Skip to main content

How does the setting of A Christmas Carol portray the discrimination between the rich and poor?

In A Christmas Carol, the setting provides an accurate description of life in Industrial London during the mid-19th century when wealth was unevenly distributed and the poor experienced much discrimination. Arguably, the strongest evidence of this theme appears in Stave Four when Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come visit Joe's shop. Here, the setting illustrates the poverty and filth of the neighbourhoods of London's industrial poor:


In this den of infamous resort,...

In A Christmas Carol, the setting provides an accurate description of life in Industrial London during the mid-19th century when wealth was unevenly distributed and the poor experienced much discrimination. Arguably, the strongest evidence of this theme appears in Stave Four when Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come visit Joe's shop. Here, the setting illustrates the poverty and filth of the neighbourhoods of London's industrial poor:



In this den of infamous resort, there was a low-browed, beetling shop, below a pent-house roof, where iron, old rags, bottles, bones, and greasy offal, were bought.



In this shop, a charwoman and a laundress bring their bundles of stolen goods which they sell to Joe in order to supplement their meagre incomes.


Compare this with Scrooge's counting house in Stave One. Though it is cold and dismal, the counting-house is a symbol of financial wealth and prosperity. It is also the setting for Scrooge's refusal to make a charitable donation to the poor and where he utters the phrases which will haunt him later:



Are there no prisons?


And the Union workhouses? Are they still in operation?



In this setting, then, Scrooge represents the ignorance of the wealthier classes who believed that the industrial poor were lazy and immoral and thus created their own poverty. In reality, these people were simply the victims of circumstance and Scrooge's realisation of this fact is evidence of his great transformation.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What are some external and internal conflicts that Montag has in Fahrenheit 451?

 Montag, the protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, faces both external and internal conflicts throughout the novel. Some examples of these conflicts are: External Conflicts: Conflict with the society: Montag lives in a society that prohibits books and critical thinking. He faces opposition from the government and the people who enforce this law. Montag struggles to come to terms with the fact that his society is based on censorship and control. Conflict with his wife: Montag's wife, Mildred, is completely absorbed in the shallow and meaningless entertainment provided by the government. Montag's growing dissatisfaction with his marriage adds to his external conflict. Conflict with the fire captain: Montag's superior, Captain Beatty, is the personification of the oppressive regime that Montag is fighting against. Montag's struggle against Beatty represents his external conflict with the government. Internal Conflicts: Conflict with his own beliefs: Montag, at the beginning of th...

In A People's History of the United States, why does Howard Zinn feel that Wilson made a flimsy argument for entering World War I?

"War is the health of the state," the radical writer Randolph Bourne said, in the midst of the First World War. Indeed, as the nations of Europe went to war in 1914, the governments flourished, patriotism bloomed, class struggle was stilled, and young men died in frightful numbers on the battlefields-often for a hundred yards of land, a line of trenches. -- Chapter 14, Page 350, A People's History of the United States Howard Zinn outlines his arguments for why World War I was fought in the opening paragraph of Chapter 14 (referenced above). The nationalism that was created by the Great War benefited the elite political and financial leadership of the various countries involved. Socialism, which was gaining momentum in Europe, as was class struggle, took a backseat to mobilizing for war. Zinn believes that World War I was fought for the gain of the industrial capitalists of Europe in a competition for capital and resources. He states that humanity itself was punished by t...

Where did Atticus take the light and extension cord in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Atticus brings the light to the courthouse jail so that he can protect Tom Robinson.  Atticus learns that Tom Robinson, his client, is in danger.  A group of white men want to prevent the trial and lynch Robinson. He is warned by a small group of men that appear at his house.  He refuses to back down.  Atticus knows that the Cunninghams will target his client, so he plans to sit up all night with... Atticus brings the light to the courthouse jail so that he can protect Tom Robinson.  Atticus learns that Tom Robinson, his client, is in danger.  A group of white men want to prevent the trial and lynch Robinson. He is warned by a small group of men that appear at his house.  He refuses to back down.  Atticus knows that the Cunninghams will target his client, so he plans to sit up all night with Jim if that’s what it takes to protect him.  Atticus tells the men that he will make sure his client gets his fair shake at the law.  “Link, that boy might go to the chair, but he’s not going till ...