The use of similes helps an author to strengthen a description, and for the reader it helps to better visualize the scene in their heads. 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."). `The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour, then? said Scrooge. Humbug!" "I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a school-boy. The exclamation mark in "Oh!" suggests that even the narrator is overwhelmed by how outrageously unpleasant Scrooge is. Near the beginning of the book, as we are being introduced to Scrooge, we read, Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say, with gladsome looks, 'My dear Scrooge, how are you? 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved, "Secret, And Self-contained, And Solitary As An Oyster". Indeed, Scrooge has become a new man. And even Scrooge was not so dreadfully cut up by the sad event, but that he was an excellent man of business on the very day of the funeral, and solemnised it with an undoubted bargain. I will not be the man I must have been but for this intercourse! Scrooge is stingy with his money and will not even allow his clerk to have a decent fire to warm him on Christmas Eve. Why does the Ghost of Christmas Past show Scrooge the boarding school where he was left alone in A Christmas Carol? Charles Dickens uses a number of comparisons (known as similes) to emphasize the characteristics of Ebenezer Scrooge early on in the novella, such as solitary as an oyster, and this one, hard and sharp as flint. The way the content is organized. "So surely as the clerk came in with the shovel, the master predicted that it would be necessary for them to part. Youre poor enough., `Come, then, returned the nephew gaily. His greed is so extreme that he will not even spend the money to allow Cratchit to be warm in the office. Fred is the opposite of Scrooge in appearance and spirit. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. "Hard and sharp as a flint.solitary as an oyster." Latest answer posted December 11, 2020 at 10:52:15 AM. Ask me if you need help for GCSE revision? Analysis; Cold-hearted: According to Dickens's description, . Write the kind of sentence in the blank using these abbreviations: dec. (declarative), imp. and never raise them to that blessed Star which led the Wise Men to a poor abode! This suggests his ability to hurt others. The narrator wants to make it clear that what is to come are. Why show me this, if I am past all hope! For the first time, the hand appeared to shake. I was too cowardly to do what I knew to be right, as I had been too cowardly to avoid doing what I knew to be wrong. 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). Charles Dickens uses the imagery of fire to symbolise greed and generosity in the story of A Christmas Carol. Genius is the ultimate source of music knowledge, created by scholars like you who share facts and insight about the songs and artists they love. 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. Term. This gives the perception of Scrooge being a very cold character, a word also associated with being mean. Given that Scrooge is so stingy, sharp, and antisocial, the reader does not have much sympathy for him at this point. Is an accounting and finance degree worth it? Through the two gentlemen, we get a glimpse into Scrooges past as half of the business duo Scrooge and Marley. No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him. "Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster." See in text (Stave One) These two similes define Scrooge in three ways: First, he is portrayed as inflexible through the comparison to flint (a hard gray rock). 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. https://www.youtube. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The last line of A Christmas Carol is God bless us, everyone. Its spoken by the well-loved character Tiny Tim. In the beginning of the novella he is portrayed as a cold, icy, solitary character, the very opposite of the warmth and friendship that fire represents. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and . But in Dickens's era, it was customary to hammer doornails into doors in such a way that made them useless for anything else. Browse Library, Teacher Memberships Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. Accessed 2 Mar. His stash of money could afford him a rich, luxurious Christmas but he avoids these traditions. Date: First published in London by Chapman & Hall on 19 December 1843. 'hard and sharp as flint' A Christmas Carol Stave 1 A roxy123456789 "Hard and sharp as flint" flint shows that Scrooge is better when not provoked. But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grind- stone, Scrooge! Flint is a type of ground that makes it difficult for life to grow kind of like how scrooges character allows no imaginations to grow. Here, readers are exposed to the ghost of Christmas yet to come. The ghost breaks the news to Scrooge that the person whose death has been talked about so callously was his own. (Dickens 3), Ebenezer Scrooge obviously has a reputation, and nobody wants to be around him. Scrooge's transformation is emphasized by him becoming a "second father" to Tiny Tim "who did not die", suggesting that the values of the Christmas spirit, encapsulating good will and generosity, leads to a supportive, charitable, family-like society in which everyone supports each-other and there is no suffering or plight (like Tiny Tim's death). The narrator sets Scrooge up as the quintessential sinner, the most miserable man in the whole city. This then gives you an idea of what Scrooge looks like. Privacy Policy, https://bookanalysis.com/charles-dickens/a-christmas-carol/quotes/. It swung so softly in the outset that it scarcely made a sound; but soon it rang out loudly, and so did every bell in the house. How could it be otherwise? This girl is Want. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster." Come! He was obliged to sit close to it, and brood over it, before he could extract the least sensation of warmth from such a handful of fuel, built by some Dutch merchant long ago, and paved all round with quaint Dutch tiles, designed to illustrate the Scriptures. I should like to be able to say a word or two to my clerk just now! Historical Context who cold as he was, was warmer than Scrooge; for he returned them cordially. Describe the two children who emerge from the second spirit's robe in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. flint can start fires when it is messed with. This is not just a tale of one man's redemption; it is a kind of call to arms for all people to take to heart. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. No, no, no. `We have no doubt his liberality is well represented by his surviving partner, said the gentleman, Scrooge frowned, and shook his head, and handed the credentials back, `At this festive season of the year, Mr. Scrooge, said the gentleman, taking up a pen, `it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and Destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. wander through the world -- oh, woe is me! Find full texts with expert analysis in our extensive library. 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 man took strong sharp sudden bites, just like the dog. Here, Scrooge is talking about Fezziwig and how he uses his wealth to lift others up. The word 'analysis' literally means to loosen something up. Complete the following sentences by writing appropriate titles on the line provided. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. 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!. Scrooge and he were partners for I dont know how many years. How is the theme of isolation presented in A Christmas Carol? There it stood, years afterwards, above the warehouse door: Scrooge and Marley. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Official LSE Postgraduate Applicants 2023 Thread, Official UCL 2023 Undergraduate Applicants Thread. The protagonist of A Christmas Carol, Scrooge is a cold-hearted and mean-spirited accountant. Scrooge sat down upon a form, and wept to see his poor forgotten self as he used to be. Scrooge sees the workhouses as a solution to a problem, and shuts out the idea that their inhabitants are real feeling human beings. Current Year 10 Official Thread (2022-2023). And yet the way he denies the truth with joke-making, shows his fear. The power of light and music to shine through the winter gloom is a visual way of showing the moral of this story. At the beginning of the tale in Stave 1, Dickens uses negative similes to establish Scrooge's character. ", "If they would rather die.they had better do it and decrease the surplus population." Explain. On this page, readers can explore the quotes, they are broadly separated into a few sub-categories. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. 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. Latest answer posted December 05, 2020 at 2:12:53 PM. Once more? 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. Explain Ignorance and Want, who appear in stave 3 of A Christmas Carol. As Scrooge looked fixedly at this phenomenon, it was a knocker again. 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. The Spirits of all three shall strive within me. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Note how Scrooge here condemns such fools to death, when over the next few nights it will be he who learns that he is condemned to a terrible death. What is the theme of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens? "No," said scrooge, "no. Again, he's very much an outsider and is treated as an outcast as a result. A doornail is notably small and insignificant, but it can be used to build things. 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. However, the simile is most commonly identified as belonging to A Christmas Carol. Scrooge does not believe in Christmas and reluctantly allows Crachit a day off on Christmas Day and then returns to his house. Marleys ghost is a terrifying figure - his huge clanking chain makes him look like an exaggeration of a typical Victorian prisoner. Dickens suggests that scrooge is lonely, unsociable and disconnected from society through this simile, however, the description of him as an "oyster" connoting a creature with a tough exterior but containing a valuable, beautiful pearl within, suggests that scrooge has sociability and goodwill for others (and other values of the Christmas spirit) that will allow him to reconnect with society buried within him. 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. To build things mean-spirited accountant school where he was a tight-fisted hand at the beginning of the duo... A problem, and Undergraduate Applicants Thread writing appropriate titles on the line provided a decent fire to symbolise and. 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