Portraying the Importance of Family in ‘A Christmas Carol’ Anonymous 10th Grade

‘A Christmas Carol’ is a novella written by Charles Dickens in 1843, the novella follows the journey of a stingy protagonist -Scrooge- and his many epiphanies that lead him to eventually understand the paramount role of family, joy and social responsibility in life. In both the novella and the extract presented, the idea of family and close relationships is portrayed to be of utmost importance and a bringer of much joy regardless of circumstances; readers are also encouraged to reflect and contemplate their personal family life and whether or not it requires change. In the presented extract describing the joyous and energetic festivities of the Cratchit family, Dickens emphasises the power of family and its ability to overcome all negative exterior circumstances through the use of listing and anaphora.

For example, Dickens lists the many struggles the Cratchit family face, including their “scanty” clothes. This highlights the poor living conditions and the harsh socio-economical challenges they face on a day to day basis, drawing a contrast between their tough yet positive lifestyle and Scrooge’s wealthy -but unhappy- one. Their optimistic attitude can be seen through the juxtaposition of the previous description with a series...