Charles Dickens’ 1843 tale of grinding poverty was born out of personal experience. Dickens knew what it meant to be poor after his father was sent to debtors’ prison and he was sent to work in a boot-blacking factory and was separated from the rest of his family. He spoke of his sense of neglect and utter hopelessness, and there is no doubt that it had a profound and lasting impact on him.
Dickens was deeply concerned about the state of healthcare, education and wealth division, which left many unable to live, despite their best efforts. By the mid-nineteenth century more than 100,000 children in London had never attended school. Those who did were often educated in filthy poorly-funded schools that were rife with disease.
Many, as young as three years of age, were drafted into child labour instead, working in mines, factories, businesses, shipyards and as chimney sweeps. Industrial accidents were commonplace, and life expectancy for these young people didn’t extend beyond their mid-twenties.
Those that couldn’t find employment were sent to the workhouse, where families were separated, worked long hours and were at great risk of disease. Many who entered the workhouse never left. It was also seen as a humiliating ‘punishment’ for being poor.
Dickens wanted his readers to understand that society could benefit as a whole if those who were in a more financially secure position supported those who weren’t. He saw that ‘Want’ and ‘Ignorance’ could be eradicated, which in turn would improve the health of the nation, its economy, and bring down crime rates.
His allegorical novel, ‘A Christmas Carol,’ published on 19 December 1843, features events and characters with clear symbolic meaning:
Scrooge represents greed and selfishness
Bob Crachit represents common humanity
The Ghosts represent Scrooge’s past, present and future
Tiny Tim represents the vulnerable and the disadvantaged
Come along to my FREE online Masterclass on ‘A Christmas Carol’ for AQA GCSE Year 10 & 11 students on Friday 13 December 2024 from 5pm-6pm.
We will be covering how to approach an AQA exam question; what to avoid; tips and hacks, and looking at the features of a range of exemplars.
To sign up, drop me a line at claire@theenglishlab.co.uk with the name of your son/daughter.