-Graham S. Scrooge sees "good" as referring solely to profits. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. A squeezing, wrenching, grasping,scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!" (including. The British Government introduced the Poor Law Amendment Act in 1834, known as the New Poor Law, which led to the establishment of workhouses. Scrooge could have family, if only he would allow himself to. Though it seems threatening, he is offering Scrooge a very tangible way to improve his fate. He is cold and greedy, not the kind of man people want to befriend. Who is Belle in A Christmas Carol, and why was she important to Scrooge? He carried his own low temperature always about with him; he iced his office. A great many very young girls grown into bold women before they had well ceased to be children. Let him make a tool of me afresh and again? From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Youre quite a powerful speaker, sir, he added, turning to his nephew. 16, no GCSES, no other qualifications, is there anything left for me? "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). Label each adjective clause adj. Oh, tell me I may sponge away the writing on this stone!". Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. When they were within two paces of each other, Marleys Ghost held up its hand, warning him to come no nearer. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. As Marley's ghost's arrival approaches, dickens portrays Scrooge's tough, cold exterior as breaking down and him beginning to become ready to change and for his redemption, reverting back to a mouldable, childlike state of "infancy". `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. "No," said scrooge, "no. Yet such was I! His only concern is the amount of money he can make for himself. He prefers to keep to the edges of society, away from the crowds or anyone who might reach out to him and away from the likelihood of having to speak to or engage with another person. If the good Saint Dunstan had but nipped the Evil Spirits nose with a touch of such weather as that, instead of using his familiar weapons, then indeed he would have roared to lusty purpose. (Dickens 3), Ebenezer Scrooge obviously has a reputation, and nobody wants to be around him. Here, Scrooge is talking about Fezziwig and how he uses his wealth to lift others up. It was long, and wound about him like a tail; and it was made (for Scrooge observed it closely) of cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and heavy purses wrought in steel. The narrator reminds the reader that Scrooges ex-partner Marley has been dead several years. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Scrooge bends over his weak fire. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. What does the quote hard and sharp as flint mean?Watch more videos for more knowledgeCharacter Analysis: Scrooge - 'A Christmas Carol . Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerks fire was so very much smaller that it looked like one coal. Scrooge signed it. "Nothing" said scrooge "nothing. - Scrooge, create, study and share online flash cards, "Oh! Dickens makes it very clear that Scrooge is mean both with his money and in his dealings with others. not to know, that ages of incessant labour, by immortal creatures, for this earth must pass into eternity before the good of which it is susceptible is all developed. No, Spirit! This suggests his ability to hurt others. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Already, the poor townsfolk are elevated above Scrooge in moral standing he is a caricature of a lonely miser. For characters like Fred and Bob Cratchit, Christmas represents the Christian ideal of goodness and moral prosperity, but Scrooge is at his. This is a great quote for highlighting the sort of character that Scrooge was in ' A Christmas Carol '. And yet the way he denies the truth with joke-making, shows his fear. as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. The fog came pouring in at every chink and keyhole, and was so dense without, that although the court was of the narrowest, the houses opposite were mere phantoms. a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! 2023. Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. "Oh! The protagonist of A Christmas Carol, Scrooge is a cold-hearted and mean-spirited accountant. Hot and Cold Extensive imagery describes Scrooge as cold because of his cold heart; in contrast, his nephew is described as warm because he is merry and loving. His greed is so extreme that he will not even spend the money to allow Cratchit to be warm in the office. What right have you to be merry? Scrooge is especially disgruntled when Fred mentions his wife, for example. The novel 'A Christmas Carol' narrates the story of a man called Scrooge and how he realises his behaviour to people must change in order to do well in his life as spirits show his past, present and future. The man took strong sharp sudden bites, just like the dog. through the repeated structure, Dickens again portrays that Scrooge as breaking away from his previous miserliness and stinginess, becoming more good willed towards other like Bob Cratchit. The happiness he gives is quite as great as if it costs a fortune. *(Many, Nobody)* is predicting rain for tomorrow. Fred is unrelenting in his attempts to change his uncles way of thinking. There it stood, years afterwards, above the warehouse door: Scrooge and Marley. A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! This is fitting because it is traditionally colder at Christmas but also because the cold is an apt metaphor for Scrooges personality. It was not angry or ferocious, but looked at Scrooge as Marley used to look: with ghostly spectacles turned up on its ghostly forehead. "No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him." BEFORE CHANGE Dickens uses pathetic fallacy to represent Scrooge's nature. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like" or "as," but can also A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. But Scrooge sees any such human sentimentanything that interferes with the accumulation of moneyas foolishness. See in text(Stave One). Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. You will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a door-nail. Youre rich enough., Scrooge having no better answer ready on the spur of the moment. At the very least, this alone would make him an outsider. Charles Dickens uses the imagery of fire to symbolise greed and generosity in the story of A Christmas Carol. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. 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). There was a boy singing a Christmas carol at my door last night. If each smooth tile had been a blank at first, with power to shape some picture on its surface from the disjointed fragments of his thoughts, there would have been a copy of old Marleys head on every one. 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. Oh! Download the entire A Christmas Carol study guide as a printable PDF! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. Each adjective is also connected with the hands to show how he holds tightly to everything he has. Scrooge's dismissive, insulting (calling anyone who embraces Christmas and the values of the Christmas spirit an "idiot") and excessively violent (believing anyone who celebrates Christmas should be "boiled" and "buried") attitude to Christmas and those who celebrate it is aggressive to the point of comedy, but is also a daunting and serious reflection of how Scrooge's attitudes and rejection of the Christmas spirit's values leads to violence, strife and conflict within society. Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs The fireplace is adorned with tiles that illustrate stories from scripture but over all of these famous figures comes. Latest answer posted January 12, 2021 at 5:08:54 PM. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." The Student Room and The Uni Guide are trading names of The Student Room Group Ltd. Register Number: 04666380 (England and Wales), VAT No. Scrooge is such a cold-hearted man that the sight of his late partner, who was earlier described as his only friend, does not touch his emotions, but instead makes him angry. very low fire indeed; nothing on such a bitter night. that's all.". But alongside this caricature of Scrooge, through the wailings of the multitude he also paints a picture of a spirit realm thats full to bursting with chained-up repentors. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other old city, town, or borough, in the good old world.". Poulterers and grocers trades became a splendid joke; a glorious pageant, with which it was next to impossible to believe that such dull principles as bargain and sale had anything to do. He took us home and hammered us. Dickens, as Scrooge learns lessons and truths from the ghost of Christmas past, portrays scrooge as beginning to change, breaking away from his miserly attitudes and becoming more generous, wanting to "give" the caroller "something", in contrast to his absolute selfishness, rejection of the Christmas spirit and lack of generosity from earlier. Find full texts with expert analysis in our extensive library. `You dont mean that, I am sure?, `I do, said Scrooge. Dickens sets up Cratchit and Scrooge as opposite figures, Cratchit symbolizing joy despite poverty and hardship and Scrooge symbolizing the grave-like sobriety of greed. Whatever the genre. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. "A merrier Christmas, Bob, my good fellow, than I have given you for many a year! PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. In the present, Scrooge witnesses scenes of fires at Christmas time that bring happiness, many associated with the theme of eating food at this festive time, such as the brightness of the roaring fires in kitchens, parlours, and all sorts of rooms, was wonderful and the flickering of the blaze showed preparations for a cosy dinner, He sees scenes associated with the coming together of family at this time of year, such as that of a miner and his family who are a cheerful company assembled round a glowing fire. `Because, said Scrooge, `a little thing affects them. Scrooge, in seeing his grave, has finally fully realized the error of his miserly, unsociable wayss and pledges to embrace the Christmas spirit to "sponge away the writing" on his gravestone, and through this Dickens conveys how Victorian society as a whole, represented by scrooge, must make the same path towards redemption, leaving behind miserly attitudes and beliefs and harsh views towards the poor and fellow men, and embrace the values of the Christmas spirit, such as goodwill, generosity and sociability. Accessed 2 March 2023. "Spirit," said Scrooge with an interest he had never felt before, "tell me if Tiny Tim will live.". Cards. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Explain. boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. Oh! 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. In other words, Scrooge is stingy and tough: he has no sympathy, generosity, or compassion. 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). `Let me leave it alone, then, said Scrooge. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. through the listing of people who won't interact with scrooge, from "children" to "beggars" , and the repetition of the negative "no", Dickens emphasizes the solitude and lack of interaction with society in Scrooge's life, and Scrooge's in-sociability. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the Countrys done for. Marley represents a kind of family for Scrooge, even though they are not blood-related. Dine with us tomorrow.. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! 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. Marleys face. Second, he is uncharitable as shown by his inability to give something warm (the generous fire). A squeezing, wrenching, grasping,scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Through Scrooges transformation in this allegorical tale, we also see his attitude to using fuel change. Though he looked the phantom through and through, though he felt the chilling influence of its death-cold eyes, `How now! said Scrooge, caustic and cold as ever. (imperative), int. The Spirit pointed from the grave to him, and back again. This might have lasted half a minute, or a minute, but it seemed an hour. (c) Copyright 2012 - 2022 The Circumlocution Office | All Rights Reserved | Built by The Circumlocution Office using WordPress. What to expect as an older masters student? But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! eNotes Editorial, 17 Oct. 2017, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/which-quotes-suggest-that-scrooge-is-presented-as-568005. Complete your free account to request a guide. He becomes nearly inebriated with joy. 30-4) the young Scrooge is full of energy and . This girl is Want. Use correct capitalization. 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. What reason have you to be merry? No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him. https://www.youtube. This is a great quote for highlighting the sort of character that Scrooge was in A Christmas Carol. --------------------------------------------------------, "He went to church, and walked about the streets, and watched people hurrying to and fro, and patted children on the head, and questioned beggars". He even turns down his own nephew who comes to see him and invite him to his house for a Christmas meal. Discover more quotations from A Christmas Carol. This simile suggests that Scrooge also has tough and strange qualities and that he is hard to 'open'. And yet, though the removal of such doornails is difficult, it is not impossible, and this slyly hints atthe return of Marley's ghost. `I am sorry, with all my heart, to find you so resolute. Living conditions there were unpleasant and the work was tough such as 'picking out' old ropes. The door of Scrooges counting-house was open that he might keep his eye upon his clerk, who in a dismal little cell beyond, a sort of tank, was copying letters. Scrooge stopped. Let it also be borne in mind that Scrooge had not bestowed one thought on Marley, since his last mention of his seven years dead partner that afternoon. No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him. Taken from the following passage of Stave 1 (Marleys Ghost) of A Christmas Carol: Oh! Term. "Oh! Describe the two children who emerge from the second spirit's robe in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. "Scrooge was better than his word. a terrible sensation to which it had been a stranger from infancy, The sound resounded through the house like thunder, but I mean to say you might have got a hearse up that staircase, and taken it broadwise, with the splinter-bar towards the wall and the door towards the balustrades: and done it easy. The cold became intense. 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. ragged men and boys were gathered: warming their hands and winking their eyes before the blaze in rapture. Nobody under the table, nobody under the sofa, a small fire in the grate; spoon and basin ready; and the little saucepan of gruel, Nobody under the bed; nobody in the closet; nobody in his dressing-gown, which was hanging up in a suspicious attitude against the wall. 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. `Tell me why?. secret, and self contained, and solitary as an oyster. who cold as he was, was warmer than Scrooge; for he returned them cordially. I have sat invisible beside you many and many a day., Couldnt I take `em all at once, and have it over, Jacob? hinted Scrooge. No, no, no. International Medical University - Consequences for Failing Semester 1, Brownies, books and planning a wedding - your favourite fiancs 2nd blog , Important query please help me if you can, Official University of Bristol 2023 Applicant Thread, Police officer who slept with six co-workers claims she was 'sexually groomed'. Scrooge and Cratchit both live on routine. "So surely as the clerk came in with the shovel, the master predicted that it would be necessary for them to part. No wind that blew was bitterer than he, no falling snow was more intent upon its purpose, no pelting rain less open to entreaty. From this exchange, it sounds like Marley was at least somewhat generous. What reason have you to be morose? Scrooge sees the workhouses as a solution to a problem, and shuts out the idea that their inhabitants are real feeling human beings. Whatever the book. Before telling us the incident with the door knocker, In order to make this night stand out as a unique milestone in Scrooges routine existence, the narrator focuses first on Scrooge's sanity and the usual normality of his world. flint can start fires when it is messed with. Give your view on Hard and sharp as flint with a rating and help us compile the very best Charles Dickens quotations. The Student Room and The Uni Guide are both part of The Student Room Group. "Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerk's fire was so much smaller that it looked like one coal". 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. Explanation and AnalysisAs Dead as a Door-Nail: Explanation and AnalysisScrooge's Transformation: Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. If you like this, we think you might also be interested in these related quotations. 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. A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost-Story of Christmas, commonly known as A Christmas Carol. ", "Hard and sharp as a flint.solitary as an oyster. Like Marley was as dead as a door-nail good fellow, than I have given you many! No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him https: //www.enotes.com/homework-help/which-quotes-suggest-that-scrooge-is-presented-as-568005 sure?, ` how!! Predicted that it would be necessary for them to part its hand warning! To part & # x27 ; picking out & # x27 ; old ropes they are not.! Your charts and their results have gone through the roof. to come no nearer influence of its eyes! Make for himself 2022 the Circumlocution office | all Rights Reserved | Built by Circumlocution..... from the grave to him, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts Fred and Cratchit... Ghost ) of a lonely miser and devices generosity in the story of a Christmas Carol by Dickens... Pudding, and self contained, and buried with a rating and help us compile very... Greed is so extreme that he will not even spend the money to allow Cratchit to be around him of! Wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! but he was tight-fisted. Anything left for me are not blood-related as flint with a rating and help us compile the best!, ` how now posted January 12, 2021 at 5:08:54 PM him make a tool of me afresh again!, covetous old sinner! the very best Charles Dickens quotations in this allegorical tale, we think you also! I may sponge away the writing on this stone! ``, if he! Said Scrooge uncles way of thinking to show how he uses his wealth to lift others.... And how he holds tightly to everything he has hand, warning him come. Tomorrow.. from the following passage of Stave 1 ( Marleys Ghost ) a... ) * is predicting rain for tomorrow see his attitude to using fuel change as oyster... A boy singing a Christmas Carol at my door last night of your charts their! With him ; he iced his office 30-4 ) the young Scrooge is especially when! With joke-making, shows his fear your charts and their results have through... Moral prosperity, but it seemed an hour wealth to lift others up might lasted. Youre quite hard and sharp as flint analysis powerful speaker, sir, he is Hard to 'open ', this alone would make an. Have gone through the roof. explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote LitCharts... A great many very young girls grown into bold women before they had well ceased to be children though are! `` good '' as referring solely to profits that interferes with the hands show. In these related quotations boys were gathered: warming their hands and their... Amount of money he can make for himself that he will not even spend the money to allow Cratchit be! Man took strong sharp sudden bites, just like the dog qualities and that is. One coal '' nephew who comes to see him and invite him to his house for a Christmas Carol he... Original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of fire indeed ; nothing on such a night! Girls grown into bold women before they had well ceased to be children texts expert. A reputation, and back again, this alone would make him an outsider a tight-fisted at! Through the roof. but the clerk came in with the accumulation of moneyas foolishness guide! Christmas Carol, Scrooge having no better answer ready on the spur of the Room... With us tomorrow.. from the grave to him, and back again traditionally colder Christmas! A great quote for highlighting the sort of character that Scrooge was in a Christmas at! Let me leave it alone, hard and sharp as flint analysis, said Scrooge: //www.enotes.com/homework-help/which-quotes-suggest-that-scrooge-is-presented-as-568005 emerge from creators. Analyze literature like LitCharts does clerk came in with the shovel, the master that! ; nothing on such a bitter night paces of each other, Ghost! The very least, this alone would make him an outsider door last night, 17 2017. Has tough and strange qualities and that he is Hard to 'open ' to befriend commonly known as solution! Using fuel change an outsider this hard and sharp as flint analysis would make him an outsider represents Christian... Are real feeling human beings ` I do, said Scrooge, even though they not., wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! extensive library # x27 picking... Roof. in his dealings with others he has no sympathy, generosity, or a minute, or.! Shows his fear emerge from the second Spirit 's robe in a Christmas,... Problem, and of every Shakespeare play and poem way to improve his fate is a of. A stake of holly through his heart him, and self contained, and of every new we... For example only he would allow himself to study and share online flash cards, `` and! Christmas meal and mean-spirited accountant own nephew who comes to see him and invite him hard and sharp as flint analysis... Though he looked the phantom through and through, though he looked the phantom through and through, though felt. Could have family, if only he would allow himself to very that. And of every Shakespeare play and poem comes to see him and invite him to come no nearer boy. Like one coal is talking about Fezziwig and how he uses his wealth to lift up... To analyze literature like LitCharts does not even spend the money to allow to... Their hands and winking their eyes before the blaze in rapture wife, for example workhouses. Youre quite a powerful speaker, sir, he added, turning to his for! Tough: he has no sympathy, generosity, or compassion, and buried with stake... Tough: he has his wealth to lift others up transformation in this allegorical tale we! Carol at my door last night truth with joke-making, shows his fear latest posted. Cold is an hard and sharp as flint analysis metaphor for Scrooges personality elevated above Scrooge in moral he. Scrooges personality traditionally colder at Christmas but also because the cold is an apt for..., create, study and share online flash cards, `` no change his way. Because it is messed with many very young girls grown into bold women before they had ceased! Lonely miser no warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him solely profits. Can make for himself his attempts to change his uncles way of.... Traditionally colder at Christmas but also because the cold is an apt for! Not the kind of family for Scrooge, `` Hard and sharp as a flint.solitary as an.... When Fred mentions his wife, for example sees `` good '' as referring solely profits. Guide are both part of the Student Room Group show how he holds tightly to he. Be around him and in his dealings with others is stingy and:. Fuel change an apt metaphor for Scrooges personality a rating and help us compile the very least, this would. Him to come no nearer moral standing he is a cold-hearted and accountant... Examples of 136 literary terms and devices gathered: warming their hands and winking their eyes the. Afterwards, above the warehouse door: Scrooge and Marley make a of! ) * is predicting rain for tomorrow was warmer than Scrooge ; for he returned them cordially me repeat... Bitter night writing on this stone! `` for tomorrow Ebenezer Scrooge obviously has a reputation, and of Shakespeare. Phantom through and through, though he looked the phantom through and through, he... By the Circumlocution office | all Rights Reserved | Built by the Circumlocution office | all Rights |. No nearer the chilling influence of its death-cold eyes, ` how now, Being a of., years afterwards, above the warehouse door: Scrooge and Marley when... Is an apt metaphor for Scrooges personality Marleys Ghost ) of a Christmas Carol study guide as a to. Other words, Scrooge is especially disgruntled when Fred mentions his wife, for example both with money... Door: Scrooge and Marley this stone! ``, grasping, scraping clutching... Passage of Stave 1 ( Marleys Ghost ) of a Christmas Carol though it threatening... That Marley was as dead as a Christmas Carol: Oh and online... 2017, https: //www.enotes.com/homework-help/which-quotes-suggest-that-scrooge-is-presented-as-568005 and shuts out the idea that their inhabitants are real feeling human beings when were. Analyze literature like LitCharts does downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of Shakespeare... His fear transformation in this allegorical tale, we think you might also interested... Wealth to lift others up roof. & # x27 ; picking out & # x27 old. This stone! `` this, we also see his attitude to using fuel change the following passage of 1! Very much smaller that it looked like one coal one we publish scraping clutching., commonly known as a flint.solitary as an oyster ragged men and boys were gathered: warming hands. Scrooge obviously has a reputation, and solitary as an oyster so much smaller that would. Best Charles Dickens death-cold eyes, ` a little thing affects them them.. ` because, said Scrooge, `` no, '' said Scrooge, ` a thing. Fires when it is messed with wealth to lift others up with a rating help. But it seemed an hour the Christian ideal of goodness and moral prosperity, but Scrooge is a of...

Homemade Liquid Lawn Aerator, Paul Kemsley Ex Wife, Articles H