Unlike Scrooge, Fred symbolises the good in people, as he sets a good example of how we
should behave towards one another, particularly towards family.
A representative of the middle class, Dickens uses Fred’s character to show generosity
towards others, especially at Christmas time.
This is seen in Fred’s invitation to Scrooge to celebrate Christmas at his house.
This contrast is developed through dialogue.
We first meet Fred when he arrives to wish Scrooge a Merry Christmas: ‘A merry Christmas,
uncle!
God save you!’.
Dickens’s use of exclamations emphasises Fred’s generosity of spirit towards his
uncle and to Christmas.
Dickens also reminds us of the importance of God when Fred blesses Scrooge.
By way of contrast, Scrooge’s exclamations ‘Bah!’ and ‘Humbug!’ reveal a misanthropic,
cynical attitude.
The use of contrasting exclamations heightens the differences between the two foils and
emphasise Scrooge’s lack of goodwill.
Dickens develops the contrast between the two men through heat imagery when he associates
Fred with warmth: ‘He had so heated himself with rapid walking’ that his face was ‘all
in a glow’.
Not only is Fred literally warm, but he emits a metaphorical warmth to those around him.
This contrasts with imagery of coldness associated with Scrooge: ‘He carried his own low temperature
always about with him’.
By employing contrasting imagery, Dickens encourages the reader to make comparisons
between the two men and to judge Fred as the better man.
Dickens uses listing in direct speech when Fred regards Christmas as a ‘kind, forgiving,
charitable, pleasant time’.
Dickens’s use of listing (or asyndetic listing, as there are no conjunctions) speeds up the
pace and draws the attention of the reader to the adjectives, which all have positive,
Christian connotations, aligning Fred with goodness.
In this way, the reader is made aware that Scrooge’s isolation is through his own choice
and free will: it has not been imposed on him by members of his family.
The writer also uses mirroring as a technique to illustrate Fred’s character in relation
to his mother and Scrooge.
Even though Scrooge has not made any time for his family, Fred still persists on inviting
him for Christmas dinner when he visits his uncle to delivers the season’s greetings;
this action mirrors that of Fan, who collected Scrooge from school when he was a boy.
This shows there was the potential for Scrooge to have positive, loving relationships with
his family, but he has chosen a more selfish path.
Dickens depicts Fred as a good Christian who believes that Scrooge has the potential to
change and return to the fold.
Even though he has a genuine reason to feel aggrieved, Fred refuses to be heavily critical
of Scrooge’s self-centred ways.
At his Christmas party, he expresses his determination to welcome Scrooge back into the family if
Scrooge changes his mind: ‘I mean to give him the same chance every year, whether he
likes it or not, for I pity him’.
Fred might be entitled to be somewhat irritated with Scrooge’s repeated rejections, but
he almost appears stubborn in his refusal to give up on his uncle.
This symbolises the Christian idea of hope that people can be saved and become better
people.
Fred’s attitude towards Scrooge remains consistent throughout the novella.
In stave 5, he welcomes Scrooge back into the family (‘Let him in!’) despite the
way Scrooge has treated him.
Through the exclamation, we see that he accepts flaws and remains friendly, despite the circumstances.
Finally, when the future Tiny Tim dies, Fred assumes a paternal, caring role by saying
that he is ‘heartily sorry’ and offering to be ‘of service’ to Bob Cratchit.
Again, he shows the compassion that Scrooge lacks; he helps rather than exploits Bob.
To a certain extent, Fred comes across as an unbelievable, two-dimensional character.
But is it important that Fred appears to be too good to be true?
The answer is no.
Dickens uses Fred as a symbol of goodness.
He is a role model to the reader, showing us how we should behave...especially towards
difficult relations!
Well I hope you found this video useful.
Everything I go through in this video series can be found in the second edition of Mr Bruff’s
Guide to A Christmas Carol.
The links are in the description - you can pick up a copy.
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