His face had not the harsh and rigid lines of later years; but it had begun to

wear the signs of care and avarice. There was an eager, greedy, restless
motion in the eye, which showed the passion that had taken root, and
where the shadow of the growing tree would fall.

Can you find an Can you find an Can you find an

example of a example of an example of
metaphor? asyndetic rule of symbolism?
three?

Write:
Simple: The use of (technique) works to emphasise ________.
Improved:The use of (technique) typically works to ________, and the writer’s use of it here
helps to…
Advanced:The use of (technique), alongside (another technique), both work to…
Judgy: Whilst the (technique) is effective at creating a sense of _____, (a new technique/
quote) is certainly more effective due to…

Judgy: Whilst the (technique) is effective at creating a sense of _____, (a new technique/
quote) is certainly more effective due to…

Whilst the metaphorical description of Scrooge’s greed as an organic and

“growing” thing (“root”, “tree”) is effective at capturing Dickens’ view of avarice as
a boundless and insatiable fault, the symbol of the shadow is perhaps more
effective at conveying Dickens’ true purpose - he is not simply exploring the
nature of greed but condemning it for its effects. The shadow symbolises the
darkness and misery that Scrooge’s lust for wealth causes, not merely for himself
but also to those around him: Belle and the Cratchits in particular. The genius of
Dickens’ symbolism here though is in the subtlety - a tree can be chopped down:
greed can be removed. A shadow is a transient thing that can be broken by light;
Scrooge’s avaricious ways are ultimately transient and are broken by the light of
knowledge, of love, of compassion, of understanding. In conveying and
condemning Scrooge’s greed, Dickens is simultaneously planting a seed of hope.
It is worth remembering that in his introduction to the first edition in 1843,
Dickens did say that he wanted to “haunt” his readers “pleasantly” - his ability to
juxtapose optimism with condemnation is perhaps what makes him one of the
most eminently readable of the usually rather moralistic Victorian writers, and this
is on clear display here, in the transient symbolism of Scrooge’s early greed.
 “You fear the world too much,” she answered, gently. “All your other hopes
have merged into the hope of being beyond the chance of its sordid
reproach. I have seen your nobler aspirations fall off one by one, until the
master-passion, Gain, engrosses you. Have I not?”

Can you find an Can you find an What else can you find
example of a example of repetition? an example of?
metaphor?

Whilst Belle features so briefly in the text as to almost be forgettable, Dickens

captures a sense of warmth and empathy through her character and her gentle,
poignant portrayal of her fiance as someone who “fears the world too much”
(rather than condemning him for the greed his fear leads to) is of fundamental
importance in directing the reader’s reaction to Scrooge. As such, she can be
said to work as an author surrogate - her sad kindness is really the borrowed
feelings that Dickens himself frequently epitomised. In this moment, her
declarative, “you fear the world too much”, is simplistic and straightforward
without leaning into bluntness. Belle states the cause of Scrooge’s greed as a
fact. However, it is how she juxtaposes his “master-passion, Gain” with his
“nobler aspirations” that is most effective in directing the reader to realise that this
text is truly a tragedy (that is, it is the fall of a once noble figure)... at least until
Scrooge’s transformation. The five-stave structure could be seen to mirror the
typical 5-act form of a Shakespearean tragedy, whilst the sense of Scrooge’s
hamartia (or “master-passion” as Dickens puts it) is clear. We are led to see
Scrooge as a victim of his own weaknesses and the pathos here is truly
poignant. Unsurprising for a writer who saw societal transformation as secondary
to personal transformation, the humanity shines through here. We cannot help
but to share Belle’s sense of loss but we do so with an overarching pity.

Write:
Simple: The use of (technique) works to emphasise ________.
Improved:The use of (technique) typically works to ________, and the writer’s use of it here
helps to…
Advanced:The use of (technique), alongside (another technique), both work to…
Judgy: Whilst the (technique) is effective at creating a sense of _____, (a new technique/
quote) is certainly more effective due to…