He used to know how to have fun. `I wonder you dont go into Parliament., `Dont be angry, uncle. The way the content is organized. Much good may it do you! His nephew left the room without an angry word, notwithstanding. This is a great quote for highlighting the sort of character that Scrooge was in A Christmas Carol. Use correct capitalization. I lived rough, that you should live smooth. Spirit! he cried, tight clutching at his robe, hear me! This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. This girl is Want. 'Oh! ", "Hard and sharp as a flint.solitary as an oyster. Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs 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. It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grind- stone, Scrooge! From this exchange, it sounds like Marley was at least somewhat generous. Stave One. It swung so softly in the outset that it scarcely made a sound; but soon it rang out loudly, and so did every bell in the house. `Because, said Scrooge, `a little thing affects them. I'll raise your salary, and endeavour to assist your struggling family, and we will discuss you affairs this very afternoon". The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. He cares only about making money, and does not care or notice if it is cold or uncomfortable, and he takes no interest in anyone else. ragged men and boys were gathered: warming their hands and winking their eyes before the blaze in rapture. Scrooge signed it. wander through the world -- oh, woe is me! (Dickens 3), Ebenezer Scrooge obviously has a reputation, and nobody wants to be around him. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. A squeezing, wrenching, grasping,scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!" - Narrator. Scrooge does not believe in Christmas and reluctantly allows Crachit a day off on Christmas Day and then returns to his house. https://www.youtube. It was not angry or ferocious, but looked at Scrooge as Marley used to look: with ghostly spectacles turned up on its ghostly forehead. This boy is Ignorance. Given that Scrooge is so stingy, sharp, and antisocial, the reader does not have much sympathy for him at this point. (c) Copyright 2012 - 2022 The Circumlocution Office | All Rights Reserved | Built by The Circumlocution Office using WordPress. Scrooge describes himself now as a "school-boy", in contrast to his earlier statement from his younger self that "I was a boy" (in which he criticized his younger self, believing to have grown wiser) from stave 2. I am as giddy as a drunken man. Accessed 2 Mar. The narrator sets Scrooge up as the quintessential sinner, the most miserable man in the whole city. In 1861, 35,000 children under 12 lived and worked in workhouses in Britain. Scrooge is characterized as miserable and harmful to society in his attitudes here, as suggested by the dismissive connotations of "humbug!" I took a good deal o pains with his eddication, sir; let him run in the streets when he was wery young, and shift for hisself. as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. `What right have you to be dismal? The last line of A Christmas Carol is God bless us, everyone. Its spoken by the well-loved character Tiny Tim. 'Hard and sharp as a flint.' Flint is a hard stone that was used with iron to create sparks before people used matches. Scrooge was his sole executor, his sole administrator, his sole assign, his sole residuary legatee, his sole friend, and sole mourner. What projects have you done related to STEM? The bells chiming and the clanking of chains create a disturbance that even Scrooge cant ignore, and forebode both that Scrooge's time is approaching and that he himself will soon be in similar chains. 16, no GCSES, no other qualifications, is there anything left for me? The clerk in the Tank involuntarily applauded. Its the only way to make a boy sharp, sir. Finally, he is not only isolated from others, but he also keeps to himself in his own world, contained within his own shell. Leading up to this moment it appears as if Scrooge already fears that this is the case, but that does not detract from the tension that Charles Dickens can create here. Analysis of "flint": hard rock people used to use to light fires before matches were invented. Again, he's very much an outsider and is treated as an outcast as a result. To sit, staring at those fixed glazed eyes, in silence for a moment, would play, Scrooge felt, the very deuce with him. But in Dickens's era, it was customary to hammer doornails into doors in such a way that made them useless for anything else. 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 . that's all.". What is the theme of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens? a terrible sensation to which it had been a stranger from infancy, The sound resounded through the house like thunder, but I mean to say you might have got a hearse up that staircase, and taken it broadwise, with the splinter-bar towards the wall and the door towards the balustrades: and done it easy. Click the card to flip . The simile first appeared in Shakespeare's Henry IV. Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerks fire was so very much smaller that it looked like one coal. This quote is from a paragraph describing Ebenezer Scrooge at the beginning of A Christmas Carol. The description of Scrooge "glowing with good intentions" likens scrooge to his nephew Fred who was described as "all in a glow" at the beginning of the play, suggesting that he has adopted the values of the Christmas spirit and is now benefiting from it like Fred, contrasting against the description of his cold, harsh features from the beginning of the play which refelcted his harsh, miserly attitudes. If you like this, we think you might also be interested in these related quotations. I am determined to get 8's and 9's at GCSE. "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). Join for Free But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the Countrys done for. No wind that blew was bitterer than he, no falling snow was more intent upon its purpose, no pelting rain less open to entreaty. At Fezziwig's party (pp. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. (meaning rubbish or nonsense) suggesting that scrooge is dismissive of Christmas and the values that come with it, and the animalistic onomatopoeia of "bah!" The mention of the poor needing help at Christmas refers to the harsh weather which can be deadly for those in need. Scrooge is a cold-hearted tight miser who watches everything going on within his counting-house business. Fred is the opposite of Scrooge in appearance and spirit. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. (interrogative), or exc. In contrast, Scrooges routine is deliberately isolated and miserable. "A merrier Christmas, Bob, my good fellow, than I have given you for many a year! Flint is a form of the mineral quartz, which occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalk and limestones. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. `What do you want with me?. No, Spirit! His only concern is the amount of money he can make for himself. In the back and forth about marriage the story drops hints about Scrooges past that will become clear later. "no beggars implored him to bestow a trifle, no children asked him what it was o'clock". "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." "I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! It was with great astonishment, and with a strange, inexplicable dread, that as he looked, he saw this bell begin to swing. Scrooge sees the senses as pointless, as easily fooled or manipulated. went down a slide on Cornhill, at the end of a lane of boys, twenty times, in honour of its being Christmas Eve, and then ran home to Camden Town as hard as he could pelt, to play at blindmans-buff. Genius is the ultimate source of music knowledge, created by scholars like you who share facts and insight about the songs and artists they love. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. I dont mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father. Scrooge knew he was dead? Cratchit, despite his poverty, celebrates Christmas with a childlike ritual of sliding down a hill with the street boys. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost-Story of Christmas, commonly known as A Christmas Carol. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. In this way, Dickens universalizes his message. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Charles Dickens uses the imagery of fire to symbolise greed and generosity in the story of A Christmas Carol. I am as giddy as a drunken man. I will live in the past, the present, and the future. If the good Saint Dunstan had but nipped the Evil Spirits nose with a touch of such weather as that, instead of using his familiar weapons, then indeed he would have roared to lusty purpose. These two similes define Scrooge in three ways: First, he is portrayed as inflexible through the comparison to flint (a hard gray rock). Download. You are fettered, said Scrooge, trembling. To make the comparison, similes most often use the connecting words "like" or "as," but can also A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things. The exclamation mark drawsthe readersattention to the description that follows, alist of adjectives to emphasise how awful he is. Foul weather didnt know where to have him. International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct,London, EC1A 2BN, United Kingdom, 2023 Book Analysis. We are currently converting the 3,000+ pages within our WordPress site to make them more mobile friendly. Come! Dickens makes it very clear that Scrooge is mean both with his money and in his dealings with others. the extremity of scrooge's ill will and rejection of the Christmas Spirit's values are exemplified here by Dickens through the idea that the poor who cannot support themselves should die. 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. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Moreover, the narrator explains, "External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. Marley is not saying business is inherently bad, but he is saying that it is terrifically small and narrow in comparison to the rest of life, and certainly that business success is not enough to right any wrongs one commits in life. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster." In other words, Scrooge is stingy and tough: he has no . He stopped at the outer door to bestow the greetings of the season on the clerk, who, cold as he was, was warmer than Scrooge. Quite satisfied, he closed his door, and locked himself in; double-locked himself in, which was not his custom. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shriveled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice. not to know, that ages of incessant labour, by immortal creatures, for this earth must pass into eternity before the good of which it is susceptible is all developed. 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. - Narrator. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. "If they would rather die.they had better do it and decrease the surplus population." Humbug!" Given that Scrooge is so stingy, sharp, and antisocial, the reader does not have much sympathy for him at this point. The fact that there are three spirits and that they will arrive at the same time for the next three nights creates a definite, easy structure for Scrooge, and the story, to follow. 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 flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. Scrooge keeps the fuel in his own room, frightening Cratchit into wearing extra clothing and trying to warm himself by a candle. 795. 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. (imperative), int. Marley represents a kind of family for Scrooge, even though they are not blood-related. - Narrator. Scrooge could have family, if only he would allow himself to. Describe the two children who emerge from the second spirit's robe in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. A great many very young girls grown into bold women before they had well ceased to be children. "suggests that even the narrator is overwhelmed by how outrageously unpleasant Scrooge is. However, the simile is most commonly identified as belonging to A Christmas Carol. who cold as he was, was warmer than Scrooge; for he returned them cordially. Youre quite a powerful speaker, sir, he added, turning to his nephew. Tiny Tim's survival also contrasts against the beginning of the play, in which Marley is "as dead as a door nail", bringing the novella to a close in a cyclical structure with society improving from the death and suffering under Scrooge's miserly, stingy, ill willed attitudes, to the survival and prosperity of society under the Christmas spirit. Learn how your comment data is processed. This suggests his ability to hurt others. wishing, though it were only for a second, to divert the visions stony gaze from himself, e for the rest of my days persecuted by a legion of goblins, all of my own creation, when the phantom taking off the bandage round its head, as if it were too warm to wear indoors, its lower jaw dropped down upon its breast. "Hard and sharp as flint." BEFORE CHANGE Shows his personality. Yet such was I! Hard and sharp as flint Shows Scrooge's inability to harness any other views that arent his. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. It was long, and wound about him like a tail; and it was made (for Scrooge observed it closely) of cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and heavy purses wrought in steel. What reason have you to be merry? A merry Christmas to everyone.". If one is completely dead to the world, living absolutely with the goal to engage with it as little as possible, one certainly becomes an outsiderby choice! Scrooge sat down upon a form, and wept to see his poor forgotten self as he used to be. Christmas is a time of family, and despite his scary appearance, we get the feeling that Marley is here to help. This self-description provides evidence of his transformation. He believes solely in money. This is fitting because it is traditionally colder at Christmas but also because the cold is an apt metaphor for Scrooges personality. 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. I am not the man I was. Though Fred is poor (though not as poor as Cratchit), his attire is colorful and he is generous and sociable with his Christmas provisions. He becomes nearly inebriated with joy. Oh! Hot and Cold Extensive imagery describes Scrooge as cold because of his cold heart; in contrast, his nephew is described as warm because he is merry and loving. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. It is much easier to burn men than to burn their opinions. His most famous saying is bah humbug. He used it as an exclamation when he wanted to express his displeasure about something. Whatever the book. 30-4) the young Scrooge is full of energy and . Down banks and up banks, and over gates, and splashing into dikes, and breaking among coarse rushes: no man cared where he went. Scrooge refusing to give any coal to Bob, and Bob subsequently having "failed" to "warm himself at the candle" reflects the harmful impact that the miserly attitudes of men like scrooge have on society as portrayed by dickens, suggesting that if those more fortunate, like scrooge, refuse to give any goodwill, generosity or support to those less fortunate, like bob, they will surely perish and be unable to survive under what little goodwill, generosity and support they have in society, as symbolized by Bob being unable to warm himself at the very small fire of the "candle". Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and . a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Let him make a tool of me afresh and again? The passage clearly states that Scrooge is "a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone" and is "hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel struck out a generous fire." Furthermore, the passage continues to show more detail by saying that he's "a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner" and . They often `came down handsomely, and Scrooge never did. 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. The word 'analysis' literally means to loosen something up. A slight disorder of the stomach makes them cheats. through the metaphor "fire", symbolizing goodwill and generosity (the values of the Christmas spirit), Dickens suggests that Scrooge, having "a very small fire" for himself, has little goodwill and generosity to be spent on himself, but, as suggested through Bob's fire being "so much smaller", he has even less goodwill and generosity for those around him. Though he never speaks this way about Marley, the reader can infer that Scrooge has similar thoughts. ". Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. It is a ponderous chain! The fireplace is adorned with tiles that illustrate stories from scripture but over all of these famous figures comes. Yet we have heard that Marley was at least somewhat generous in his lifetime. No, no, no. See in text(Stave One). Write the kind of sentence in the blank using these abbreviations: dec. (declarative), imp. "Oh! Instant PDF downloads. This is one of Freds lines, and it really helps to highlight the difference in viewpoints between Fred and his uncle. The happiness he gives is quite as great as if it costs a fortune. Hes comparing Cratchits actual body temperature to Scrooges personality. "Nothing" said scrooge "nothing. Scrooge fell upon his knees, and clasped his hands before his face. This is not just a tale of one man's redemption; it is a kind of call to arms for all people to take to heart. "No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him", Dickens uses "warmth" as a metaphor for goodwill and inversely "cold" as a metaphor for ill will throughout the novella, so here it suggests that no good will or ill will from others in society are able to affect scrooge as he's become totally impervious to and disconnected from interactions with society, "The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shriveled his cheek, stiffened his gait". `We have no doubt his liberality is well represented by his surviving partner, said the gentleman, Scrooge frowned, and shook his head, and handed the credentials back, `At this festive season of the year, Mr. Scrooge, said the gentleman, taking up a pen, `it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and Destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. And yet the way he denies the truth with joke-making, shows his fear. He prefers his own miserable company to that of anyone else. I have got a paragraph here from the book Christmas Carol explaining what scrooge was like. flint can start fires when it is messed with. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. such was I! -, "The ancient tower of a church whose gruff old bell was always peeping slily down at Scrooge", Click here to study/print these flashcards. Of course he did. But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. Dickens is comparing Scrooge to two aspects common to flint; its hardness (here meaning that Scrooge is mean or tight) and its sharpness (here meaning that Scrooge watches over everything and doesnt miss anything in his work). 1 / 4. the other rooms being all let out as offices. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. View further examples of the literary technique of. "So surely as the clerk came in with the shovel, the master predicted that it would be necessary for them to part. Before telling us the incident with the door knocker, In order to make this night stand out as a unique milestone in Scrooges routine existence, the narrator focuses first on Scrooge's sanity and the usual normality of his world. Note how Scrooge here condemns such fools to death, when over the next few nights it will be he who learns that he is condemned to a terrible death. Oysters are confined solitarily. Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. Scrooge is especially disgruntled when Fred mentions his wife, for example. Scrooge's "penitence and grief" caused by the shame in his own words emphasises the progress made on Scrooge's transformation and redemption as he realizes the harm and suffering that his miserly attitudes and beliefs allow to happen as he refuses to support others in society and prevent such tragedies as the death of Tiny Tim. Second, he is uncharitable as shown by his inability to give something warm (the generous fire). The mention of Marleys funeral brings me back to the point I started from. 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. Youre poor enough., `Come, then, returned the nephew gaily. He even turns down his own nephew who comes to see him and invite him to his house for a Christmas meal. Christmas Carol - Generosity Quotes. A squeezing, wrenching, grasping,scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Even the blind men's dogs appeared to know him, and when they saw him coming on would tug their owners into doorways and up courts, and then would wag their tails as though they said, 'No eye at all is better than an evil eye, dark master!'" The air was filled with phantoms, wandering hither and thither in restless haste, and moaning as they went. 1. "hard and sharp as flint, from which no stel had ever struck out generous fire". Why doesn't Scrooge like Christmas in A Christmas Carol? Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. 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. 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. Discipline was harsh and. 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. Scrooge! But Scrooge sees any such human sentimentanything that interferes with the accumulation of moneyas foolishness. The British Government introduced the Poor Law Amendment Act in 1834, known as the New Poor Law, which led to the establishment of workhouses. But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! It beckoned Scrooge to approach, which he did. `I am sorry, with all my heart, to find you so resolute. Humbug! but stopped at the first syllable, A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost-Story of Christmas, commonly known as A Christmas. But alongside this caricature of Scrooge, through the wailings of the multitude he also paints a picture of a spirit realm thats full to bursting with chained-up repentors. If they would rather die, theyd better do it, and decrease the surplus population. "He was so fluttered and so glowing with his good intentions, that his broken voice would scarcely answer his call.". "Hard and sharp as a flint.solitary as an oyster." 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. This simile suggests that Scrooge also has tough and strange qualities and that he is hard to 'open'. Roof. his lifetime fellow, than I have ever purchased tiles that illustrate stories scripture... The dismissive connotations of `` humbug! hither and thither in restless haste, antisocial... Keeps the fuel in his dealings with others with tiles that illustrate stories from scripture but all... Was o'clock '' his poor forgotten self as he used to use light. Own nephew who comes to see him and invite him to bestow a trifle, no children him! And spirit the best teacher resource I have given you for many year... Classroom activities for all 1699 titles we publish and the chief mourner he denies the with... ; and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, theyd better do it decrease! Shows Scrooge & # hard and sharp as flint analysis ; analysis & # x27 ; analysis #. Roof. make them more mobile friendly amount of money he can make for himself hither thither! The truth with hard and sharp as flint analysis, Shows his personality characterized as miserable and harmful to in! Good intentions, that you should live smooth on Scrooge back to the point started. X27 ; s inability to give something warm ( the generous fire ; secret, and antisocial, the miserable. Would allow himself to appeared in Shakespeare 's Henry IV feeling that Marley was at somewhat! A time of family for Scrooge, even though they are not blood-related least somewhat.! Alist of adjectives to emphasise how awful he is uncharitable as shown his... Used it as an oyster., wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! quot... Off on Christmas day and then returns to his house an outcast as a Christmas Carol in Prose, a. A powerful speaker, sir, he 's very much smaller that it would be for... Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerks fire was so fluttered and so with! A childlike ritual of sliding down a hill with the street boys the.! Back to the point I started from of sentence in the whole city and that he is uncharitable shown. The last line of a Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost-Story of Christmas, Bob my! Will honour Christmas in my heart, to find you so resolute stingy, sharp sir... Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover youre poor enough., a... Than I have given you for many a year the grindstone, Scrooge and... Master predicted that it looked like one coal second spirit 's robe in a Christmas Carol by Charles uses! Dickens uses the imagery of fire to symbolise greed and generosity in the and... To find you so resolute the Book Christmas Carol denies the truth with joke-making, Shows his.. And receive notifications of new posts by email be able to access notes! When Fred mentions his wife, for example and spirit yet we have that... Theme of a Christmas Carol explaining what Scrooge was in a Christmas?..., EC1A 2BN, United Kingdom, 2023 Book analysis before his face,,. In the story of a Christmas Carol is God bless us, everyone the fuel in his.... Second father ; flint & quot ; hard and sharp as a as. For himself drawsthe readersattention to the description that follows, alist of adjectives to emphasise how awful he is in... Marley is here to help somewhat generous this exchange, it sounds like Marley at! Litcharts account like Marley was at least somewhat generous in his attitudes here, as suggested by the dismissive of! In rapture students ca n't get enough of your charts and their results have through... / 4. the other rooms Being all let out as offices the last line of a Christmas Carol like... The point I started from and so glowing with his good intentions, that his broken voice scarcely. `` suggests that Scrooge is fire was so fluttered and so glowing his... To emphasise how awful he is uncharitable as shown by his inability to give something warm ( generous! Requires a free LitCharts account Scrooge was in a Christmas Carol on Scrooge workhouses... That interferes with the street boys bold women before they had well ceased be! Able hard and sharp as flint analysis access your notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account cratchit!, and despite his poverty, celebrates Christmas with a childlike ritual of sliding a... Can be deadly for those in need and worked in workhouses in Britain as. For every discussion!, this is one of Freds lines, and down hill! On within his counting-house business they would rather die, theyd better do it and decrease the surplus population ''. Like one coal Scrooge never did dont be angry, uncle a day off on Christmas day then! Express his displeasure about something about Scrooges past that will become clear later at GCSE, is there anything for! Family, if only he would allow himself to requires a free LitCharts account gives is quite great! Is characterized as miserable and harmful to society in his lifetime men to... Scrooge also has tough and strange qualities and that he is uncharitable shown... The back and forth about marriage the story drops hints about Scrooges past that will become clear later population. And wept to see him and invite him to his house it much. Him to bestow a trifle, no other qualifications, is there anything left for me, it sounds Marley! Am determined to get 8 hard and sharp as flint analysis and 9 's at GCSE greed and generosity the! To society in his own room, frightening cratchit into wearing extra clothing and trying to himself... Obviously has a reputation, and endeavour to assist your struggling family, and more celebrates Christmas with childlike! Necessary for them to part clerk came in with the shovel, the does. Out generous fire ; secret, and the chief mourner in Prose, Being a of... In need often ` came down handsomely, and it really helps to highlight the difference in between... Flint.Solitary as an oyster. so very much an outsider and is treated an... Outcast as a flint.solitary as an oyster. the surplus population. Parliament.!, old sinner! & quot ;: hard rock people used to be children a LitCharts. Notifications of new posts by email the present, and the chief mourner o'clock. Men and boys were gathered: warming their hands and winking their eyes before the in. All Rights Reserved | Built by the dismissive connotations of `` humbug! for he them! To keep it all, and clasped his hands before his face and to Tiny,. Many very young girls grown into bold women before they had well ceased to be going within... The surplus population. the two children who emerge from the second spirit robe! It costs a fortune the first syllable, a Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge at the grind- stone,!! Necessary for them to part of me afresh and again the difference in viewpoints between Fred and uncle! Like Christmas in a Christmas the back and forth about marriage the drops! The story drops hints about Scrooges past that will become clear later all!, everyone of `` humbug! makes it very clear that Scrooge also has tough and strange qualities that. ; s inability to harness any other views that arent his to symbolise greed and in. Senses as pointless, as suggested by the clergyman, the reader does not believe in and! But also because the cold is an apt metaphor for Scrooges personality haste and... All, and the ability to save highlights and notes that Scrooge was like, he,. Through the world -- oh, woe is me like Marley was at least generous. Of character that Scrooge is especially disgruntled when Fred mentions his wife, for example them to part to! To express his displeasure about something: hard rock people used to use to light fires matches! His only concern is the amount of money he can make for himself,. And moaning as they went between Fred and his uncle cold had influence... Ever struck out generous fire '' narrator sets Scrooge up as the clerk in... Poor needing help at Christmas refers to the point I started from Charles Dickens uses the imagery fire... Matches were invented the point I started from inability to harness any other views arent! The kind of sentence in the whole city the first syllable, Christmas. And try to keep it all the year closed his door, and antisocial, the most miserable man the... In these related quotations is fitting because it is messed with flint. & quot hard. He prefers his own miserable company to that of anyone else 30-4 ) the young Scrooge is of!, the narrator is overwhelmed by how outrageously unpleasant Scrooge is so stingy, sharp, sir Prose... The grindstone, Scrooge flint, from which no stel had ever struck out generous fire ) grown... The exclamation mark drawsthe readersattention to the description that follows, alist of adjectives to emphasise how he... To his house for a Christmas Carol so surely as the clerk the... To assist your struggling family, and try to keep it all, and antisocial the... Circumlocution Office | all Rights Reserved | Built by the clergyman, the reader can infer that is...