We, the reader, feel a lot of sympathy when he visits the Cratchit’s as he sees that Tiny Tim has died. Scrooge feels bad as he is indirectly responsible due to him giving Bob such low wages and not helping the family. The reader also feels sympathy as Scrooge witnesses Want and Ignorance and is made to feel as though in his microcosm he is partially responsible for these
“It is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices." Dickens created these characters to attack and wake up the greedy society without offending the rich. Scrooge being the cold hearted miserable man responds only with sneering sarcasm, asking the men if buildings such as prisons and workhouses are still in operation, "Those who are badly off must go there." Scrooge as well as the rest of the oblivious rich society believed that taxes, which help fund these establishments, are more than enough support for the poor. Although readers know that this is not true and that, “many would rather die than go there.” The use of these gentlemen who are, minor characters constantly remind both Scrooge
Throughout the tale Scrooge is visited by Ghosts from a Christmas past, present, and future, who show the “bitter” Scrooge how to be compassionate towards others. Money is a big part of the story, and it plays a role as a contrast to how generosity is viewed. Scrooge is rich but lives a life as “solitary as an oyster” and “warning all human sympathy to keep its distance.” He initially supports the inhumanity of cold-hearted decisions made by governments with his response to the charity collectors being, “Are there no prisons?... And the Union Workhouses. Are they still in operation?” He feels no compulsion to give charity to support meagre gifts to the poor and dispossessed and dismisses the collectors with “I cannot afford to make idle people merry” and with suggestions that such people would be better dead to “reduce the surplus population.” These suggestions contrast sharply with the generosity of both his nephew, Fred and his clerk, Bob Cratchit.
Chapters 1-7 Chris McCandless is a very odd person, and a very awkward character that makes the reader think he is crazy for leaving his perfectly fine family and sister behind to go die in the woods somewhere. You can tell he wasn’t the brightest color in the crayon box by the people he associated himself with as well. Crazy Ernie, for example, is a prime character to look to for a reflection of McCandless in. Chris worked for him to make some money but when he realized Ernie had no intention of paying him, he left. This doesn’t say that he was a materialistic person, just a reasonable man that chose to do what any other normal person would do, and stole a bike for his work and left.
Unfortunately, Doodle was no match for his brother’s aggressive and selfish actions. In the end, Brother’s pride is to blame for Doodle’s untimely death. Brother’s pride was responsible for his opinion of Doodle. At times, Brother was kind and loving to Doodle, but the reader soon realizes that the narrator was mostly harsh and cruel to his brother. In the beginning of the story, Brother recounts the day Doodle was born, saying that he was a disappointment as soon as he entered the world.
Dickens presents us with a man who fought hard to succeed in business however lost touch with not only himself but also the wider community including those close to him. The main character to a certain extent however is Christmas itself because not only is the backdrop and the setting Christmas but it is also used to demonstrate why scrooge is the way he is, whilst also highlighting many issues within the community which needed addressing. Dickens seeks to first utilize Christmas as way of highlighting the need for the wealthy to support the poor. Christmas, a time that Dickens strongly believed was a time of giving to those less fortunate and needing nothing in return. The scene when the charity collectors visit Scrooge is an example of this.
When Willy arrives, he refuses to listen to Biff, which angers him. Happy tries to get Biff to lie to his father, which Biff slightly does. Willy falls into another flashback hallucination, one in which his son discovers his affair with a potential customer in Boston. From that moment on, Biff had never looked at his father the same. Back in the Lowman residence, Linda scolds her sons for abandoning her father back at the restaurant.
Scrooges obsession with money even loses Belle his beloved "another idol has displaced me” “a golden one” Scrooge has replaced all of his joyfulness with money, and the fear of being poor. This is what Dickens fears for mankind .People getting caught up in utilitarianism. There is a big difference in the middle class and the lower
Dickens castigates this class system through the foils of Estella and Biddy, Magwitch’s generosity, and Jaggers’ coolly indifferent ethics. The drastic differences in social status of Biddy and Estella molds them into very different people, with conflicting values and traits. Biddy is compassionate and approachable, Pip “repose[s] complete confidence in no one but Biddy” (95). Biddy, being raised lower class, is shocked at first to discover Pip’s desire to become a gentleman, “Oh I wouldn’t, if I was you!” (128). A working class citizen is no less respectable than a gentleman in Biddy’s eyes, it is the character of the person that truly matters.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Ebenezer Scrooge has one love, money. He loathes all things that bring cheer and happiness to others, so naturally, he despises the whole Christmas season. One Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by a deceased friend and partner, Jacob Marley. Marley has been dead for seven years and was just as selfish as Scrooge. As punishment his spirit is now forced to wander the Earth in chains, and he has come to warn Scrooge that the same fate waits him if he keeps living the way he has been.