1.1.2
Introducing Scrooge & Marley
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Stave 1: Introducing Scrooge and Marley
At the start of the novella, Charles Dickens focuses on introducing his protagonist (the main character), Ebenezer Scrooge.
Scrooge's character
- At the start of Stave 1, we learn a lot about Scrooge’s character and how he has treated people in the past.
- This introduction to Scrooge helps the reader to really understand his character and his selfish attitude before the story starts – this helps to build an image of the man and emphasise his horrible nature before we see him change later on.
Jacob Marley
- We learn that Jacob Marley (Scrooge’s old business partner) is “dead to begin with”.
- The author also reveals that Scrooge had been Marley’s only friend, his “sole mourner”. Dickens uses the start of the novella to emphasise that Jacob Marley died before the story began.
- The adjective “sole” shows that Scrooge and Marley were each other's only friends. Dickens immediately establishes Scrooge as a man with no living friends and hints that Jacob Marley will play an important role later on.
Scrooge and the cold
- Scrooge is described as being cold and sharp, with physical features as “hard and sharp as flint”. His appearance represents his personality – he is unfriendly (hard) and dismissive (sharp).
- Scrooge’s office is always cold – he doesn’t even put the heat on in the winter.
- “No warmth could warm, nor wintry weather chill him.” The author suggests that heating the office would be useless anyway, as Scrooge is so unfeeling and cold-hearted that he would not even be able to feel the heat from the fire.
Reactions to Scrooge
- We learn that everybody who ever meets Scrooge avoids any contact or discussion with him. Even beggars do not dare to approach him – they know that he will refuse to help them.
- However, before the reader can feel too much sympathy for this lonesome character, the narrator informs us that this fear and dislike of Scrooge “was the very thing he liked” – he enjoys the fact that people dislike him and that they are too scared of him to ask him for help.
1Plot Summary
2Key Characters & Quotes
2.1Ebenezer Scrooge
2.2Other Characters
2.2.1Bob Cratchit2.2.2Tiny Tim2.2.3Fred2.2.4The Ghosts Pt 12.2.5The Ghosts Pt 22.2.6End of Topic Test - Other Characters2.2.7Diagnostic Misconceptions - Bob Marley2.2.8Diagnostic Misconceptions - Two Ghosts2.2.9Diagnostic Misconceptions - Ghost of Christmas2.2.10Diagnostic Misconceptions - The Cratchits
2.3Grade 9 - Key Characters
3Key Ideas
4Context
5Authorial Method
6Recap: Main Quotes
Jump to other topics
1Plot Summary
2Key Characters & Quotes
2.1Ebenezer Scrooge
2.2Other Characters
2.2.1Bob Cratchit2.2.2Tiny Tim2.2.3Fred2.2.4The Ghosts Pt 12.2.5The Ghosts Pt 22.2.6End of Topic Test - Other Characters2.2.7Diagnostic Misconceptions - Bob Marley2.2.8Diagnostic Misconceptions - Two Ghosts2.2.9Diagnostic Misconceptions - Ghost of Christmas2.2.10Diagnostic Misconceptions - The Cratchits
2.3Grade 9 - Key Characters
3Key Ideas
4Context
5Authorial Method
6Recap: Main Quotes
Practice questions on Introducing Scrooge & Marley
Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
- 1Who was Scrooge to Jacob Marley?Multiple choice
- 2
- 3People's reactions to Scrooge:True / false
- 4Complete quotes describing Scrooge in Stave 1:Fill in the list
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