19th Century London in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Essay

19th Century London in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens 'A time for finding yourself a year older, and not an hour richer' this is a good example that represents Scrooges overall attitude to Christmas and those who celebrate it. The central character of a Christmas Carol is Ebenezer Scrooge a man portrayed by Dickens as a miser who cares little for others around him, a man whose only interest in life is money that can be made from exploiting other people. The novel is set in Victorian London in the 19th century, a London that is very different to the London we know today; there was no welfare state, National Health Service or environmental laws. Real poverty existed and those that had no money either starved or ended up in the workhouses, debt prisons or turned to crime. It is interesting that the novel is set during Christmas, a time that is traditionally for giving, a time to be spent with the family, and a time for reflection. Scrooge at the beginning of the novel does not appreciate this, and calls everything ‘Humbug’, and it is only through his visits with the ghosts that he realizes that pleasure can be found from giving as well as receiving. The picture that is painted by Dickens of life and the conditions in which people lived is very depressing by today’s standards: ‘The ways were foul and narrow; the shops and houses wretched; the people half naked, drunken, slipshod, ugly. Alleys and archways, like so many cesspools, disgorged their offences of smell, and dirt, and life, upon the straggling streets; and the whole quarter reeked with crime, with filth, and misery.’ Throughout the novel Dickens focuses on many different aspects and issues about life in 19th century London. He o... ... a year older, and not an hour richer' and he does not believe in giving or supporting any charities and he does not believe in goodwill. This is suggested in many different things Scrooge says in the novel. ‘God bless you, merry gentlemen!’, ‘Scrooge seized the ruler with such energy of action, that the singer fled in terror.’ This was said by Scrooge when he was visited by the carol singers, it shows how much anger and hate Scrooge has towards Christmas and those who celebrated it. In conclusion, the image that one is left with from Dickens is a very depressing one, one of dark, smelly, and polluted streets. Images of poverty and hardship, and a society that cared little for the welfare of others, where if you had money you could live comfortably, but if you did not life was very tough. It is not a place where, I feel, anyone today would like to live. 19th Century London in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens Essay 19th Century London in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens 'A time for finding yourself a year older, and not an hour richer' this is a good example that represents Scrooges overall attitude to Christmas and those who celebrate it. The central character of a Christmas Carol is Ebenezer Scrooge a man portrayed by Dickens as a miser who cares little for others around him, a man whose only interest in life is money that can be made from exploiting other people. The novel is set in Victorian London in the 19th century, a London that is very different to the London we know today; there was no welfare state, National Health Service or environmental laws. Real poverty existed and those that had no money either starved or ended up in the workhouses, debt prisons or turned to crime. It is interesting that the novel is set during Christmas, a time that is traditionally for giving, a time to be spent with the family, and a time for reflection. Scrooge at the beginning of the novel does not appreciate this, and calls everything ‘Humbug’, and it is only through his visits with the ghosts that he realizes that pleasure can be found from giving as well as receiving. The picture that is painted by Dickens of life and the conditions in which people lived is very depressing by today’s standards: ‘The ways were foul and narrow; the shops and houses wretched; the people half naked, drunken, slipshod, ugly. Alleys and archways, like so many cesspools, disgorged their offences of smell, and dirt, and life, upon the straggling streets; and the whole quarter reeked with crime, with filth, and misery.’ Throughout the novel Dickens focuses on many different aspects and issues about life in 19th century London. He o... ... a year older, and not an hour richer' and he does not believe in giving or supporting any charities and he does not believe in goodwill. This is suggested in many different things Scrooge says in the novel. ‘God bless you, merry gentlemen!’, ‘Scrooge seized the ruler with such energy of action, that the singer fled in terror.’ This was said by Scrooge when he was visited by the carol singers, it shows how much anger and hate Scrooge has towards Christmas and those who celebrated it. In conclusion, the image that one is left with from Dickens is a very depressing one, one of dark, smelly, and polluted streets. Images of poverty and hardship, and a society that cared little for the welfare of others, where if you had money you could live comfortably, but if you did not life was very tough. It is not a place where, I feel, anyone today would like to live.