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

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...

What gift did Della buy for Jim and why in "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry?

Della buys Jim a watch fob because his watch is his most prized possession. Della and Jim Young do not have much money. Despite this, Della really wants to buy Jim a good Christmas present. She is even willing to sell her hair to get him a nice gift. This is ironic because we learn Della and Jim both highly prize her hair. Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which... Della buys Jim a watch fob because his watch is his most prized possession. Della and Jim Young do not have much money. Despite this, Della really wants to buy Jim a good Christmas present. She is even willing to sell her hair to get him a nice gift. This is ironic because we learn Della and Jim both highly prize her hair. Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride. One was Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's. The other was Della's hair.  Della is still willing to sell her hair so she can b...

Explain and discuss how the definitions of freedom change for the nation, for the freedmen and for southern whites after the Civil War.

After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to... After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to belong to without being ordered to attend religious services (or not to attend) by their mast...