KEY QUOTATIONS – SCROOGE
“Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone”
“A solitary child, neglected by his friends, is left there still”
“Though the Spirit’s eyes were clear and kind, he did not like to meet them”
“I am not the man I was. I will not be the man I must have been”
“Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all”
“I’ll raise your salary, and endeavour to assist your struggling family”
KEY QUOTATIONS – BOB & TINY TIM
ANALYSIS
Scrooge begins the story as a money-grabbing, selfish old man. His only concern (and his
obsession) is making money, and he works hard for it – he also makes other people work hard
for him in an attempt to gain even more money
This quote makes us feel some sympathy for young Scrooge. The adjective  “solitary” and the
verb “neglected” show that Scrooge began his life with few friends and began his life alone
This makes us wonder if he has chosen a lonely life because he was lonely as a child. It also
makes the reader wonder why he would want to be alone as an adult, especially after being
alone so much as a child
After his encounter with the first Ghost, Scrooge has begun to see that he has made some bad
choices in life. 
Therefore, when he meets the second Ghost, he can’t even look it in the eye because he feels
so guilty. 
He also knows that this Ghost will likely give him more information to feel guilty about, and is
not looking forward to seeing the consequences of his actions
The verb “must” suggests that Scrooge was not really aware of what he had become, or the
consequences of it, before the Ghosts showed him. 
He feels that he has definitely learnt a valuable lesson and, because of this, has completely
changed. He will no longer live a solitary, miserable, selfish, uncaring life, but is determined
to change and treat people better.
Dickens wanted to be clear at the end that Scrooge did not just claim he had changed, but
proved it through his actions. 
He actively strove to become a good man, and worked every day to be better. 
This shows that it was not just a ghost story for Scrooge, but something which changed his
life. 
Dickens also wanted to tell Victorian England that they needed to take action and do
something to help, not just sit back complacently
By directing Scrooge’s change of heart at Cratchit, Dickens was able to show how much of a
difference Scrooge could easily make to a poor family. 
Cratchit has never asked for these things, but Scrooge is able to highlight his sudden
generosity and caring nature by offering them to a poor man whose sole desire is to make his
family happy
ANALYSIS
“Dismal little cell” The adjective “dismal” and the noun “cell” show that Bob Cratchit is trapped in a horrible job
as Scrooge treats him horrifically. 
He cannot escape his metaphorical cell because poor people in Victorian England had very few
options (and very few opportunities to get good jobs), so he has to put up with being treated
badly so he can support his family, whom he loves. However, he does not complain about his
situation.

“I’ll give you Mr. Scrooge, the Founder of the Feast!” Bob Cratchit is shown as the humble, happy figure who is grateful to a horrible boss because
he appreciates how fortunate he is to have a job in the first place. 
He does not complain about Scrooge but, instead, toasts him to thank him for allowing his
family to enjoy Christmas because he gave Cratchit a job in the first place.

“Tiny Tim upon his shoulder” With Tiny Tim on Cratchit’s shoulder, lifted up so high, he could be said to represent an
angel. 
He may also need to be physically lifted up because he is weak and vulnerable. His innocence,
vulnerability and angelic nature makes his potential downfall (at the hands of Scrooge) so
much more horrific.

“Bob’s voice was tremulous when he told them this, and trembled more when he said that
Tiny Tim was growing strong and hearty”
This quote adds heartbreak for the reader, as we see Bob Cratchit attempting to be strong in the
presence of his children. However, the verb “trembled” shows that he is lying in an attempt to
protect them from hurt – he knows that Tiny Tim is growing weaker, not stronger. 
Tiny Tim (the lower class) becomes more and more vulnerable and needy every day, until
Scrooge (the upper class) changes and decides to help.

“God bless us, everyone!” Tiny Tim, in direct contrast to Scrooge, wants to help everyone. As an angelic, holy character,
he offers blessings (of love, hope and happiness) to the whole of society. He also shows that
people can change and make a difference to others.

KEY QUOTATIONS – FRED ANALYSIS

“This nephew of Scrooge’s, that he was all in a glow; his face was ruddy and handsome; Right from the start, Fred is shown to be so happy and kind that it seems to radiate from his
his eyes sparkled” skin – his goodness makes his skin and eyes glow. 
He directly contrasts Scrooge, who is dull and miserable. Fred loves life; Scrooge seems to
hate it. Dickens uses Fred at the beginning to show what Scrooge could be like.

“Scrooge’s nephew laughed in this way: holding his sides” This adds to the sense that Fred loves life. He laughs throughout the book, never seeming to
take things too seriously or be offended at Scrooge’s behaviour. 
In his life, he also shows a sense of freedom; Scrooge seems to have locked away any sort of
enjoyment in life – he does not laugh until he revisits the good times he had as a youth.

“Let him in! It is a mercy he didn’t shake his arm off” Fred shows what upper-class people should be like – whilst Scrooge has always been horribly
rude and dismissive of him, he does not take this to heart. 
As soon as his uncle makes an effort, Fred forgives him and invites him into his home.
KEY QUOTATIONS – GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS ANALYSIS
“From the crown of its head there sprung a bright clear jet of light, by which all this was The light coming from the top of its head could represent how the Ghost is about to shed
visible” metaphorical light on Scrooge’s past – it is about to highlight some of the reasons why he is
miserable and alone, as well as some of the poor decisions he made as he got a bit older.  
This light makes Scrooge very uncomfortable, as he enjoys living in the dark, away from
emotion.

“Come in! and know me better, man!” In this line, the Ghost is encouraging Scrooge to come in and talk to him. 
Alternatively, the Ghost may be metaphorically encouraging Scrooge to use him to learn more
about how to be a good, kind, generous man – to know him (the Ghost) is to know how to
improve his own personality and, therefore, the wider society.

“A solemn Phantom, draped and hooded, coming, like a mist along the ground, towards The adjective “solemn” suggests that this Ghost has some serious truths to reveal to Scrooge –
him” it will show him the outcome of his life if he doesn't change. 
However, the fact that the Ghost seems to be floating “like a mist” could suggest that the
future it reveals is not grounded yet, not set in stone.
Scrooge still has a chance to change his horrible fate. In a strange way, this Ghost could
represent hope to Scrooge – if he follows the guidance from the Ghosts, he can live a better
life.
KEY QUOTATIONS – IGNORANCE & WANT ANALYSIS
“Two children; wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable” These children are allegories of two social problems (they represent these problems in human
“They were a boy and a girl. Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish”. form – this is also why their names have capital letters).

“They are Man’s” Through the Ghost, Dickens tells the reader: “They are Man’s”, encouraging readers to take
some responsibility for other people.
Dickens uses Ignorance to chastise the Victorian reader, attempting to make them realise that
they were ignoring the problems in their own society.

“Where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked, and glared out menacing” Dickens wanted to show that, by ignoring these issues, society would produce children like
this – they are shown to be dirty, with no hope of a good future.