Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster.

This vivid characterization of Ebenezer Scrooge by Charles Dickens immediately paints a bleak picture of a man consumed by avarice. Descriptive terms like "squeezing" and "clutching" evoke a sense of relentless greed, while "hard and sharp as flint" suggests his impenetrable and unyielding nature. The comparison to an oyster underscores his isolation and inscrutability; just as an oyster remains closed off, hidden within its shell, Scrooge is detached from the world, trapped in his own cold solitude. This portrayal sets the stage for his dramatic transformation, emphasizing the depth of his initial miserliness and the profound change he undergoes. Dickens uses this harsh depiction to highlight the potential for redemption and the human capacity for change, even in someone as seemingly irredeemable as Scrooge.