Text Bank 48

A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens
(1843)

PLOT, SETTING THEMES

AND CHARACTERS A Christmas Carol is a story of transformation and
The story takes place in London on Christmas Eve. The redemption: Scrooge’s transformation from a greedy,
settings of the book include the protagonist’s counting- selfish person who states ‘every idiot who goes about with
house and his home. “Merry Christmas” on his lips, should be boiled with his
Ebenezer Scrooge is a penny-pinching old man; he cares own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through
nothing for the people around him and thinks mankind his heart’ to the man who ‘knew how to keep Christmas
exists only for the money that can be made through well’. Beyond merely urging his readers not to be miserly,
exploitation and intimidation. He particularly detests Dickens seems to be reminding us of the importance in
Christmas which he calls ‘humbug’ and considers as ‘a time taking notice of the lives of those around us.
for finding yourself a year older, and not an hour richer’. Another important theme derives from Dickens’s
On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his observations of the children of the poor. At that time there
former business partner Jacob Marley, who died seven were thousands of children living in appalling poverty,
Christmas Eves before. Marley hopes to help Scrooge avoid filth and disease; those who survived grew up without
his miserable fate in the afterlife and predicts to him that education and virtually had no chance to escape poverty.
he will be haunted by three spirits. These three spirits, the In a later scene, when Scrooge is visited by the Ghost of
Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, succeed in Christmas Present, the miserly old man notices a pair of
showing Scrooge the evils of his existence and giving him ragged and dirty children at the phantom’s feet. When
a chance to change his ways. The old man’s transformation questioned about who they are, the ghost replies: ‘This boy
is complete when the following Christmas morning he is Ignorance. This girl is Want’ (→ Text Bank 49), referring
decides to send a Christmas turkey to his long-suffering to two of the grim realities of Victorian society. Dickens
clerk, Bob Cratchit, and to spend Christmas Day in the felt that the cycle of poverty could only be solved through
company of his own nephew, Fred, whom he had earlier education and became interested in the Ragged Schools in
rejected. Scrooge’s new-found redemption continues when London, which were free schools run through charity in
he raises Cratchit’s salary and vows to assist his family, which the poorest children received religious instruction
which includes Bob’s crippled son, Tiny Tim. and a rudimentary education. Despite the availability of
these schools, the poorest children remained uneducated
due to the demand for child labour and the apathy of
parents, poor and uneducated themselves.

Key idea The title A Christmas Carol comes from a song combined the celebration of the birth of Christ
or ballad of joy celebrating the birth of Christ. with the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia,
The term ‘staves’ used by Dickens for the a pagan celebration for the Roman god of
chapters indicates an archaic form of stanza or agriculture, and the Germanic winter festival of
Dickens the line of a song. Yule, had been highly criticised by the Puritans.
and Christmas Although Dickens celebrated the festival There was a romantic revival of Christmas
of Christ’s birth in numerous works, it is traditions: Prince Albert brought the German
A Christmas Carol that has preserved the custom of Christmas tree to England; the
Christmas customs of old England and fixed singing of Christmas carols, which had all but
the image of the holiday season as one of wind, disappeared at the turn of the century, began
ice and snow, with hot turkey and cheerful to flourish again; the first Christmas cards
family gatherings. appeared in the 1840s. But it was Dickens’s
At the beginning of the Victorian Age, the Christmas stories, particularly his masterpiece
celebration of Christmas was in decline. A Christmas Carol, that promoted the joy of
The medieval Christmas traditions which Christmas in Britain and America.

COMPETENCE: READING AND UNDERSTANDING INFORMATION

1 READ the texts and answer the following questions about A Christmas Carol.
1 Where and when does the story take place? 5 Why did Dickens call his novel A Christmas Carol?
2 Who is the protagonist? 6 Who revived the celebration of Christmas in the
3 Who are the other characters? Victorian Age?
4 What are the main themes developed?
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T48 Scrooge’s transformation Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol
(1843)
The first part of the extract introduces the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, with
Staves I and V
his negative attitude to Christmas and his refusal of all human warmth. The last
paragraphs, which close the novel, present the old man completely transformed: he
has woken up and come back to reality on Christmas day. He has understood that his
visions were nothing but the dream of a night and that now he has time to redeem
himself.

STAVE I
Oh! But he was a tight-fisted1 hand at the grindstone2, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching,
grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous3 old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint4, from which
no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an
oyster. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped5 his pointed nose, shrivelled6
5 his cheek, stiffened his gait7; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out
shrewdly8 in his grating voice. A frosty rime9 was on his head, and on his eyebrows, and
his wiry10 chin. He carried his own low temperature always about with him; he iced his
office in the dog-days11; and didn’t thaw12 it one degree at Christmas.
External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. No warmth could warm, no
10 wintry weather chill him. No wind that blew was bitterer than he, no falling snow was
more intent upon its purpose, no pelting13 rain less open to entreaty14. Foul weather
didn’t know where to have him. The heaviest rain, and snow, and hail, and sleet15,
could boast of the advantage over him in only one respect. They often ‘came down’ 1 tight-fisted. Dal pugno
handsomely, and Scrooge never did. serrato; qui: severa.
2 grindstone. Mola; qui: lavoro
15 Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say, with gladsome looks, ‘My dear duro e noioso.
Scrooge, how are you? When will you come to see me?’ No beggars implored him to 3 squeezing … covetous. Che
spremeva, torceva, afferrava,
bestow a trifle16, no children asked him what it was o’clock, no man or woman ever grattava, accumulava, avido.
once in all his life inquired the way to such and such a place, of Scrooge. Even the blind 4 flint. Pietra focaia.
5 nipped. Lett: mordeva.
men’s dogs appeared to know him; and when they saw him coming on, would tug17
6 shrivelled. Raggrinziva.
20 their owners into doorways and up courts; and then would wag18 their tails as though 7 stiffened his gait. Irrigidiva la
they said, ‘No eye at all is better than an evil eye, dark master!’ sua andatura.
8 shrewdly. In modo pungente.
But what did Scrooge care? It was the very thing he liked. To edge19 his way along 9 A frosty rime. Una brina
the crowded paths of life, warning all human sympathy to keep its distance, was what ghiacciata.
10 wiry. Aguzzo.
the knowing ones call ‘nuts’20 to Scrooge. 11 dog-days. La canicola.
25 Once upon a time – of all the good days in the year, on Christmas Eve – old 12 didn’t thaw. Non disgelava.
13 pelting. Scrosciante.
Scrooge sat busy in his counting-house. It was cold, bleak21, biting weather: foggy 14 entreaty. Supplica.
withal22: and he could hear the people in the court outside, go wheezing up and down23, 15 hail, and sleet. Grandine e
beating their hands upon their breasts, and stamping their feet upon the pavement nevischio.
16 bestow a trifle. Concedere un
stones to warm them. The city clocks had only just gone three, but it was quite dark po’ di spiccioli.
30 already: it had not been light all day: and candles were flaring in the windows of the 17 would tug. Trascinavano.
18 would wag. Agitavano.
neighbouring offices, like ruddy smears24 upon the palpable brown air. The fog came 19 To edge. Limitare.
pouring in at every chink25 and keyhole, and was so dense without, that although 20 ‘nuts’. Piaceri.
21 bleak. Tetro.
the court was of the narrowest, the houses opposite were mere phantoms. To see the 22 withal. Anche.
dingy26 cloud come drooping down27, obscuring everything, one might have thought 23 go wheezing up and down.
Procedere respirando a fatica
35 that Nature lived hard by, and was brewing28 on a large scale. su e giù.
The door of Scrooge’s counting-house was open that he might keep his eye upon his 24 ruddy smears. Macchie rosse.
clerk, who in a dismal29 little cell beyond, a sort of tank30, was copying letters. Scrooge 25 chink. Crepa.
26 dingy. Scura.
had a very small fire, but the clerk’s fire was so very much smaller that it looked like one 27 come drooping down. Che
coal. But he couldn’t replenish it, for Scrooge kept the coal-box in his own room; and calava.
28 was brewing. Si stava
40 so surely as the clerk came in with the shovel31, the master predicted that it would be addensando.
necessary for them to part. Wherefore the clerk put on his white comforter32, and tried 29 dismal. Cupa.
30 tank. Cisterna.
to warm himself at the candle; in which effort, not being a man of a strong imagination, 31 shovel. Pala.
he failed. 32 comforter. Scialle.

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‘A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!’ cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of
33 Humbug. Sciocchezze.
45 Scrooge’s nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation he 34 in a glow. Surriscaldato.
had of his approach. 35 sparkled. Brillavano.
36 morose. Imbronciato.
‘Bah!’ said Scrooge, ‘Humbug33!’ 37 on the spur of the moment.
He had so heated himself with rapid walking in the fog and frost, this nephew Su due piedi.
38 cross. Adirato.
of Scrooge’s, that he was all in a glow34; his face was ruddy and handsome; his eyes 39 pleaded. Protestò.
50 sparkled35, and his breath smoked again. 40 sternly. Severamente.
‘Christmas a humbug, uncle!’ said Scrooge’s nephew. ‘You don’t mean that, I am 41 heeded. Badava.
42 in the outset. All’inizio.
sure?’ 43 wrinkle up. Corrugare.
‘I do,’ said Scrooge. ‘Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? What 44 in grins. In un ghigno.
reason have you to be merry? You’re poor enough.’
55 ‘Come, then,’ returned the nephew gaily. ‘What right have you to be dismal? What
reason have you to be morose36? You’re rich enough.’
Scrooge having no better answer ready on the spur of the moment37, said, ‘Bah!’
again; and followed it up with ‘Humbug!’
‘Don’t be cross38, uncle.’ said the nephew.
60 ‘What else can I be,’ returned the uncle, ‘when I live in such a world of fools as this?
Merry Christmas! Out upon merry Christmas. What’s Christmas time to you but a time
for paying bills without money; a time for finding yourself a year older, but not an hour
richer; a time for balancing your books and having every item in them through a round
dozen of months presented dead against you? If I could work my will,’ said Scrooge
65 indignantly, ‘every idiot who goes about with “Merry Christmas” on his lips, should be
boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He
should!’
‘Uncle!’ pleaded39 the nephew.
‘Nephew!’ returned the uncle, sternly40, ‘keep Christmas in your own way, and let
70 me keep it in mine.’ […]

STAVE V
Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim,
who did not die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master,
and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or
borough, in the good old world. Some people laughed to see the alteration in him,
75 but he let them laugh, and little heeded41 them; for he was wise enough to know that
nothing ever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their
fill of laughter in the outset42; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway,
he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up43 their eyes in grins44, as have the
malady in less attractive forms. His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for
80 him.
He had no further intercourse with Spirits, but lived upon the Total Abstinence
Principle, ever afterwards; and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep
Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us,
and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!

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LITERARY COMPETENCE

7 VOCABULARY

1 READ the text and match the highlighted words with their Italian translation.
1 terribile .................................................................................................................................................. 7 sforzo .......................................................................................................................................................
2 alimentare ........................................................................................................................................ 8 roca .............................................................................................................................................................
3 pungente ............................................................................................................................................. 9 agrifoglio .............................................................................................................................................
4 palo ............................................................................................................................................................. 10 raffreddare .......................................................................................................................................
5 fare bilanci ........................................................................................................................................ 11 gioiose ....................................................................................................................................................
6 incontro ................................................................................................................................................. 12 acciaio .....................................................................................................................................................

7 COMPETENCE: READING AND UNDERSTANDING A TEXT

2 READ the extract from Stave I and answer the following questions.
1 How is Scrooge described? What is he compared to?
2 What is his counting-house characterised by?
3 What is the relationship between Scrooge and the weather?
4 Does he have many friends?
5 What does he care?
6 What atmosphere is conveyed by the description of the weather?
7 What is Scrooge’s clerk doing? How is he treated by his master?
8 Who arrives at the office all of a sudden?
9 What is Scrooge’s attitude to Christmas?
10 What do you think makes Christmas a good time for Scrooge’s nephew?

3 READ the extract from Stave V and note down

1 Scrooge’s transformation;
2 what people say of him.

7 COMPETENCE: ANALYSING AND INTERPRETING A TEXT

4 CONCENTRATE on the narrator.

1 Decide who tells the story.
2 Find where he openly turns to the reader.
3 What does the correspondence between the weather and the main character create in the reader?
4 Indicate the tone adopted by the narrator.

5 IDENTIFY the contrasts the extract from Stave I is built upon. Then state their function.

6 DISCUSS. Can you consider Scrooge a flat or a round character? Why?

7 IDENTIFY the theme of the text.

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