Scrooge watches Belle and husband talk about his mental and emotional
Scrooge is physically isolated from
them, because he appears only with
the ghost of Christmas present
Nobody genuinely wants to go to Scrooge's
funeral except for the food
Nobody is affected by his death just like how he was never
affected by Marley's death
When Scrooge talks to the 'remarkable boy' he refers to the boy in the
third person, possibly suggesting he's forgotten how to interact with
humans due to his isolation
Quotes
'It's not my
business...understand
his own business'
Repetition of 'business' may convey the accumulation of money as being a clear
driving factor in Scrooge's life. Very different to other rich Victorians, because most
wanted to accumulate and spend. However, he mentions it less and less as the staves
go on (link to redemption)
'lonely boy was reading
near a feeble fire'
Fouund comfort in stories
'Scrooge was his sole executor, his sole administrator, his sole assign, his sole
residuary legatee, his sole friend, his sole mourner
Repetition of 'sole' emphasises Marley's
obsession with business being the reason why
he had no time for friends/family
Context
1840s was midst of industrial revolution, younger
children may have been feeling neglected by
parents due to work
People were forced into isolation, but what makes Scrooge so terrible
is that he chose to be alienated, he is the reason for his own isolation.
Poor Laws further alienated
the poor and working class
from the rich and middle class.
More Quotes
'Solitary as an oyster'
Juxtaposes Scrooge being greedy, for when you're greedy you want a lot
of items, however when you're 'solitary' you want nothingness or you're
surrounded by nothingness
Negative connotations of a serpent due to the sibilance may remind the
reader of a snake, which may in turn remind them of Adam and Eve. Could
suggest that wanting solitarity is evil, unnatural
Something precious is hidden inside, a hard shell against the
tough world OR Scrooge is trapping himself inside a shell of
stubborness to remain 'solitary'
'The school is not quite deserted...A solitary child
neglected by his friends is left there still'
Little children are not even
protected from the faults in
society