6.1.1
Scrooge Quotes
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Scrooge: Key Quotes
Here are some key quotes about Scrooge from Staves 1-3:
Stave 1
- “Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone”.
- Scrooge begins the story as a money-grabbing, selfish old man. His only concern (and his obsession) is making money, and he works hard for it – he also makes other people work hard for him in an attempt to gain even more money.
Stave 2
- “A solitary child, neglected by his friends, is left there still”.
- This quote makes us feel some sympathy for young Scrooge. The adjective “solitary” and the verb “neglected” show that Scrooge began his life with few friends and began his life alone.
- This makes us wonder if he has chosen a lonely life because he was lonely as a child. It also makes the reader wonder why he would want to be alone as an adult, especially after being alone so much as a child.
Stave 3
- “Though the Spirit’s eyes were clear and kind, he did not like to meet them”.
- After his encounter with the first Ghost, Scrooge has begun to see that he has made some bad choices in life.
- Therefore, when he meets the second Ghost, he can’t even look it in the eye because he feels so guilty.
- He also knows that this Ghost will likely give him more information to feel guilty about, and is not looking forward to seeing the consequences of his actions.
Scrooge: Key Quotes
Here are key quotes about Scrooge from Staves 4-5:
Stave 4
- “I am not the man I was. I will not be the man I must have been”.
- The verb “must” suggests that Scrooge was not really aware of what he had become, or the consequences of it, before the Ghosts showed him.
- He feels that he has definitely learnt a valuable lesson and, because of this, has completely changed. He will no longer live a solitary, miserable, selfish, uncaring life, but is determined to change and treat people better.
Stave 5
- “Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all”.
- Dickens wanted to be clear at the end that Scrooge did not just claim he had changed, but proved it through his actions.
- He actively strove to become a good man, and worked every day to be better.
- This shows that it was not just a ghost story for Scrooge, but something which changed his life.
- Dickens also wanted to tell Victorian England that they needed to take action and do something to help, not just sit back complacently.
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 Scrooge Quotes
Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
- 1Which of the following is a quote from Stave 1?Multiple choice
- 2Key quotes from the first 3 staves of _A Christmas Carol_:Fill in the list
- 3Which are the correct quotes?True / false
- 4Which of the following is a quote from Stave 5?Multiple choice
- 5Key quotes from Stave 4 and 5 of _A Christmas Carol_:Fill in the list
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