Resources for teaching key themes in A Christmas Carol

Redemption

A Christmas Carol’s mirrored structure shows the contrast between Scrooge’s greed and isolation in Stave 1 and him fully embracing the spirit of Christmas in Stave 5. To transform Scrooge to his final state of redemption, The Ghost of Christmas Past brings enlightenment and forces Scrooge to face his past, followed by The Ghost of Christmas Present who exposes Scrooge to the consequences of his selfish actions in the present, by showing him the lives of the Cratchits. The final chilling visions from The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come then consolidate Scrooge’s need to change and conclude the moral tale.

To focus on the theme of redemption in A Christmas Carol with your students, why not use this full lesson on Stave 5 examining Dickens’ presentation of Scrooge? Students can also track the narrative arc of Scrooge’s transformation with this lesson guiding students through the novella, looking at the changing views of his character.

Poverty and social injustice

With Dickens’ representation of poverty and social injustice in A Christmas Carol we see his intention to inspire change and societal reform. To explore this key theme with your students you can consider the role the Cratchits, including Tiny Tim, play in dispelling the Victorian myth of the idle poor. They are characterised to provide the antithesis to Scrooge’s miserly and selfish nature; represented instead with warmth and generosity despite their poverty. The Ghost of Christmas Present is also a catalyst to force Scrooge to redeem himself, as the spirit makes Scrooge face the harshness of his own views on charity and the poor in Stave 1, when faced with the effects of his lack of generosity and social responsibility on the Cratchits.

This structured presentation on the theme of poverty in A Christmas Carol can be used to revise the theme when students have finished reading the novella. It includes discussion points and activities to test their knowledge and practise analysing the language. To scaffold an essay answer for an exam question on social responsibility, this activity takes students through analysing a short extract on the theme.

Family and relationships

The theme of family is introduced in Stave 2 when The Ghost of Christmas Past takes Scrooge to see his own loneliness and isolation as a neglected child, and how he has been affected by a lack of family and companionship. Scrooge is left ‘walking up and down despairingly’ deeply affected by the visions. More heart-warming representations of family and the positive effects of relationships can be seen through the Fezziwigs, Belle’s family, the Cratchits and Fred. His nephew, Fred, providing the foil to Scrooge’s cold and isolated nature with his unerringly jovial and hospitable nature.

This lesson taking students through the theme of family in the novella provides an extract to analyse, a practice question and support to structure an exam answer. The worksheet below also helps students plan an answer on the theme of family, making links to context and the novella as a whole.

Death and the afterlife

In Stave 1 the ghost of Jacob Marley seeks to save Scrooge from an afterlife in chains, as Marley himself has been condemned to, by showing him where his greed will lead him. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come’s ominous presence in Stave 4 further highlights the inevitability of death and forces Scrooge to consider his legacy and the effect his life will have made. Witnessing the death of Tiny Tim and being faced with his own grave finally compels Scrooge to change and live a worthy life.

Examine the theme of death in A Christmas Carol with this lesson on Stave 4 and how Dickens represents attitudes to death, including a starter activity, an annotated extract and an exam answer plan. Alternatively, explore the representation of The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in Stave 4 with a lesson focusing on language analysis.

Christmas

The Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge different visions of Christmas celebrations, from the home of Bob Cratchit to his nephew, Fred's Christmas party. The ghost symbolises the Christmas ideals of generosity, charity and good will and the spirit attempts to instil these values in Scrooge. Stave 5 of the novella concludes the mirrored narrative structure, with Scrooge wholeheartedly embracing Christmas and promising to, 'honour Christmas in my heart'.

To focus on the theme of Christmas with your students, take a look at this lesson analysing the representation of The Ghost of Christmas Present and how the use of language affects the readers' interpretation of the character. Using the following worksheet, you can also give your students the opportunity to analyse the character of Fred, and how he embodies the generosity of spirit Scrooge lacks at Christmas.

Themes and quotations

Map out the different themes and their related quotations in A Christmas Carol with these support sheets and revision guides, designed to help students identify important quotations, make key links between themes and relate their evidence to context.