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A Christmas
Carol - Context
- Dickens sympathised with the poor because his father was
jailed for debt and Dickens had to spend time working in a
factory.
- The poor Law of 1834 sent the poor into workhouses. Dickens
opposed it as inhumane.
- The economist, Thomas Malthus believed famines (extreme
scarcity of food) and disasters were nature's way of controlling
the surplus population.
- Infant mortality was high in Victorian times. Dickens
explores the emotional consequences of this in the novel.
- Characters with a humanitarian outlook (seeking to promote human welfare) are
created to contrast with Scrooge's selfish personality. Mr Fezziwig is a good
example.
- Dickens was a Christian; by the end of the novel, Scrooge's
behaviour embodies the Christian virtues of charity, generosity
and compassion.
- The novel celebrates food at Christmas. For the poor, Christmas
was the one time of the year in which they could indulge
themselves and enjoy what they have - Cratchits.
- The novel explores the poverty of London. Streets are often
described negatively and some of the poor have been brutalised by
the harsh conditions.
- The novel suggests that London could be a grim place in
Victorian times with pollution, crowding and poverty.
- Dickens passionately supported the idea of education for all. He championed
the Ragged Schools movement which provided schooling for the destitute.
- The detailed description of shops celebrates the
power of commerce to transform a normally drab
environment at Christmas.
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