Discussion Topic
Scrooge's attitude towards others and his responsibility to the poor in A Christmas Carol
Summary:
Scrooge's attitude towards others and his responsibility to the poor in A Christmas Carol is initially one of disdain and neglect. He dismisses charity and believes that the poor should be left to fend for themselves or die to reduce the surplus population. However, after being visited by the three spirits, he transforms into a generous and compassionate person who actively helps those in need.
What is Scrooge's attitude towards Bob Cratchit, Fred, the carolers, and the philanthropists in A Christmas Carol?
Scrooge is dismissive and disparaging of everyone who tries to get him to celebrate Christmas.
When the story opens, it is Christmas Eve. Scrooge is grumpy, as always. He is a little grumpier than usual because everyone keeps trying to get him to celebrate Christmas. Scrooge does not approve of Christmas, or any holiday for that matter. He only cares about making money.
Scrooge’s nephew Fred, his only family member, asks him over for Christmas dinner. Scrooge is annoyed, and berates Fred for celebrating Christmas and for getting married. Fred remains good-natured, telling Scrooge that even if Christmas never made him any money he still feels it has done him good. His speech irritates Scrooge.
“Don’t be angry, uncle. Come! Dine with us to-morrow.”
Scrooge said that he would see him—yes, indeed he did. He went the whole length of the expression, and said that he would see him in...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
that extremity first. (Stave 1)
Fred is not the only one who wants something from Scrooge. Two philanthropists come asking Scrooge to give to the poor. They tell him that at Christmastime it is more important than ever to help the poor. Scrooge is not happy. He refuses to give them any money and asks if poorhouses and debtor’s prisons are still operating.
"Since you ask me what I wish, gentlemen, that is my answer. I don’t make merry myself at Christmas and I can’t afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned—they cost enough; and those who are badly off must go there.” (Stave 1)
In response to the comment that many of the poor would rather die than go to the poorhouses or debtor’s prisons, Scrooge says that they should die, in order to “decrease the surplus population.” He tells the men to mind their own business, and they leave. Scrooge keeps his word about refusing the poor. When children come caroling, he goes after them with a ruler.
Scrooge complains to Bob Cratchit, his clerk, when he asks for the day off for Christmas. He says it is the same as “picking a man’s pocket every twenty-fifth of December!” Scrooge treats his clerk horribly, not even allowing him sufficient coal to keep himself warm. Cratchit obviously needs the job, though, because he is polite to Scrooge.
Scrooge's attitude of contempt toward those around him is clearly not limited to Christmas. He wants to be alone, and prefers to be miserable. Since at Christmastime people make an extra effort to reach out, he finds it a very difficult time of year.
What is Scrooge's attitude towards his responsibility to the poor in A Christmas Carol?
When two gentlemen stop at Scrooge's offices early in Stave I of A Christmas Carol, one of them asks Scrooge to make "some slight provision" for the "poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time." He adds there are thousands who are in need of just the common comforts.
Scrooge gruffly asks the man if there are not any prisons, or workhouses, and he is told that there are. Then Scrooge inquires if the Treadmill and the Poor Law are yet in effect. Now, the two gentlemen begin to understand the innuendos of Scrooge, so they tell him that those places do not furnish Christian cheer. They wish to buy some meat and drink, and "some means of warmth." When one of the men asks, "What shall I put you down for?" Scrooge says nothing, adding,
I don't make merry myself at Christmas and I can't afford to make idle people merry.
Scrooge contends he supports the institutions about which he has asked and this support costs enough, arguing those who are badly off must go to these institutions. When one of the gentlemen says many people would rather die than go to these places, Scrooge coldly replies,
If they would rather die... they had better do it and decrease the surplus population.
In this passage, Charles Dickens mimics the words of Thomas Malthus and mocks his ideas about the dangers of population growth. Malthus contended that because people reproduce exponentially and the food supply only increases arithmetically, populations would eventually outgrow the food supply. Malthus argued population control would have to exist, whether in the form of disease, wars, or some other method, to decrease the surplus population. Also, Dickens satirically rails against the horrible conditions of the poorhouses and the workhouses in the Victorian Age. In fact, there was so much contagious disease in the poor and workhouses that many physicians refused to attend to the sick there.