Wednesday 10 September 2014

How does Dickens present a sense of joy and celebration? Describe the ways he evokes these emotions in the following passage from A Christmas...

Is there any writer in the English language who is better at evoking emotions through his dialogue and descriptions than Charles Dickens? I don't think so! This popular novel, which has been adapted into dozens of stage and screen versions, is a classic tale of hope and renewal. 


The enthusiasm of the passage heightens the emotions of joy and celebration created when the young men are asked to prepare the warehouse for the Christmas festivities....

Is there any writer in the English language who is better at evoking emotions through his dialogue and descriptions than Charles Dickens? I don't think so! This popular novel, which has been adapted into dozens of stage and screen versions, is a classic tale of hope and renewal. 


The enthusiasm of the passage heightens the emotions of joy and celebration created when the young men are asked to prepare the warehouse for the Christmas festivities. Fezziwig gets the boys excited when he urges them to hurry, and says "...'Christmas Eve Dick. Christmas, Ebenezer! Let's have the shutters up before a man can say Jack Robinson! Clear away, my lads and let's have lots of room here!'" Fezziwig's good humor also helps the boys get in the mood for the coming evening.


The next paragraph describes the boys' response, but without benefit of dialogue: "Clear away! There was nothing they wouldn't have cleared away, or couldn't have cleared away, with old Fezziwig looking on. It was done in minute." The sense of urgency lends to the young men's excitement. The warehouse is set with lamps and a fire is built, and this description lends a air of warmth to the scene. When they are finished, it is "as snug and warm and dry and bright a ball-room as you would desire to see on a winter's night." The sense of joy and celebration is palpable in this moment when the homely workplace suddenly becomes a place fit for a fancy party.


The transformation of the warehouse to a "ball-room" emphasizes the sense of magic imparted to the holiday by Fezziwig's enthusiasm, and it is no wonder Scrooge remembers him fondly, even as he grew to hate Christmas as time passed. This scene is one of many that follow that show how Scrooge's transformation from a kind and romantic youth into a bitter, mean-spirited old man is as a result of many events that befall him, but also from his own neglect: of his friendships, family relationships and his own well-being.


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