A Christmas Carol Key Quotations and Analysis (OCR GCSE English Literature)

A Christmas Carol Key Quotations and Analysis

In your OCR GCSE English Literature exam, it’s an excellent idea to learn quotes that link with themes or characters for the question on A Christmas Carol. Here are eight top quotes, arranged by the following themes:

• A Christmas Carol poverty and wealth quotes

• A Christmas Carol memory quotes

• A Christmas Carol family quotes

• A Christmas Carol redemption quotes

A Christmas Carol poverty and wealth quotes

What the quotation means

• The gentleman is explaining to Scrooge why the “Poor and destitute” need his support

Analysis

• The gentleman outlines what the poor are lacking (“in want of”):

  • Poor people lack the basic requirements for life (“common necessities”), as well as the things that make life bearable (“common comforts”)

  • His appeal illustrates the terrible poverty experienced by the London poor

• The gentleman appeals to Scrooge’s sense of compassion:

  • Scrooge’s refusal to give anything shows that he is a miser

  • Scrooge sees poor people as “idle” or criminals, who belong in prison or the workhouse

  • Scrooge’s refusal demonstrates his ignorance and uncaring attitude towards “want”, which connects with the two children the Ghost of Christmas Present shows him in Stave 3

Paired quotations

What the quotations mean

• Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, has come to wish him a merry Christmas, and neither of them understand the other’s feelings towards the festive season

Analysis

• From Scrooge’s perspective, people who aren’t rich have no reason to be happy:

  • This reveals his attitude towards wealth, but also his inability to understand what makes other people happy

• Fred understands the importance Scrooge places on money, but not why his wealth doesn’t make him happy:

  • Fred’s goodwill is based on non-material things, like his happy marriage and his friendships

• Their differing attitudes present another way of looking at poverty and wealth:

  • Fred is not wealthy, but he is rich emotionally and enjoys his life

  • Scrooge is wealthy, but his meanness makes him emotionally poor; he lacks the ability to feel empathy, joy or compassion

A Christmas Carol memory quotes

What the quotation means

• The Ghost of Christmas Past takes Scrooge on a tour of Christmases from his past life:

  • The sensory quality of his memories (the “thousand odours”) make them feel very real to him, and evoke the intense emotions connected with them

Analysis

• Scrooge’s sad memories and sympathy for his younger self prompt compassion for others:

  • He wishes he had given the carol singer a coin

• His happy memories make him reflect on how he treats other people:

  •  He wishes he could say “a word or two” to his clerk, Bob Cratchit, to soften his harshness towards him on Christmas Eve

• Memory connects Scrooge to the person he once was and starts to change his attitudes

Paired quotations

What the quotations mean

• The Ghost of Christmas Past has shown Scrooge a joyful Christmas celebration when he was Fezziwig’s apprentice

• The Ghost suggests that it doesn’t mean much to make people happy with a cheap party, but Scrooge argues that the power to give happiness is worth a fortune

Analysis

• The Ghost is prompting Scrooge to agree with him that Fezziwig’s goodwill is worthless because it doesn’t cost much

• Scrooge’s response illustrates his realisation that some things aren’t based on their monetary value

• This memory has made Scrooge rethink his ideas about what is valuable and what isn’t
  

A Christmas Carol family quotes

What the quotation means

• The Cratchit family are celebrating Christmas, and Bob’s toast illustrates their happiness and togetherness as a family

Analysis

• Despite their poverty — Bob earns just enough from his job as Scrooge’s clerk to keep a roof over their heads — the family are happy and content with each other

• Bob’s toast emphasises the Christian message of Christmas of joy and goodwill to “all”:

  • The family repeats his words in this scene, and Tiny Tim’s response, “God bless us every one”, is repeated in the novella’s final line 

  • Dickens expands the idea of the family to include “every one”, meaning that all people should be able to enjoy the blessings of Christmas

  • This conveys the message that all people are part of the human family, so they should care for one another and treat each other as equals 

What the quotation means

• Fred feels sorry for Scrooge because his misanthropy makes him miss out on enjoying other people’s company, especially at Christmas

Analysis

• Fred’s comment shows that he possesses the compassion that Scrooge lacks at the beginning of the novella:

  • Fred is a kind, good-natured character who cares about his uncle, despite Scrooge’s apparent dislike of him

• By presenting a character who is the direct opposite of Scrooge, Dickens is demonstrating the possibility of someone changing their outlook:

  • This message foreshadows Scrooge’s redemption at the end of A Christmas Carol
    

A Christmas Carol redemption quotes

What the quotation means

• The Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge two children, “Ignorance” and “Want”, who are described as “monsters” belonging to “Man”, and warns Scrooge to beware the boy, Ignorance, most of all

Analysis

• The Ghost is identifying Scrooge’s main fault – ignorance of other people’s suffering:

  • This links back to the early scene, when Scrooge refuses to make a charitable donation because of his ignorance of the reality of poverty and want

  • By referring to ignorance and want as belonging to “Man”, Dickens expands the Ghost’s message to include everyone who doesn’t feel empathy for other people’s suffering

• By presenting ignorance and want to Scrooge, the Ghost is prompting him to recognise what he is doing wrong and what he can do to put it right:

  • The Ghost emphasises his message by repeating Scrooge’s own words about prisons and workhouses

  • The shame Scrooge feels is the beginning of his transformation and redemption

  • Dickens is demonstrating that redemption is possible for everyone

What the quotation means

• At the end of the novella, Scrooge has become a good person in every way

Analysis

• Scrooge’s redemption is shown by his transformation into a “good man”: 

  • He has shown empathy, kindness and generosity to his friends and his employees

  • Dickens’s repetition of “good” emphasises the completeness of Scrooge’s transformation

Sources

Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings, Penguin, 2003