Answer as short as possible but desciptive enough, formally though. And yet, Scrooge feels himself to be victimized by Bob and everyone else that expects a paid day off for the holiday. Scrooge is so stingy that Bob Cratchit is forced to work in his office with only a small fire for warmth because Scrooge will only provide him with a small amount of coal. Before his experience with the spirits, Scrooge is known throughout his community as cold, miserly, and mean-spirited. In Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, Bob Cratchit is a character who is employed as a clerk working for the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge relegates his clerk Bob Cratchit to a minimal fire, expecting Cratchit to work while cold. In A Christmas Carol, Bob Cratchit works as Ebenezer Scrooge's clerk. What did Scrooge say about giving his clerk a day off to celebrate Christmas in Charles Dickens'sA Christmas Carol? Passage 3: ''Mrs Cratchit kissed him, his daughters kissed him, the two young Cratchits kissed him, and Peter and himself shook hands. With these words, Bob shows his mature side as his familys leader and guideeven in grief he tries to keep his family committed both to loving each other and to doing right. As with Cratchit as well, clerical work often involved long periods of isolation. Bob Cratchit is described as physically small in stature. Enter a Melbet promo code and get a generous bonus, An Insight into Coupons and a Secret Bonus, Organic Hacks to Tweak Audio Recording for Videos Production, Bring Back Life to Your Graphic Images- Used Best Graphic Design Software, New Google Update and Future of Interstitial Ads. Does he fight against the pervasive poverty in London with Scrooge? Bob enjoys his children, and the children are excited to see him after work. February 28, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol takes the reader on a journey to find out how the main character, Scrooge, transforms from a life of anger and cruelty to a life of love and kindness. Scrooge's antipathy towards his fellow man extends to his loyal but ill-treated clerk, Bob Cratchit. (The Cratchits don't get mentioned by name until the Ghost of Christmas Present . At the second stop, Scrooge realizes the importance of celebration when he visits Fezziwig, a man who he worked for when he was young. The portly man and he thin man go visit Scrooge because they want him to donate money to the poor. At closing time, Scrooge begrudgingly releases Bob Cratchit from his duties. Bob is poor because his wages are low and he has a large family to support. 2023. Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. Much of a clerk's wages went to keeping up the appearance of a white-collar lifestyle, including always having a black suit (to hide the ink stains?) In Scrooge's mind, there was no reason to ever take a holiday. (one code per order). Tiny Tim is depicted as a courageous boy who is able to enjoy his life despite his circumstances. Supply the missing letters Be here all the earlier next morning.. Whatever it is Scrooge actually did besides hound people for money and then refuse to let any of his own go, even at Christmas, Bob Cratchit was there to help him do it. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Scrooge says the ghost just doesn't get it. While clerks originated in medieval times as people in religious positions ("clerk" is related to the word "clergy"), asVictorianLondon.orgexplains, by Victorian times, it had come to mean anyone "engaged in the departments of trade or business that require the pen.". How does Scrooge treat his his clerk Bob Cratchit. Bob Cratchit is Scrooge's clerk and works in unpleasant conditions without complaint. He feels that it is like a legalized kind of robbery, as though he is being exploited, simply because it is Christmas. 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved, "Secret, And Self-contained, And Solitary As An Oyster", https://www.enotes.com/topics/christmas-carol, https://www.enotes.com/topics/christmas-carol/characters, https://www.enotes.com/topics/christmas-carol/themes. ''The office was closed in a twinkling, and the clerk, with the long ends of his white comforter dangling below his waist (for he boasted no great-coat), went down a slide on Cornhill, at the end of a lane of boys, twenty times, in honour of its being Christmas-eve, and then ran home to Camden Town as hard as he could pelt, to play at blindman's-buff.'' Example 1. In A Christmas Carol, Bob Cratchit works for Ebenezer Scrooge, where he is paid a pittance for his services. Scrooges response to this request is to inquire whether prison is not an appropriate venue in which to house such individuals and families. "How does Scrooge's attitude towards Bob Cratchit and their relationship change at the end of A Christmas Carol?" How does Bob Cratchit influence Scrooge? Contact us It is said at the close of the story that for the rest of his days, Scrooge remained kind and generous toward the Cratchit family and was something of an additional father figure to Tiny Tim. The reader reflects on the lack of parental affection in Scrooges childhood. Latest answer posted December 06, 2020 at 12:31:06 PM. How does Scrooge treat his clerk Bob How does he respond to his Christmas Day off? It is clear that they are heartbroken over the loss of this treasured member of the family. Scrooge's response to this request is to inquire whether prison is not an appropriate venue in which to house such individuals and families. Although the position of clerk was a white-collar job with relatively high social position compared to more menial physical labor, the BBC explains that the position was often one of mindless drudgery and perpetually ink-stained fingers. When Cratchit comes in late, Scrooge pretends to reprimand him . The family is happy despite their circumstances, however. Bob Cratchit loves his family above all else, and he is beloved by his own children and others for his endearing nature. A gold Pound (Sovereign) today from 1843 has melt value of $425 in gold and cost about $600 to purchase and a US $5 gold coin slightly higher value ($4.85 USD buys a gold pound). Scrooge was not happy about the idea that his clerk, Bob Cratchit, would want the entire day off to celebrate Christmas, particularly since Cratchit would receive his regular daily pay for the holiday. Bob Cratchit is quite poor. Throughout the novel Scrooge saw himself in the past, present and future. He sees that human life can be meaningful, and by the end of the novella he desires to add meaning to his own life. As the story progresses, Scrooge is visited by three spirits, who take him on a journey to the past, present, and future, which allows Scrooge to recognize his corrupt, malicious ways. 20% As time passes, Scrooge is as good as his word: He helps the Cratchits and becomes a second father to Tiny Tim who does not die as predicted in the ghosts ominous vision. Why do the portly man and then the thin man visit Scrooge. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. On a dingy Christmas Eve, Scrooge, a cold, unfriendly miser, works in his counting-house while keeping an eye on his clerk, a small man named Bob Cratchit. How does Dickens present and develop the character of Bob Cratchit? Does he continue to live in London? Scrooge watches the people on the street, he smiles and talks to them. Answered by Aslan 5 years ago 12/10/2017 12:23 PM. Why does the Ghost of Christmas Present bring Scrooge out to a bleak and desert moor? More books than SparkNotes. He can't do without his clerk, but he resents having to pay him, and he doesn't even give him enough coal to stay warm. From the visiting ghosts, Ebenezer Scrooge realizes that his life has no meaning. Even though he is the only person that Scrooge interacts with on a daily basis, Scrooge does not treat him well. Renews March 7, 2023 Scrooge complains to Bob Cratchit, his clerk, when he asks for the day off for Christmas. for a customized plan. When the Ghost of Christmas Present takes Scrooge to visit the Cratchits on Christmas Day, he sees Bob Cratchit carrying his sickly son Tiny Tim, and later raising a toast to Scrooge for providing the feast. A Christmas Carol was first published in 1843. Who is Bob Cratchit in the ghost of Christmas present? The abused, underpaid clerk of Ebenezer Scrooge (and possibly Jacob Marley, when he was alive), Cratchit has come to symbolize the poor working conditions, especially long working hours and low pay, endured by many working-class people in the early Victorian era. A poor excuse for picking a mans pocket every twenty-fifth of December! said Scrooge, buttoning his great-coat to the chin. He is patient, even-tempered, and finds joy in a simple Christmas with his family. Describe how Scrooge walks down the street now, as opposed to how he used to walk down the street in the beginning of the story. How does it tie to the central message/theme Dickens wanted to get across tot he readers of Victorian England? Knowing the wages his clerk and his family subsist on, he thinks the poor man crazy. To begin with the Cratchits, the family consists of Scrooge's employee Bob Cratchit, his wife (whose first name is not mentioned), and his children, Martha, Peter, Belinda, Tiny Tim, and another boy and girl whose names are not given. c. soldiers, enlist, drill, military As the story begins, Cratchit is hard at work in Scrooge's accounting office on Christmas Eve. But I suppose you must have the whole day. Amongst the visits are Scrooge's nephew, and the family of his impoverished clerk, Bob Cratchit. Mrs. Cratchit worries that she might not have added the correct amount of flour to her Christmas pudding, but Bob proclaims that it is the best dish she has ever served since they have been married. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. Bob Cratchit is a warm and loving man who tries to find the best in others - even in Ebenezer Scrooge, his miserly boss. What lesson does Scrooge learn from each spirit in A Christmas Carol? eNotes Editorial, 5 Dec. 2020, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-did-scrooge-say-about-giving-his-clerk-a-day-380650. He is very mean to his employee Mr. Bob Cratchit and keeps him freezing with little pay. Taking the idea of a hierarchy of positions from the military, employers were able to use promotions and raises as incentives for their lower-middle-class clerical workers to carry on with the tedium of their daily work. How has Scrooge changed since the beginning of the story? Scrooge refuses to give money In Stave I Scrooge is asked to make a donation for the 'Poor and destitute' of society. To Scrooge Christmas is a Humbug and an excuse. By comparison, a Victorian post office clerk made 90 pounds a year. spirit transports Scrooge around the city, showing him scenes of festivity and also deprivation that are happening as they watch, sprinkling a little warmth from his torch as he travels. 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Its not convenient, said Scrooge, and its not fair. "Mr. Scrooge!" said Bob; "I'll give you Mr. Scrooge, the Founder of the Feast!" "The Founder of the Feast indeed!" cried Mrs. Cratchit, reddening. In Stave One of A Christmas Carol, we meet Scrooge and his employee, Bob Cratchit, for the first time. In Stave One of Charles Dickens'sA Christmas Carol, the character of Ebenezer Scrooge is quickly and thoroughly developed as a wealthy but bitter old man, friendless and contemptuous of those around him. About us. And so while a clerk might be involved in any level of white-collar office administration work, including accounting, copy-editing, or record-keeping, Bob Cratchit's primary role seems to be as a copyist, copying Scrooge's letters by hand, even when the ink freezes. Four of the best book quotes from Bob Cratchit. 40 lessons None are more aware of this disposition than Bob Cratchit, who works as Scrooge's clerk. And what is that? Bob Cratchit is a poor man with a large family in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. kindly What does the third spirit tell Scrooge about Tiny Tim and his future? Scrooge's business partner and only friend. Bob Cratchit is depicted as wearing a long ''comforter'', or scarf, to try to stay warm at work. It is not, consequently, surprising that the old man responds to his clerks request for Christmas Day off with a typically uncaring remark. In the novella, Scrooge is visited by three spirits who convince him to turn from his cantankerous ways and embrace the joy and hope of Christmas. Scrooge feels he should not be expected to grant his employee the day or, even worse, to pay him for a day of no work. You'll also receive an email with the link. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. On a dingy Christmas Eve, Scrooge, a cold, unfriendly miser, works in his counting-house while keeping an eye on his clerk, a small man named Bob Cratchit. Scrooge greets the men first and asks forgiveness, then he donates a large amount. Scrooge may be realizing for the first time how much some fathers love their children. Download the entire A Christmas Carol study guide as a printable PDF! Underline the pronoun in parentheses that correctly completes each sentence. Before Scrooge is visited by Marley's ghost and experiences the three spirits over the course of the night, he treats his humble clerk Bob Cratchit with contempt and distain. Bob Cratchit is a character in Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol." This kind attitude is coupled with a growing friendship between the two men, demonstrated most clearly by Scrooge's relationship with Tiny Tim, to whom he becomes a "second father.". In short, Scrooge is a bad person at the beginning of A Christmas Carol. Latest answer posted December 04, 2020 at 3:57:47 PM. Terms in this set (22) At the beginning of the third stave, how does Scrooge know he should open the door and enter the other room? What does Bob want to do that makes Mrs Cratchit angry? Once Scrooge determines that he will try to develop meaningful relationships with his acquaintances, he turns his attention to the Cratchit family. How does this relate to the beginning of the story? Does he open his own business? He stopped at the outer door to bestow the greetings of the season on the clerk, who, cold as he was, was warmer than Scrooge, for he returned them cordially. Scrooge does as he promises. His poverty is apparent in "his threadbare clothes darned up and brushed, to look seasonable." What is the setting of the novel A Passage to India? First, he works for low wages at Ebenezer Scrooge's counting-house (accounting agency.) Scrooge's door is open so he can keep a constant vigil on the clerk. It's a white-collar job, albeit the barrel-bottom level of it for a mere15 shillings a week, which is a pittance, barely enough to feed Cratchit's family and not enough for him to afford a coat. (The Cratchits don't get mentioned by name until the Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge what they're up to.) Careers. Bob Cratchit is very respectful of Mr. Scrooge. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. If I was to stop half a crown for it, you'd think yourself ill-used, I'll be bound?And yet,you don't think me ill-used when I pay a day's wages for no work. Explain how he did this citing at least one example from the story to support your answer. Wed love to have you back! His youngest son, Tiny Tim, is the light of Bob's life but is very ill and needs medical attention that Bob can't . What is the average cost of a Viking River cruise? Ace your assignments with our guide to A Christmas Carol! Scrooge's . What is the difference in the mood of Stave 4 and Stave 5? 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