Social Class In A Christmas Carol

Social class by definition is the grouping of people into a set of hierarchical social categories consisting of the lower, middle, and upper classes. It is a term used by many to identify their personal status in their lives. “Popular culture, especially television, has defined what different social class groups are like. The television show The Beverly Hillbillies depicted what happens when people who are poor gain entry into the upper social class. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air showed how people of color in the upper social class live” (Cook, Jennifer M. and Gerard Lawson, 2016). Overall in society, many can easily depict how greatly a social class can affect a person’s life in ways one would not expect.

In the text A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, social class plays a huge role throughout Ebenezer Scrooge’s life as a character. While he is of wealthy riches, being a part of the upper-class can

Growing up, Scrooge was abandoned by his father and started out poor like everybody else in the lower-class. As a child, his father blamed him for many misfortunes, including the death of his mother. During his early Christmas time, other children were able to go home and spend the holidays with their families while Scrooge had to stay at school year after year. His childhood wasn’t like the others. It was a rough and depressing time for him growing up. As he got older, he worked as an apprentice for Fezziwig where he met his beloved Belle during one of Fezziwig’s Christmas parties. As time passed, money became a major factor in his life since he valued it more than anything else. According to Scrooge, love only seemed important if it financially made sense to him. This bold statement was what cost him his one true love, Belle, to part ways with him. This scene is the development point where Scrooge becomes the miser he