A Christmas Carol: Key Quotations (AQA GCSE English Literature)

Remember the assessment objectives explicitly state that you should be able to “use textual references, including quotations”. This means summarising, paraphrasing, referencing single words and referencing plot events are all as valid as quotations in demonstrating that you understand the text. It is important that you remember that you can evidence your knowledge of the text in these two equally valid ways: both through references to it and direct quotations from it. 

Overall, you should aim to secure a strong knowledge of the text, rather than rehearsed quotations, as this will enable you to respond to the question. It is the quality of your knowledge of the text which will enable you to select references effectively.

If you are going to revise quotations, the best way is to group them by character, or theme. Below you will find definitions and analysis of the best quotations, arranged by the following themes:

• Poverty
• Family and Relationships
• Transformation and Redemption
• Death and Loss

The theme of poverty is one of the most prevalent themes within the text. Dickens makes the reader fully aware of the “poor and destitute” from the outset and this is continued throughout the novella.

“Are there no prisons? ... And the Union workhouses?” – Scrooge, Stave I

Meaning and context

• In Stave I, Scrooge is approached by two gentlemen collecting money for the poor, though Scrooge refuses to make a donation

Analysis

• Scrooge displays an uncaring attitude towards the poor and he is depicted as a miser who refuses to make a charitable donation to help those less fortunate than himself
• Scrooge reveals his ignorance of the poor and he makes no distinction between the lower classes and criminals
• Dickens uses Scrooge’s support for prisons and workhouses to illustrate his flawed views on how to solve the issues of poverty

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Paired Quotation:

“a dismal little cell” – Narrator, Stave I

“the clerk put on his white comforter, and tried to warm himself at the candle” - Narrator, Stave I

Meaning and context

• In Stave I, Bob Cratchit s introduced to the reader as “the clerk” in Scrooge’s office

Analysis

• The plight of the poor is highlighted through Bob’s character and he is used to underscoring Scrooge’s cruel and exploitative behaviour
• Bob works in a “dismal little cell” suggesting a gloomy confinement from which he cannot escape, which could be viewed as a wider symbol of his poverty
• Bob is in constant fear of losing his job and he is symbolic of the lower classes and their dependence on their employer
• His situation depends on businessmen like Scrooge and so subsequently does the fate of his family

Dickens explores many ideas relating to family and relationships within A Christmas Carol. Dickens presents this concept in very positive terms through many characters, for example, the Cratchits and Fred, and emphasises the fundamental importance of family to people’s lives.

“Scrooge was his sole executor, his sole administrator, his sole assign, his sole residuary legatee, his sole friend, and sole mourner” – Narrator, Stave I

Meaning and context

• In Stave I, Dickens describes Marley and Scrooge’s relationship as business partners

Analysis

• Dickens states they were partners for “many years” but the relationship that is presented is one merely associated with business, rather than an affectionate friendship
• It is revealed that Scrooge answerer Both his and Marley’s name which illustrates their shallow relationship

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“Mrs Cratchit made the gravy... Master Peter mashed the potatoes... Miss Belinda sweetened up the apple-sauce...” – Narrator, Stave III

Meaning and context

• The Ghost of Christmas Present takes Scrooge to the Cratchit family where they are preparing Christmas dinner

Analysis

• The Cratchits are presented as a united family and they all join in with the preparation of their Christmas meal
• Through Bob, Dickens underscores his message about the importance of family and its centrality to people’s lives

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“God bless us every one!”  - Tiny Tim, Stave V

Meaning and context

• This quote is revealed in the final lines of the novella and is in reference to Tiny Tim

Analysis

• Dickens uses this quote to underscore his message of equal opportunity for “everyone”
• It also is used to convey the message everyone should look after one another and work towards a society where all members are treated more fairly
• The Christian message of joy, peace and goodwill is also alluded to

Ideas relating to transformation and redemption are recurrent themes throughout the novella. Scrooge undergoes a journey of redemption and his change in character is instrumental to the plot of the text.

Paired Quotation

“I am not the man I was” - Scrooge, Stave IV

“I am light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy. I am giddy as a drunken man” - Scrooge, Stave V

Meaning and context

• These quotes are uttered by Scrooge towards the end of the novella when he has finally redeemed himself

Analysis

• Dickens presents Scrooge’s transformation from avarice to benevolence and by the end of the novella, Scrooge has been transformed into a charitable philanthropist
• Through the character of Scrooge, Dickens conveys a universal message that everyone is capable of change, regardless of how impossible it may seem
• His references to both the innocent (“angel”, “schoolboy”), alongside the outwardly depraved (“drunken man”) suggest he has found a connection to all people, despite their differences

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“every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart” – Scrooge, Stave I

Meaning and context

• This quote is made by Scrooge when he discusses Christmas with his nephew Fred

Analysis

• Dickens illustrates Scrooge’s contempt and aversion towards Christmas at the beginning of the novella
  • Dickens has Scrooge use the imagery of Christmas, but subverts it to something grotesque:
    • “”boiled with his own pudding”
    • “stake of holly through his heart”
  • This contrasts with Scrooge’s character embracing Christmas at the end of the novella
• His violent and hyperbolic language here is in sharp contrast to his language at the end of the novella, which demonstrates his transformation as a character

Death and loss are recurring ideas within A Christmas Carol. Dickens uses these ideas to underscore the permanency of death and to signal to the reader that it is never too late to change.

“My little, little child!” cried Bob. “My little child!” – Bob Cratchit, Stave IV

Meaning and context

• In Stave III, Bob is filled with grief due to the death of his son

Analysis

• Dickens presents Bob as a devoted father and husband and his relationship with his children is shown as loving and affectionate
• The repeated use of the personal pronoun “my” suggests a close bond
• Bob’s change in character due to Tiny Tim’s predicted death, demonstrates his affection for his son and shows how the loss of a loved one can impact someone’s life