Inthis extract, Dickens talks about Victorian England during the Christmasseason.Dickenspresents Christmas as a positive and a joyful time for the working class.
Inthe first paragraph, Dickens talks about the Bob Cratchit’s family. Dickensshows that the Cratchit’s family were poverty-stricken by saying: “They werenot a handsome family; they were not well dressed; their shoes were far frombeing water proof; their clothes were scanty…” In this quote dickensemphasises how poor the Cratchit family were by using a list. However, despitehow poor the Cratchit family were, they were still grateful with what they have.Dickens says that they were “happy, grateful, pleased with one another andcontented with the time..
.”Dickenspresents Christmas as a time of love. In this extract, Dickens talks about “thebrightness of the roaring fires…
” and the “deep red curtains, ready to bedrawn to shut out cold and darkness.” This creates a positive atmosphere in thehouse. The colour red is normally the colour of love. In addition, in the 18thCentury, using deep red curtains to decorate your home was a sign of wealth andprosperity. The “cold and darkness” could represent negativity.
Also Dickenstalks about the “preparations for a cosy dinner”. The word “cosy” emphasiseshow comfortable and homelike this household is. FurthermoreDickens shows that Christmas also brings families together by listing familywho visited for Christmas: “…
to meet their married sisters, brothers, cousins,uncles, aunts…” When Dickens talks about “married sisters”, it shows that themarried couple are spending time at their parent’s house to celebrate Christmas.
Additionally, Dickens talks about “…
Shadows on the windows-blind of guestsassembling…” Today, during the Christmas season, it is a tradition invitesguests to their house to celebrate Christmas together.Dickenstalks about a “lamplighter” who lights all the street lights. In the Victorian times,electricity did not exist so gas was used for the street lights and the streetlighter job was to light the street lights and put them out in the morning. Inthe first paragraph, dickens talks about the Cratchit family but in the rest ofthe extract, he talks about the rest of the families in London.
The effect ofthis was to compare what the working class do at Christmas to what the middleand upper class do at Christmas. Inconclusion, Dickens presents Christmas as a positive time for the workingclass, the middle class and the upper class.
