Poverty In A Christmas Carol

“This is the even-handed sealing of the world!” He said. “There is noth-ing on which it is so hard as poverty; and there is nothing it professes to condemn with such severity as the pursuit of wealth!” (Dickens, Charles.) From the words of Ebenezer Scrooge, we see that society in England during Charles Dickens’s life despises the poor and harshly judges the rich who seek more fortune. Set in the Hungry Forties, A Christmas Carol portrays a time of famine, hunger, workhouses, and innocent people thrown into jails. Dickens uses his characters’ difficult lives to create awareness of the struggles of the less fortunate and the lack of useful assistance to help them. The world of Charles Dickens is best understood through his own life, …show more content…
(Dickens, Charles.) Another great example is David Copperfield, about young David who is poor, abused, and sent away from home. (Dickens Lit.) Finally, Oliver Twist shows the common theme of child labor, abuse, and living on the filthy streets of London. (Dickens’ London.) In addition to studying Dickens life, examining industrialized London gives us a view of England in Dickens’s time. During the time of rapid industrialization, machines automated the work that used to be done by hand. Machines, so loud that people had to shout above the noise just to communicate, built all types of goods, (Victorian Britain: Children in Factories.) Dangerous and oppressive, the factories also had insufficient sanitation and the underpaid workers were forced to breathe nasty air filled with dust, soot, and oil. (Victorian Britain: Children at Work.) Every day, the people risked their lives at work as flames and sparks bounced back and