“A Christmas Carol”Literary Elements & Techniques Review

+ Some Author’s Purpose & Point of View Review

Setting• Place – Locations around London: Scrooge’s offices, Scrooge’s

house, the Cratchit home, Fred’s home, Scrooge’s school, Fezziwig’s offices, Old-Joes’ Hide-away, Cemetary.

• Time – Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, & the day after Christmas, 1843

Falling Action• Scrooge wakes up happy to be alive.

• He buys a large turkey for the Cratchit family and sends it anonymously.

• He finds the portly man & makes a very generous donation for the poor.

• He visits his nephew & asks if he can still come to dinner.

• He gives Cratchit a raise.

Subplot• Tiny Tim’s illness and the Cratchits’ struggle with having enough

money to care for him.

Flashback• Scrooge sees his lonely childhood and remembers his love for his

sister Fan.

• Scrooge sees when he worked as Fezziwig’s apprentice and what a wonderful boss Fezziwig was – and the boss that he had hoped himself to be in the future.

• Scrooge sees when his fiancé broke up with him, and realizes what a fool he’s been.

Hyperbole• “Ebenezer Scrooge – England’s most tight-fisted hand at the

grindstone.” – p. 665

• “Dead as a doornail,” – p. 665

• “solitary as an oyster,” – p. 665

• “Well, save your breath, Cratchit!” – p. 667

• “I’d rather see myself dead than see myself with your family.” – p. 669

• “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.” – p. 668 (also imagery)

Resolution• Scrooge has become a changed man – promises to live as if it’s

Christmas every day of the year.

Themes• It is better to give than to receive.

• It is important to think of others before you think of yourself.

• Money is not the most important thing in life.

Rising Action• Marley visits Scrooge to tell him he needs to change & will be

visited by 3 spirits (inciting incident).

• Past visits Scrooge – shows him past memories (childhood, working for Fezziwig, broken engagement).

• Present visits Scrooge – shows him scenes of Cratchit family, his nephew and wife, and the children of Ignorance & Want.

• Future visits Scrooge – shows him events after his death – what businessmen say about Scrooge, his servants stealing from his house & selling his things, Cratchit’s after Tiny Tim’s death.

Foreshadowing• Marley tells of the coming of the three spirits and Scrooge’s

reaction tells us it will be unpleasant.

• Marley indicates that Scrooge will be a changed man (“his grey coat will turn into a blazen Christmas-holly red!”)

Exposition• Marley introduces us to Scrooge & tells us what a miserly life he

is living.

• Nephew & Do-gooders visit, which shows Scrooge’s attitude toward Christmas and other people.

• Scrooge doesn’t want to give Cratchit the day off – further shows his attitude toward Christmas.

• Story takes place in 1843, around London, on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, & the day after Christmas.

Characters• Marley – has been dead 7 years; hopes Scrooge can change &

not have to carry around chains in his own death, as Marley has.

• Scrooge – grumpy, cheapskate, gruff, unfriendly, unkind, lonely, changes to hopeful, jolly, kind-hearted, & generous person at end of story.

• Cratchit – kind-hearted & caring

• Nephew – kind, patient, hoping to renew a relationship with his uncle.

• Fan – loving toward her brother, polite & respectful, but feisty

• Tiny Tim – sweet, generous, great attitude despite his circumstances.

Imagery• “The cold within him freezes his old features, nips his pointed nose,

shrivels his cheeks, stiffens his gait; makes his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and speaks out shrewdly in his grating voice.” – p. 665

• “England’s most tigh-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Secret and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster.” – p. 665

• “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.” – p. 668 (also hyperbole)

• Description of Present’s throne on p. 698 (“cherry-cheeked apples, juicy oranges, luscious pears…and seething bowls of punch, that make the chamber dim with their delicious steam.”

Conflict• – Scrooge struggles with treating

people kindly and generously, which leads to external conflicts.

• – Scrooge vs. his nephew on their view of Christmas and marriage.

• – Scrooge vs. Marley – Scrooge did not want to believe Marley was real and did not want to change.

• – Scrooge vs. the Thin/Portly men – Scrooge did not want to give to the poor.

Character vs. Self (Internal)

Character vs. Character (External)

Character vs. Character (External)

Character vs. Society (External)

Climax• Future shows Scrooge his gravestone & Scrooge begs to be given

more time – that he will be a changed man if the spirit allows him more time on Earth.

Symbolism• Marley’s chains = poor actions and attitudes while he was alive.

• Past = Scrooge’s regrets.

• Present’s throne = abundance

• “…watch…gray coat turn into a blazen, Christmas-holly red” = the change that is about to take place in Scrooge from cold and grumpy to full of joy & generosity.

Protagonist• Main Character in the story…Scrooge

Antagonist• Those working against the main character…Fred, Marley, Spirits

Author’s Purpose• Persuade – trying to convince someone to think a certain way or

do a certain action.

• Inform – provides facts about a subject.

• Entertain – written to amuse/interest someone

Point of View• 1st Person – narrator is part of the story

• 2nd Person – narrator makes YOU part of the story.

• 3rd Omniscient – narrator is outside of story & knows all thoughts and feelings of all characters

• 3rd Limited – narrator is outside the story & knows thoughts and characters of only ONE character.

• 3rd Objective – narrator is outside the story & does not know thoughts or feelings of any characters – just reports what he/she observes.