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Hello. Was wondering if anyone could mark/give feedback for my ACC essay. I do AQA, and the question was on family:

Through the lens of John Locke’s Theory of Tabula Rasa, we can argue Dickens intentionally crafts an allegorical exploration of family to highlight both the necessity of familial relationships and the consequences of their rejection. In contrasting the Cratchits with Scrooge’s initial presentation, he presents a capitalist society as the corrupting force upon Scrooge’s ‘blank slate’. Therefore, Scrooge’s ultimate acceptance of family symbolically represents his rejection of capatalism, reinforcing Dickens’ advocacy for collective responsibility and socialist reform.

Initially, Scrooge rejects his family, in pursuit of materialistic wealth. Through a conventional reading, the simile “as solitary as an oyster” suggests Scrooge’s emotional coldness and isolation. The adjective “solitary” highlights his self-imposed separation, while the noun “oyster” implies a hard exterior concealing something within. While the pearl usually foreshadows redemption, we can instead argue Dickens is directly critiquing capitalist Victorian society. To an oyster, a pearl actually has no value; it is the shell which is its “innate state” and protective lifeline, whereas the pearl is actually a response to a pest. Therefore, the pearl becomes symbolic of enforced capitalism. Just as an oyster starts with no pearl, Scrooge begins with a blank slate, as a “lonely boy” by a “feeble fire,” but as he experiences capitalist “pests” with no beneficial intention towards him, he becomes increasingly cynical. Just as humans attribute monetary value to the “pearl”—a useless stone and a biological irritant—Scrooge attributes value to the wrong thing: money. Therefore, Dickens suggests socialism is innate, and morally right, whilst capitalism is bred, stripping one of their vital familial connections.

The flashback to his ‘lonely’ younger self by a ‘feeble fire’ creates a sharp contrast with the ‘cold’ man we meet in Stave One, suggesting that he wasn’t always ‘frozen’. This ‘fire’ may represent his innocence as a child and capacity for warmth, something he was clearly denied as a child - ‘father is so much kinder than he used to be.’ If we apply the theory of Tabula Rasa, we can view the young Scrooge as a ‘blank slate’ who was gradually corrupted by his surroundings. In this reading, he wasn't born a miser, but rather corrupted by a neglectful home life, and then further influenced by capitalistic figures like Marley - a ‘dear’ friend, and likely influential. By showing that Scrooge’s cruelty was learned from the world around him, Dickens shifts the blame away from the individual and onto a Victorian system that prioritises profit over family. He forces us to pity the man, even while we dislike his actions.

The ghost of Christmas past revelation of Belle’s ‘displace[ment]’ by ‘another idol’ evokes sympathy, metaphorically suggesting that Scrooge has replaced all human sentiment with cold greed. The light imagery of ‘golden’ creates a stark contrast between genuine affection and avarice, exposing the moment Scrooge loses his humanity and alienates himself from society. Yet, the biblical ‘idol’ may suggest Scrooge has not only abandoned familial relationships (like Belle), but also completely rejected his relationship with God. Whilst this would shock a deeply religious Victorian audience, as an allegory, Dickens’ construction of Scrooge, as microcosmic for capitalist bourgeoisie, may serve as a critique on the notion that one can live a Christian life, with capitalistic morals; capitalism directly forces you to “better yourself by any means necessary”, even if that involves a blasphemous in pursuit of (materialistic) wealth. This is reinforced as Christmas is the only time the proletariat aren’t treated like ‘another race of creatures’, emphasising this superficial display of Christian beliefs and morality.

However, Dickens intentionally crafts ‘a Christmas Carol’ to be a didactic novella – his main purpose is for societal reform, not to embarrass the bourgeoisie. Therefore, he employs various linguistic techniques to highlight the possibility of redemption. The ‘crutch without an owner… in a poor chimney corner’, not only foreshadows Tiny Tim‘s death, but also, as a half rhyme, may suggest that despite rejecting familial relationships, and endorsing misanthropic, malthusian personas, your fate isn’t set in stone; your tabula rasa can be restored. Again, the construction of five Staves may mirror the five stages of grief; just like grief always results in acceptance and renewal, endorsing socialism will do so too.

At the end of the novella, Scrooge has completely transformed into a philanthropic and altruistic individual - "I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I'm quite a baby". Scrooge has changed his outlook and his behaviour. This is the denouement of the story as it reaches its end, with the anaphora “I am” showing deep pleasure, and excitement, and the connotations of “baby” suggesting purity, emphasising his renewal. The lexical field of similes and cliches show how light hearted Scrooge has become in his new attitude. On a whole text level, there is a real contrast between the heavy, laden vocabulary used in Stave One and the simplistic choices here. This contrast frees the reader and could be a linguistic transformation as the novella progresses. The simplistic choices may also echo Scrooge’s rejection of materialistic wealth as a replacement for family, hence he finally accepts Fred’s invitation.