Moralistic Language in A Christmas Carol Anonymous 12th Grade

“These are but the spirit of things that have been.” The metaphorical words of the Ghost of Christmas Past are typical of Dickens’ melodramatic writing style. Set in Victorian England, a time rife with greed and social stratification, Charles Dickens’ novella 'A Christmas Carol' unveils his view on the values of the time period not solely through metaphor. It is also through the use of verisimilitude, repetition of ideas and symbolism that he delivers his social commentary on the ramifications of the moral vacuousness of upper-class England. In addition, as the intricacies of the plot unfold, dramatic irony is conveyed through foreshadowing. Indeed, it is through the language techniques that Dickens is able to craft his allegory about the power dichotomy between the rich and the poor in Victorian England.

Verisimilitude in metaphor is instrumental to the didactic nature of Dickens’ novella, warning against ever-injurious self-interest. A personification of generosity, with “its genial face […] its open hand”, the Ghost of Christmas Present teaches the reader of the dire consequences of not being in its likeness in considering others, particularly those in disadvantageous positions, through Ignorance and Want. Through the...