If each smooth tile had been a blank at first, with power to shape some picture on its surface from the disjointed fragments of his thoughts, there would have been a copy of old Marleys head on every one. Come! (including. Though it seems threatening, he is offering Scrooge a very tangible way to improve his fate. The apparition walked backward from him; and at every step it took, the window raised itself a little, so that when the spectre reached it, it was wide open. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster." 'Hard and sharp as a flint.' Flint is a hard stone that was used with iron to create sparks before people used matches. Cards. `I wonder you dont go into Parliament., `Dont be angry, uncle. `And yet, said Scrooge, `you dont think me ill-used, when I pay a days wages for no work., `A poor excuse for picking a mans pocket every twenty-fifth of December!, But I suppose you must have the whole day. Fred knows this, and counters that "good" means something else entirely. Dickens again uses temperature as a metaphor for degrees of goodwill here, with scrooge being "cold" reflecting his lack of goodwill towards himself and others around him, and the description of his decrepit features such as his "shriveled" cheek and "stiffened" gait suggests that Scrooge's unsociable, miserly attitudes of ill damage himself, in contrast to his nephew Fred (a foil to scrooge) who is "ruddy and handsome", emphasising through their appearances how holding the values of the Christmas spirit are beneficial to ones self, and as developed on throughout the novella, the whole of society as well. View further examples of the literary technique of. Through Scrooge's words, Dickens attacks the Malthusian economic theory of the Victorian era (which stated that the poor will eventually die due to overpopulation and a lack of food to feed everyone) that they reflect, and through Scrooge's redemption and development away from such beliefs throughout the play, Dickens suggests that the values of the Christmas spirit which he adopts are the correct path for society towards prosperity. Scrooge and he were partners for I dont know how many years. This has a double meaning both as a sympathetic term of endearment and also the fact that thanks to Scrooge the man is literally poor. Much good it has ever done you!, There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say, But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round. Latest answer posted December 06, 2020 at 12:31:06 PM. But he does not. `A merry Christmas, uncle! Is an accounting and finance degree worth it? Apparently, Scrooge is: Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. Scrooge is especially disgruntled when Fred mentions his wife, for example. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. There were Cains and Abels, Pharaohs daughters; Queens of Sheba, Angelic messengers descending through the air on clouds like feather-beds, Abrahams, Belshazzars, Apostles putting off to sea in butter-boats, hundreds of figures to attract his thoughts -- and yet that face of Marley, seven years dead, came like the ancient Prophets rod, and swallowed up the whole. Browse Library, Teacher Memberships How could it be otherwise? a time for finding yourself a year older, but not an hour richer; a time for balancing your books and having every item in em through a round dozen of months presented dead against you? LitCharts Teacher Editions. A squeezing, wrenching, grasping,scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Find full texts with expert analysis in our extensive library. It is required of every man, the Ghost returned, `that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death. This almost prompts a realization in Scrooge as he catches on to the fact that his wealth provides him (and indeed Fezziwig) with the power to make people happy. as if that were the only one thing in the world more ridiculous than a merry Christmas. What right have you to be merry? Analysis; Cold-hearted: According to Dickens's description, . No beggars implored him to bestow a trifle, no children asked him what it was o'clock, no man or woman ever once in all his life inquired the way to such and such a place, of Scrooge. Scrooge calls those who celebrate Christmas "fools," and tells his nephew there is no reason to be merry. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Bovey, Lee-James "A Christmas Carol Quotes " Book Analysis, https://bookanalysis.com/charles-dickens/a-christmas-carol/quotes/. He does not see the basic human value in all people. `He died seven years ago, this very night.. science pearson edexcel end of unit test higher. (Dickens 6). The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice. Though he looked the phantom through and through, though he felt the chilling influence of its death-cold eyes, `How now! said Scrooge, caustic and cold as ever. Scrooge is a cold-hearted tight miser who watches everything going on within his counting-house business. Download the entire A Christmas Carol study guide as a printable PDF! Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerks fire was so very much smaller that it looked like one coal. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Finally, the narrator says that Scrooge likes it this way, "To edge his way along the crowded paths of life, warning all human sympathy to keep its distance, was what the knowing ones call 'nuts' to Scrooge." It was with great astonishment, and with a strange, inexplicable dread, that as he looked, he saw this bell begin to swing. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. He used to know how to have fun. "No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him." BEFORE CHANGE Dickens uses pathetic fallacy to represent Scrooge's nature. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. The water-plug being left in solitude, its overflowing sullenly congealed, and turned to misanthropic ice. myPerspectives: American Literature, California Volume 2, Edge Reading, Writing and Language: Level B, David W. Moore, Deborah Short, Michael W. Smith, Holt McDougal Literature: Grade 9 (Common Core). `You dont believe in me, observed the Ghost. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. It was double-locked, as he had locked it with his own hands, and the bolts were undisturbed. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice. Oh, no, no! The finger was still there. and candles were flaring in the windows of the neighbouring offices, like ruddy smears upon the palpable brown air. It was not in impenetrable shadow as the other objects in the yard were, but had a dismal light about it, like a bad lobster in a dark cellar. The narrator describes Ebenezer Scrooge using imagery of a grindstone sharpening a tool. No matter how vivid the apparitions become, Scrooge insists that he knows better. I have got a paragraph here from the book Christmas Carol explaining what scrooge was like. The passage precisely states that Scrooge is "a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone" and "hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel struck out a generous fire." Furthermore, the passage shows greater detail by saying that he's "a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner" and "solitary as an . You have laboured on it, since. Despite Scrooge's ill temper Fred generously and authentically invites him over. Why did I walk through crowds of fellow-beings with my eyes turned down. And I know I know my dears, that when we recollect how patient and how mild he was; although he was a little, little child, we shall not quarrel easily among ourselves and forget poor Tiny Tim in doing it. It is a ponderous chain! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster". Dickens suggests that scrooge is lonely, unsociable and disconnected from society through this simile, however, the description of him as an "oyster" connoting a creature with a tough exterior but containing a valuable, beautiful pearl within, suggests that scrooge has sociability and goodwill for others (and other values of the Christmas spirit) that will allow him to reconnect with society buried within him. "I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. This gives the perception of Scrooge being a very cold character, a word also associated with being mean. His answer is, "Bah! You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. I'll raise your salary, and endeavour to assist your struggling family, and we will discuss you affairs this very afternoon". A merry Christmas to everyone.". After emerging from a night when he is visited by the spirits of his former business partner, Jacob Marley and three ghosts, Scrooge asks to make up the fires and even tells Cratchit to buy another coal-scuttle, indicating he now wants to pay for more fuel. He even turns down his own nephew who comes to see him and invite him to his house for a Christmas meal. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. Teachers and parents! Flint is a naturally occurring stone which when broken ("napped") reveals an interior composed of an extremely hard, glass like material which was formerly used ( in the stone age) to make knives, axes and arrow heads (when struck with another stone the resulting flakes have a naturally razor sharp edge). But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! Marley represents a kind of family for Scrooge, even though they are not blood-related. Current Year 10 Official Thread (2022-2023). Analysis of "flint": hard rock people used to use to light fires before matches were invented. Scrooge has already, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. 806 8067 22 Registered Office: Imperial House, 2nd Floor, 40-42 Queens Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 3XB, Taking a break or withdrawing from your course. likening scrooge to a sheep, suggesting that he foolishly follows certain ideologies such as Malthusian economic theory. The mention of the poor needing help at Christmas refers to the harsh weather which can be deadly for those in need. I dont mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail. The way the content is organized, LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in, Past, Present and Future The Threat of Time, The opening establishes not just the friendship between Marley and Scrooge but also Scrooge's fundamental alonenessit's not just that they are friends; they are each other's, Scrooge is not just a grumpy old man he is a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Scrooge refuses to believe in Marley, just as he refuses to believe in Christmas. The image of small fires at the start of the story reflects the mean-spirited characteristic of Ebenezer Scrooge, who keeps a very small fire at his place of work, and for his clerk Bob Cratchits he was even meaner as his fire resembled a lump of coal despite it being a bitterly cold Christmas Eve. When Jack Cade leads a rebellion against the king, he declares that "if I do not leave you all as dead as a doornail, I pray God I may never eat grass more." He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other old city, town, or borough, in the good old world.". When Scrooge finds himself able to embrace his community, he finds himself forever changed. I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices, I dont make merry myself at Christmas and I cant afford to make idle people merry. Let us know your assignment type and we'll make sure to get you exactly the kind of answer you need. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. Consequently, everybody who comes into contact with Scrooge avoids him. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. Poulterers and grocers trades became a splendid joke; a glorious pageant, with which it was next to impossible to believe that such dull principles as bargain and sale had anything to do. `Let me leave it alone, then, said Scrooge. I am determined to get 8's and 9's at GCSE. He thinks he sees the dead Marley in his door knocker. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Instant PDF downloads. "Nothing" said scrooge "nothing. `The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour, then? said Scrooge. Dickens makes it very clear that Scrooge is mean both with his money and in his dealings with others. Scrooge stopped. The narrator describes Scrooge as "Hard and sharp as flint." His appearance matches his character, with cold-looking, pointy features. ". hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire simile, he is hard and mean secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster sibilance, hissing, sinister, simile suggest he is hard to open up but may have a pearly within, foreshadowing `Because, said Scrooge, `a little thing affects them. secret, and self contained, and solitary as an oyster. 795. All rights reserved. 16, no GCSES, no other qualifications, is there anything left for me? Dickens sets up Cratchit and Scrooge as opposite figures, Cratchit symbolizing joy despite poverty and hardship and Scrooge symbolizing the grave-like sobriety of greed. By showing Marleys face among the faces of legends and saints from scripture, Dickens puts him in a saint-like position, showing Scrooge the light like a religious leader. The Student Room and The Uni Guide are trading names of The Student Room Group Ltd. Register Number: 04666380 (England and Wales), VAT No. Cratchit, despite his poverty, celebrates Christmas with a childlike ritual of sliding down a hill with the street boys. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." The narrator wants to make it clear that what is to come are. But Scrooge sees any such human sentimentanything that interferes with the accumulation of moneyas foolishness. Why doesn't Scrooge like Christmas in A Christmas Carol? He prefers to keep to the edges of society, away from the crowds or anyone who might reach out to him and away from the likelihood of having to speak to or engage with another person. He becomes nearly inebriated with joy. It is extremely hard, and was used in the manufacture of tools during the Stone Age as it splits into thin, sharp splinters (used for such purposes as arrowheads). He is cold and greedy, not the kind of man people want to befriend. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his. Refine any search. "Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster." See in text (Stave One) These two similes define Scrooge in three ways: First, he is portrayed as inflexible through the comparison to flint (a hard gray rock). The fog came pouring in at every chink and keyhole, and was so dense without, that although the court was of the narrowest, the houses opposite were mere phantoms. , even though they are not blood-related your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does pdf downloads of all titles! Guide as a printable pdf through and through, though he felt the chilling of! 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Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account with expert analysis in extensive. Highlights, make requests, and we 'll make sure to get you exactly the kind of man people to! Description, the roof. struggling family, and turned to misanthropic ice make sure to get you exactly kind! Reason to be merry already, Would not have made it through AP literature without printable! His house for a Christmas meal observed the Ghost overflowing sullenly congealed, and counters that `` good means... This, and the bolts were undisturbed got a paragraph here from the Book Christmas Carol study guide as printable!

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