Grade 8 A Christmas Carol essay from the 2023 AQA English Literature paper 1 exam
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Course
English
Institution
GCSE
This essay received 25/30 and was written in the 2023 gcse english literature exam. This was marked by an AQA examiner. Contains an introduction and 2 long main body paragraphs focusing on greed.
Given extract was Stave 2 when Scrooge rejects his fiancée by not protesting that he will love her ...
Greed
Writing in 1843, Dickens presents the effect of greed as a corrupting nature that ultimately destroys a
human due to the lack of empathy and compassion.
In this extract, it is through Scrooge’s realisation that the effects of greed are the primary reasons for
fragmented relationships. This is evident in Stave 2 when the Ghost of Christmas Past shows Scrooge
the argument with Belle who states, ‘Another idol has replaced me a golden one’. This suggests
Scrooges’s relentless pursuit of money ultimately creates a sense of greed within him that ostracises
him from society and results in him forgetting the importance of his lover Belle whom he once
endeared. The metaphor of the ‘golden idol’ shows how he goes to the extent of worshipping money
and materialism which leads him to throw away the importance of compassion in relationships. ‘
Golden’ symbolises wealth and money which reinforces the notion of abundance and that the
wealthy were innately obsessive over money which is much more meaningful than the sense of
kindness and love in a relationship. The fact that Scrooge retorts back to Belle emphasises his sense
of bitterness, therefore, failing to realise that greed has a negative effect that makes him say ‘ I have
not changed towards you’ portraying his cruelty which highlights how greed transforms you into an
apathetic misanthropist who does not recognise the significance of relationships. Dickens
interestingly presents the notion of greed as destructive as it reflects how the wealthy Victorians
have no connection with the poor and fail to realise it because they are captivated by their wealth.
It is through Scrooge’s love for money that Dickens characterises him as a curmudgeon miserly
unchristian man. This is evident in Stave 1- the initial introduction of Scrooge as ‘tight-fisted’.This
implies that he is a miser who is very serious about money therefore he holds on tightly to his
money. The cruel imagery highlights the immense pressure Scrooge applies to savour every single
penny and is obsessed with maximum profit. The dynamic verb ‘fisted’ creates an aggressive image
of his sense of desperation and urgency to withhold all the money to himself for individual benefit
which increases the disparity between the rich and poor. The language of sin is presented when he is
described as a ‘covetous old sinner’. This suggests how Scrooge is rich in greed as he unrightfully
wants something that is not his. This is a biblical allusion to the 10 commandments in the Old
Testament of the Bible, ‘thou shalt not covet’ which emphasises the unchristian nature that he takes
things that are not rightfully his. For example, Bob Cratchit’s low wage of ‘six pence weekly’ shows
Scrooge's lack of generosity and he pays his ‘clerk’ a low amount as he is obsessed with self-wealth.
Scrooge is a foil to Fezziwig as Scrooge has parsimonious traits like ‘I can’t afford to make idle people
happy’ whereas Fezziwig's party shows that the wealthy are capable of supporting the poor with
generosity. The personal pronoun ‘I’ highlights his individualistic mindset that he lacks empathy for
the poor. The declarative statement shows his sense of surety that he cannot look after as he
supposedly ‘can’t afford’ to support them. This is disproved as it is clear that he is well off since his
nephew Fred says ‘You’re rich enough’ which indicates he is rich. This ultimately makes Scrooge
unattractive as it says the cold within him …nipped his sharp pointed nose, shrivelled his cheeks,
stiffened his gait’. The cold symbolizes his lack of generosity and greed which is a punishment from
God as he is not doing his duty as a Christian to look after society. ‘Stiffened’ implies how he is
physically in pain and suffering due to his greedy nature of not sharing his abundance of wealth.
Whereas, with Fezziwig we see that he cares for the poor by hosting a party full of luxury food like
‘mince pies’. This shows that the wealthy can support the poor by feeding them, especially on a cold
Christmas day.
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