A Christmas Carol Quotations and Analysis (WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Literature)

A Christmas Carol Quotations and Analysis

Your essay question in the Eduqas GCSE English Literature exam asks you to focus on a theme, a character or an interaction between characters. That means it’s an excellent idea to learn quotations based on themes and characters, because you can use them to support a wider range of points. Here are eight top quotes from A Christmas Carol, organised by these characters:

• Ebenezer Scrooge quotes

• The Ghost of Jacob Marley quotes

• Bob Cratchit quotes

• The Ghost of Christmas Present quotes

Ebenezer Scrooge quotes

Key word: “darkness”

What the quotation means

• Scrooge’s home is dark; the only lighting comes from the single candle that he carries

• He doesn’t light his home properly because it would cost money, and he likes the darkness because it represents the money he has saved

Analysis

• This line appears as Scrooge arrives home on Christmas Eve, before he is visited by the ghosts

• The quotation presents Scrooge as a miser: he’s too mean to spend money on decent lighting:

  • Dickens’ description of Scrooge’s home focuses on its vastness, gloominess and emptiness, emphasising Scrooge’s physical and social isolation

  • The darkness contributes to the eerie atmosphere, setting the scene for Jacob Marley’s ghost to appear

• The reference to darkness can also be viewed as a metaphor:

  • Metaphorically, the darkness represents Scrooge’s ignorance at the beginning of A Christmas Carol

  • It is a kind of mental darkness, because it is not illuminated by the “light” of truth

  • This metaphorical darkness also links to the Christian theme of the novella, as Christianity presents faith as a source of metaphorical light

• The quote shows that Scrooge prefers to remain “in the dark” in every way

Key word or phrase: “good”

What the quotation means

• Scrooge has become a good person in his behaviour towards other people, including his friends and employees

• In fact, he has become as good as the best person in the city

Analysis

• Following Scrooge’s redemption, he changes his behaviour completely, showing kindness and generosity towards others

• Dickens repeats “good” to emphasise the reversal in Scrooge’s thinking and behaviour:

  • This description presents a strong contrast with the previous quotation about darkness, showing how much Scrooge’s character has changed

• The repetition of “good” in the description of the “good old city” links Scrooge to his social environment:

  • It reverses the early description of Scrooge as “solitary” and lacking “human sympathy”

  • Instead of being isolated he has become part of the city and its people

The Ghost of Jacob Marley quotes

Key word or phrase: “chain”

What the quotation means

• Jacob Marley’s ghost has a chain wrapped around his body, which he says he has made (“forged”) during his life

Analysis

• The “chain” worn by Marley’s ghost represents his actions in his lifetime, which he has to carry around with him:

  • The chain is described as being made of “cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and heavy purses”

  • These objects represent Marley’s business of lending money, owning property, keeping accounts and hoarding money

• The chain represents Marley’s imprisonment:

  • His soul is doomed to wander the earth as a ghost, instead of passing into the afterlife

• The repetition of “I” emphasises the fact that Marley “forged” the chain himself:

  • He made it of his “own free will” by taking decisions that prioritised money above anything else

  • The emphasis on taking moral responsibility for one’s actions reflects back on to Scrooge, who is just like Marley

• The image of a chain is also a metaphor for Scrooge’s misanthropic attitude:

  • Scrooge is also “fettered” — shackled and restricted — metaphorically by his attitude and choices, as Marley’s ghost points out

Key word or phrase: “fate”

What the quotation means

• Marley’s ghost tells Scrooge that he may be able to escape becoming trapped on earth after death, as he is

Analysis

• Marley’s ghost reveals the possibility of Scrooge avoiding his own “fate”

• The word “fate” conveys inevitability:

  • Marley has no choice; his fate is fixed because he did not make morally correct choices in his lifetime

  • However, Scrooge has a “chance and hope” of escaping the same outcome if he can learn what he needs to do from the three spirits who will visit him

• Dickens is demonstrating that nothing is completely inevitable in a person’s life:

  • Human beings have free will and can decide to change their attitudes and behaviour, altering their fate

  • Dickens wants to portray the possibility of redemption for Scrooge and others like him

Bob Cratchit quotes

Key word or phrase: “dismal”

What the quotation means

• Bob Cratchit, Scrooge’s clerk, works in a tiny, enclosed area in the counting-house  

Analysis

• The area where Bob Cratchit copies letters at a desk is “dismal”:

  • This describes the gloomy, enclosed nature of his workplace

  • It also describes his situation as Scrooge’s employee, which is dismal because he doesn’t earn enough and works for a mean-spirited employer

• Bob’s “little cell” emphasises his metaphorical entrapment:

  • He is trapped by his poverty and lack of choices, which imprison him in his situation, like a prisoner in a cell

  • Dickens uses the character of Bob Cratchit to represent working-class people and their dependence on their employers

Key word or phrase: “all”

What the quotation means

• Bob Cratchit is proposing a toast to his family, to wish them a merry Christmas and ask for God’s blessings on them

Analysis

• Bob’s toast illustrates the Cratchit family’s happiness and togetherness, despite being poor:

  • Their shared affection is emphasised by the phrase “my dears”

  • Their situation contrasts sharply with Scrooge’s lack of family, affection and happiness

• Bob’s toast also emphasises Dickens’ Christmas message:

  • The Cratchit family represents the wider human family, whom Dickens felt should “all” be able to enjoy the blessings of Christmas 

  • This conveys a message of mutual respect and equality between all people, regardless of their financial or social status

The Ghost of Christmas Present quotes

Key word or phrase: “Ignorance”

What the quotation means

• The Ghost of Christmas Present presents two children to Scrooge, who are called “Ignorance” and “Want”

Analysis

• In Stave 3, after showing Scrooge how people are celebrating Christmas across the world, The Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge two children, “Ignorance” and “Want”:

  • They are described as “monsters”, and the Ghost warns Scrooge to “beware” the boy, Ignorance, “most of all”

  • The monstrous children highlight Scrooge’s choice to remain ignorant of other people’s deprivation, or “want”

• This quotation shows the Ghost urging Scrooge to recognise what he is doing wrong, so he can change his attitude:

  • By giving Scrooge the chance to overcome his ignorance and make different choices, Dickens demonstrates that redemption is possible for everyone

Key word or phrase: “penitence”

What the quotation means

• After watching the Cratchit family celebrate Christmas, the Ghost of Christmas Present tells Scrooge that Tiny Tim will die if their situation remains the same

• This knowledge, and being reminded of his own harsh words about the poor, make Scrooge feel overwhelmed by shame, sadness and regret

Analysis

• The information revealed by The Ghost of Christmas Present makes Scrooge reconsider his hard-heartedness towards those less fortunate than himself:

  • The Ghost quotes Scrooge’s words about the poor back to him: “If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population” (Stave 1)

  • Scrooge feels ashamed of his words and his attitude

• Dickens uses Tiny Tim’s innocence and disability to evoke pity for the suffering of the poor:

  • Tiny Tim embodies a Christian message of selflessness

• Scrooge’s feelings of penitence are a turning point in the novella and signal the beginning of his redemption:

  • Dickens is suggesting that, if Scrooge can feel sorrow and regret, anyone can

Sources

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