Outline & Stave 1

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Scrooge: Character Outline

Scrooge is both a protagonist and antagonist. The audience comes to like Scrooge more as his character changes. Scrooge's character is designed to show how a person can change their ways.

Protagonist and antagonist

Scrooge is an interesting character because, although he is the main character of the text – a protagonist – he also exhibits features of an antagonist (someone who works against the protagonist) at the start of the story.

Changing attitude towards Scrooge

Throughout the novella, the reader finds themselves gradually supporting Scrooge, hoping that he will realise the error of his ways and wanting him to become a good person.

Scrooge's role

Scrooge’s main role is to show how it is possible to change one’s ways, no matter how miserly one is.

Scrooge: Stave 1

In Stave 1, Scrooge is immediately shown to be an unpleasant character.

Obsessed with money

The first time we meet Scrooge, the narrator suggests that Scrooge is completely obsessed with making money – even on the funeral day of his only friend (Jacob Marley), Scrooge goes back to work straight away.
Scrooge doesn't understand how his nephew can be so happy all the time when he isn’t rich. Ironically, Fred’s “poor” life is enriched by happiness and love, whereas the rich Scrooge lives his life poorly.
Scrooge believes that Christmas is a waste of time because it never does anyone any “good”.
- When he talks about “good”, he means financial gain.

Disliked

Right from the start, even the narrative voice seems to dislike Scrooge: “Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone”.
We quickly learn that Scrooge lives his life alone – no one even greets him in the street, beggars don’t even ask him for help. He is unkind and unfriendly: “Even the blind men’s dogs appeared to know him” and would tug their owners away from him.

Cruel employer

We see how badly Scrooge treats his employee, Bob Cratchit.
Scrooge loves money so much that he will not even allow Cratchit to put enough coal on the fire to warm the room.
He also dislikes the idea of allowing Cratchit the day off for Christmas Day and grumbles about doing it.
Scrooge threatens to fire Cratchit if he hears “another sound from you”. Scrooge uses his powerful position as Cratchit’s employer to intimidate him into behaving how he wants. He abuses his upper-class role to threaten Cratchit.

Scrooge: Stave 1 (Continued)

In Stave 1, Scrooge is immediately shown to be an unpleasant character.

Ignorant and uncharitable

Scrooge shows his upper-class ignorance when two gentlemen arrive to ask about giving money to charity.
In Scrooge’s eyes, the poor don't need help – he feels that no one should worry about the poor because there are prisons and workhouses for them (“Are there no prisons?” “Are there no workhouses?”).
In Scrooge’s opinion, money is the most important thing in life, and so people without money have no value.
Dickens uses Scrooge to highlight the attitudes of the rich in Victorian England – many of them did not really consider the lower-classes to be human beings with feelings.

Chooses to be alone

As the working day ends, Cratchit runs home to be with his family, but Scrooge chooses to be alone.
Scrooge has a miserable routine – he eats alone, checks his banking book alone and heads home alone. He decides to eat “gruel”, instead of spending his money on nice foods.

Disbeliever in good things

At the start of Stave 1, we're told that Jacob Marley had been Scrooge’s only friend – they were close friends and business partners. But when Marley’s ghost appears, Scrooge seems irritated to see him: “Humbug!”
Scrooge’s reaction is because he refuses to believe that the ghost of Marley is really in front of him.
A common theme for Scrooge is his disbelief in good things – he does not believe in love, family, generosity or Christmas spirit, just as he does not believe in Marley, who (ironically) causes him to believe in all of these by the end of the story.

Represents sinners

At the end of Stave 1, Scrooge’s role as a representative of all sinners is clear – he watches as the ghosts of hundreds of people float through London, chained down by their bad deeds.
Dickens uses Scrooge (and the wider story) to plead with people to consider their role in society and to make more of an effort to help one another.