A Christmas Carol- Vanessa West

¨No beggars implored him bestow a trifle...¨ (Dickens, 2). During the early nineteenth century in Western Europe, beggars were growing increasingly commonplace. The fact that it was typical for beggars in the street to ask for a handout of the passerby shows the economic conditions of London in the 1800s. Furthermore, it shows just how disagreeable Scrooge is because the beggars wouldn´t dare approach him.

¨...Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir.¨ (Dickens, 5). These charitable men asking Scrooge for a donation to help the poor help put it in perspective just how destitute many people are in Western Europe. The economy has gotten so bad that the number of people lacking in necessities is increasing.

¨...a mansion of dull red brick... a large house, but of broken fortunes.¨ (Dickens 21). Despite outward appearances, such as the size of a persons' house, many were still in critical economic situations. Perhaps growing up in a poor schoolhouse contributed to Scrooge´s ambition in later years.

¨...busy thoroughfares of a city, where shadowy passengers passed and repassed; where shadowy carts and coaches battled for the way, and all the strife and tumult of a real city were.¨ (Dickens 29). When Scrooge returns to the city after experiencing the country life he knew as a boy again, it is a sad shock to remember the loudness, the clutter, and the darkness. In the cities, where more poor people were congregated, ´strife and tumult'is much more commonplace.

"...he hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk and blind see." (Dickens 38) Tiny Tim's character is so cute, first of all. He has been raised to be grateful and happy, despite outward circumstances. Because of the social emphasis on Christianity during the time, he has learned to be grateful for Jesus Christ and Dickens uses Tiny Tim as a example of someone who literally has nothing but love and faith left, despite having no money.

¨...there was nothing very cheerful in the climate or the town, and yet there was an air of cheerfulness abroad." (Dickens 34). Again, despite the economic and social conditions of the time, the lower classes of people continued to be cheerful during the holidays. Scrooge displays the opposite of these qualities.

"It's likely to be a very cheap funeral," said the same speaker. "For upon my life I don't know of anybody to go to it... I don't mind going if a lunch is provided." (Dickens 52) During the early nineteenth century, people could only really afford nice funerals if their families had enough money. Since Scrooge did not have any loved ones in this reality, when he died, no one wanted to put a lot of money in his funeral. The fact that no one wanted to put money into a funeral shows the social and economic issues of the time.

¨I wish you could have gone. It would have done you good to see how green a place it is. But you´ll see it often. I promised him that I would walk there on there on a Sunday. My little, litte child!" cried Bob. ¨My little child!¨ (Dickens 60) Tiny Tim had so many dreams like walking through a green part of town with his dad that couldn´t be fulfilled because he died. This is a really touching part of the book because you can feel Bob Cratchit´s sadness that he couldn´t have done anything for Tiny Tim no matter how hard he worked because Scrooge was so stingy with his money. This relates to the economic and social issues of the early nineteenth century because if you were poor, you couldn´t often afford the necessary medical treatments that you would need, so many weak people, like Tiny Tim, often died.

¨I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel. I am as merry as a school-boy. I am as giddy as a drunken man. A merry Christmas to everybody. A happy New Year to all the world. Hallo there! Whoop! Hallo!¨ (Dickens 63) I like this part of the book because Scrooge has such a complete change of mind and heart. Earlier in the novella, Scrooge would yell at people singing carols, but now he´s happy and can only see the good things about people and Christmas. The economical and social problems haven´t changed, but Scrooge´s attitude has.