A Christmas Carol Key Themes and Quotes

A Christmas Carol Key Themes and Quotes

1. Family

   • 'They were happy, grateful, pleased with one another, and contented with the time' (Cratchit's Stave 3)
   • 'What right do you have to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You're poor enough.' (Stave 1)
   • 'A lonely boy sat near a feeble fire' (stave 2)

2. Christmas Spirit

   • 'a kind forgiving, charitable, pleasant time...' (Fred Stave 1)
   • 'I will honour Christmas in my heart and try keep it all year' (Scrooge Stave 4)

3. Fear

   • 'as solitary as an oyster' (Scrooge Stave 1)
   • '''Jacob!'' he said imploringly, "Old Jacob Marley tell me more! Speak comfort to me, Jacob!" (stave 1)

4. Death

   • 'He lay in the dark, empty house, with not a man, a woman or a child to say he was kind to me in this or that..' (Stave 4)
   • Oh, cold, cold, rigid, dreadful Death, set up thine altar here...' (Stave 4)
   • 'Spirit of Tiny Tim, thy childish essence was from God!' (Stave 4)

5. Responsibility

   • 'Are there no prisons?' (Scrooge Stave 1)
   • 'I can't afford to make idle people merry' (Scrooge Stave 1)

6. Redemption

   • 'I am not the man I was' (Scrooge Stave 4)
   • 'From the foldings of his robe it brought two children; wrecthed, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable' (Stave 3)
   • 'I will live in the Past, the Present and the Future!' (Scrooge Scrooge Stave 5)
   • 'I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a school-boy' (Scrooge Stave 5)

7. Ignorance and Want

   • 'And they cling to me' (Stave 3)
   • 'They are Man's' (Stave 3)
   • 'Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish; but prostrate' (Stave 3)
   • 'Where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked and glared out menacingly' (Stave 3)
   • 'It was at all a small pudding for a large family' (Cratchit Family Dinner)
   • 'She would confess that she doubts about the quantity of flour' (Mrs Cratchit)
   • 'If they would rather die (...) they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population' (Scrooge Stave 1)

8. Poverty

   • 'It was at all a small pudding for a large family' (Stave 3)
   • 'and Bob served it out with beaming looks, while the chestnuts on the fire sputtered and crackled noisily' (Stave 3)
   • 'God bless us everyone' said Tiny Tim, the last of all (stave 3)

9. Wealth and Avarice

   • 'Oh! But he was a tight fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge' (Stave 1)
   • ''What idol has displaced you?' he rejoined 'A golden one'' (Scrooge/Belle Stave 2)