Scrooge's Character in A Christmas Carol Essay

Dickens Scrooge

Dickens makes Scrooge appear as an excellent businessman but also as a cold-hearted, tight fisted, selfish man, who despises Christmas and all things that bring about happiness. Dickens gives the reader examples of Scrooge being miserly, mean and self contained.

Scrooge has no sympathy for the poor, thinking the world would be better off without them, "decreasing the surplus population," and he praises the workhouses.

His only act of kindness is to give his clerk, Bob Cratchit, the day off with pay. Done grudgingly rather than as an act of kindness, Scrooge sees the practice like to having his pocket picked every twenty-fifth of December.

An example of Scrooge appearing as an uncaring, cruel and mean individual is shown when Scrooge says, If I could work my will 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!

Scrooge is also shown to only care about his business and nothing else when referring to his business he says, Mine occupies me constantly.

Dickens describes Scrooge as, a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!

Scrooges nephew questions his attitude by asking, What right have you to be dismal? What reasons have you to be morose? Your rich enough.

It is important the reader knows these things about Scrooge because without it the rest of the play would not make sense. It is important for Dickens to tell us that Scrooge was miserable, lonely, unhappy and had forgotten how to enjoy himself. This allows the reader to see the change after the three spirits visit Scrooge.

If the story only started from the visits of the three spirits the reader would not understand why they would have visited Scrooge. There would have been no background on Scrooge or any reason for their visit. It would also make the story dull to start with.

The description and actions of Scrooge makes the reader sympathise with other characters, making the reader care about what happens to them in the future. It allows the reader to understand how there lives have changed.