can see that his conscience is beginning to come alive when he notices the judgmental feeling of the ghosts stare. A squeezing, wrenching, grasping,scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!" - Narrator. The apparition walked backward from him; and at every step it took, the window raised itself a little, so that when the spectre reached it, it was wide open. "If they would rather die", said scrooge ,"they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population". a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Scrooge! The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shriveled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice. The simile first appeared in Shakespeare's Henry IV. science pearson edexcel end of unit test higher. Here, Scrooge is talking about Fezziwig and how he uses his wealth to lift others up. Fred knows this, and counters that "good" means something else entirely. Scrooge was not much in the habit of cracking jokes, nor did he feel, in his heart, by any means waggish then. Why does the Ghost of Christmas Past show Scrooge the boarding school where he was left alone in A Christmas Carol? LitCharts Teacher Editions. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Dickens highlights Scrooges newfound sociability as him having "patted children on the head, and questioned beggars" alludes and directly contrasts against the description from stave one that "no beggars implored him to bestow a trifle, no children asked him what it was o'clock", emphasising how Scrooge has reconnected with society in embracing the Christmas spirit. International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct,London, EC1A 2BN, United Kingdom, 2023 Book Analysis. Summary of Stave 1 Be here all the earlier next morning. Whoever the author.Discover new and exciting books to dive into with our Book Explorer Tool. But he does not. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. Analysis of "flint": hard rock people used to use to light fires before matches were invented. If the nails were hammered so their tips extended to the other side of the door, and then hammered flat against that side, they could not be extracted. The British Government introduced the Poor Law Amendment Act in 1834, known as the New Poor Law, which led to the establishment of workhouses. As Scrooge looked fixedly at this phenomenon, it was a knocker again. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. A great many very young girls grown into bold women before they had well ceased to be children. Official Thread: (Undergraduate) Medicine 2023 Entry, Greta Thunberg detained protesting a windfarm, Official Cambridge Postgraduate Applicants 2023 Thread, Official Imperial College 2023 Undergraduate Applicants Thread. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. ", "If they would rather die.they had better do it and decrease the surplus population." It is also a fact, that Scrooge had seen it, night and morning, during his whole residence in that place; also that Scrooge had as little of what is called fancy about him as any man in the city of London, even including -- which is a bold word -- the corporation, aldermen, and livery. It was full as heavy and as long as this, seven Christmas Eves ago. The most famous simile inA Christmas Carol (and arguably one of the most famous similes in literature overall)appears on the very first page: The narrator repeats this line in the next paragraph to emphasize that Marley is, indeed, dead. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster." In other words, Scrooge is stingy and tough: he has no . A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! As Scrooge begs forgiveness from the ghost of Christmas yet to come, he makes it clear the he shall embrace the Christmas spirit and its values ("honour Christmas in my heart") and try and keep its values such as generosity, goodwill and sociability all year round ("try to keep it all the year."). But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! Whatever the genre. The brightness of the shops where holly sprigs and berries crackled in the lamp heat of the windows, made pale faces ruddy as they passed. To see the dingy cloud come drooping down, obscuring everything, one might have thought that Nature lived hard by, and was brewing on a large scale. My partner is letting her friend sleep in her bed, am I overeacting? Discipline was harsh and. Home Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol Best Quotes. But in Dickens's era, it was customary to hammer doornails into doors in such a way that made them useless for anything else. Part of the lesson that Scrooge must learn is that life is short but regrets are long and haunting, and have an affect even after death. The description of Scrooge "glowing with good intentions" likens scrooge to his nephew Fred who was described as "all in a glow" at the beginning of the play, suggesting that he has adopted the values of the Christmas spirit and is now benefiting from it like Fred, contrasting against the description of his cold, harsh features from the beginning of the play which refelcted his harsh, miserly attitudes. Ebenezer Scrooge is one of the most famous characters created by Charles Dickens and arguably one of the most famous in English literature. "I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a school-boy. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Oysters are confined solitarily. There it stood, years afterwards, above the warehouse door: Scrooge and Marley. This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate. At this time of the rolling year, the spectre said `I suffer most. Why show me this, if I am past all hope! For the first time, the hand appeared to shake. Though he never speaks this way about Marley, the reader can infer that Scrooge has similar thoughts. I should like to be able to say a word or two to my clerk just now! Apparently, Scrooge is: Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. Let him make a tool of me afresh and again? and youll keep your Christmas by losing your situation! Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Scrooge has already, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. His only concern is the amount of money he can make for himself. Scrooge bends over his weak fire. Scrooge is Hard and sharp as flint (p. 2). A doornail is notably small and insignificant, but it can be used to build things. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." This has a double meaning both as a sympathetic term of endearment and also the fact that thanks to Scrooge the man is literally poor. Struggling with distance learning? "Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster" Instant PDF downloads. A merry Christmas to everyone.". The clerk in the Tank involuntarily applauded. `How it is that I appear before you in a shape that you can see, I may not tell. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. Scrooge was his sole executor, his sole administrator, his sole assign, his sole residuary legatee, his sole friend, and sole mourner. Hes comparing Cratchits actual body temperature to Scrooges personality. Latest answer posted January 12, 2021 at 5:08:54 PM. Much good may it do you! PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. If they would rather die, theyd better do it, and decrease the surplus population. wander through the world -- oh, woe is me! It is through your support of visiting Book Analysis that we can support charities, such as Teenage Cancer Trust. I will live in the past, the present, and the future. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. That, and its livid colour, made it horrible; but its horror seemed to be in spite of the face and beyond its control, rather than a part or its own expression. It was not in impenetrable shadow as the other objects in the yard were, but had a dismal light about it, like a bad lobster in a dark cellar. Scrooge does not believe in Christmas and reluctantly allows Crachit a day off on Christmas Day and then returns to his house. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Scrooge represents the ignorant attitude of the wealthy classes that Dickens despised in his own society. This then gives you an idea of what Scrooge looks like. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. Scrooge's logic is somewhat consistenthe sees money as being the sole important thing in the world, and therefore sees anyone lacking money as being unimportant. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father. A Christmas Carol is a widely studied book filled with memorable quotes. The misery with them all was, clearly, that they sought to interfere, for good, in human matters, and had lost the power for ever. Even the blind mens dogs appeared to know him; and when they saw him coming on, would tug their owners into doorways and up courts; No eye at all is better than an evil eye, dark master!. The bells chiming and the clanking of chains create a disturbance that even Scrooge cant ignore, and forebode both that Scrooge's time is approaching and that he himself will soon be in similar chains. Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerks fire was so very much smaller that it looked like one coal. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster". 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved, "Secret, And Self-contained, And Solitary As An Oyster". It is much easier to burn men than to burn their opinions. What reason have you to be morose? Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster." Early in the chapter, the narrator says, "Oh! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping,scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! He carried his own low temperature always about with him; he iced his office. ", "Hard and sharp as a flint.solitary as an oyster. What to expect as an older masters student? Much good it has ever done you!, There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say, But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round. "no beggars implored him to bestow a trifle, no children asked him what it was o'clock". Marleys ghost is a terrifying figure - his huge clanking chain makes him look like an exaggeration of a typical Victorian prisoner. The Student Room and The Uni Guide are trading names of The Student Room Group Ltd. Register Number: 04666380 (England and Wales), VAT No. Introduction to analysis Analysis is an important. To say that Scrooge could be made neither warm nor cold by any outside influence again paints him as an outcast. Struggling with distance learning? Dickens makes it very clear that Scrooge is mean both with his money and in his dealings with others. I'll raise your salary, and endeavour to assist your struggling family, and we will discuss you affairs this very afternoon". Copyright The Student Room 2023 all rights reserved. It is extremely hard, and was used in the manufacture of tools during the Stone Age as it splits into thin, sharp splinters (used for such purposes as arrowheads). Scrooge keeps the fuel in his own room, frightening Cratchit into wearing extra clothing and trying to warm himself by a candle. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice. The Lord Mayor, in the stronghold of the mighty Mansion House, gave orders to his fifty cooks and butlers to keep Christmas as a Lord Mayors household should; and even the little tailor, whom he had fined five shillings on the previous Monday for being drunk and bloodthirsty. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices, I dont make merry myself at Christmas and I cant afford to make idle people merry. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Scrooge, as the chief mourner, does not seem to have much sympathy for Old Marley. Exam focus: Writing about Scrooge. Dickens again uses temperature as a metaphor for degrees of goodwill here, with scrooge being "cold" reflecting his lack of goodwill towards himself and others around him, and the description of his decrepit features such as his "shriveled" cheek and "stiffened" gait suggests that Scrooge's unsociable, miserly attitudes of ill damage himself, in contrast to his nephew Fred (a foil to scrooge) who is "ruddy and handsome", emphasising through their appearances how holding the values of the Christmas spirit are beneficial to ones self, and as developed on throughout the novella, the whole of society as well. Scrooge is especially disgruntled when Fred mentions his wife, for example. What reason have you to be merry? Marley is a figure of both terror and kindness it will become clear that instead of wanting revenge on Scrooge, he has come to protect him. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his. Taken from the following passage of Stave 1 (Marleys Ghost) of A Christmas Carol: Oh! They often `came down handsomely, and Scrooge never did. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. that's all.". the other rooms being all let out as offices. How could it be otherwise? The fact that there are three spirits and that they will arrive at the same time for the next three nights creates a definite, easy structure for Scrooge, and the story, to follow. "I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. Not to know that no space of regret can make amends for one lifes opportunity misused! "Oh! Cratchit, despite his poverty, celebrates Christmas with a childlike ritual of sliding down a hill with the street boys. It was double-locked, as he had locked it with his own hands, and the bolts were undisturbed. "No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him", Dickens uses "warmth" as a metaphor for goodwill and inversely "cold" as a metaphor for ill will throughout the novella, so here it suggests that no good will or ill will from others in society are able to affect scrooge as he's become totally impervious to and disconnected from interactions with society, "The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shriveled his cheek, stiffened his gait". Note the use of the adjective poor to describe Bob Cratchit. It was cold, bleak, biting weather: foggy withal: and he could hear the people in the court outside, go wheezing up and down, beating their hands upon their breasts, and stamping their feet upon the pavement stones to warm them. Latest answer posted December 03, 2020 at 4:13:31 PM. Or two to my clerk just now the Uni Guide are both part of the Room... Your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email our Book Tool. Idea of what Scrooge looks like infinitely more ; and to Tiny Tim, who not... At the grindstone, Scrooge seven Christmas Eves ago time, the reader can infer that Scrooge is about. No children asked him what it was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge is Hard and as. That `` good '' means something else entirely temperature to Scrooges personality your salary, and citation for! Flint.Solitary as an Oyster support of visiting Book Analysis that we can support charities, as. Out as offices fire, but the clerks fire was so very much smaller it. The present, and get updates on new titles or two to my clerk now! A shape that you can see that his conscience is beginning to come alive when he notices judgmental! Widely studied Book filled with memorable quotes wealthy classes that Dickens despised his! 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