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Definition of Personification
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down on the wedding guests, indifferent... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the sentence, "The rain poured down... read full definition
Personification is a type of figurative language in which non-human things are described as having human attributes, as in the... read full definition
Stave 1
Explanation and Analysis—Scrooge's Neighborhood:
Dickens often uses personification to assign human characteristics to things in the counting house. In this way, he portrays elements of the world of A Christmas Carol as reflections of Scrooge's character or agents that hint at ghostly events to come. Take, for instance, the neglected water plug in the counting house:
The water-plug being left in solitude, its overflowing sullenly congealed, and turned to misanthropic ice.
"Misanthropic" means disliking humankind and avoiding the company of others. Here, Dickens characterizes Scrooge indirectly by describing elements of his workplace—even the ice is misanthropic. Water is essential to human life, but Scrooge seems to hate humanity to the point of becoming inhuman.
Another example of personification is the church that looms outside Scrooge's window:
The ancient tower of a church, whose gruff old bell was always peeping slyly down at Scrooge out of a Gothic window in the wall, became invisible, and struck the hours and quarters in the clouds, with tremulous vibrations afterwards as if its teeth were chattering in its frozen head up there.
The church seems rude and unhappy, just like Scrooge. It "peeps" down at him and seems to be extremely cold. The pervasive sense of the first stave is one of coldness; personification helps tie the landscape together with Scrooge's character to create a coherent picture of his mentality at the beginning of the story.
Related Themes:
Stave 2
Explanation and Analysis—Laughter:
In Stave 2, when the first of the three spirits comes to visit, he shows Scrooge scenes from childhood. Among the happiest is a scene of boys playing in the fields:
All these boys were in great spirits, and shouted to each other, until the broad fields were so full of merry music, that the crisp air laughed to hear it.
This moment stands in stark contrast to the dismal day at the counting-room described in the initial pages. It contains a fanciful bit of personification that mirrors the delights of childhood. The laughing air suggests compatibility between nature and happy children and reminds old Scrooge of youthful joy.
The last line of A Christmas Carol in Stave 5 personifies Scrooge's heart in a very similar way:
His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him.
Personification creates a parallel moment that shows how Scrooge was able to internalize the ghosts' lessons. At first, Scrooge could only listen to laughter in the past. Now he laughs in the present. It seems strange to personify an internal organ, but here it is an important reminder that Scrooge is aware of his own heart and is satisfied by creating emotional value (unlike at the beginning of the story, when he cared only for money).
Related Themes:
Stave 5
Explanation and Analysis—Laughter:
In Stave 2, when the first of the three spirits comes to visit, he shows Scrooge scenes from childhood. Among the happiest is a scene of boys playing in the fields:
All these boys were in great spirits, and shouted to each other, until the broad fields were so full of merry music, that the crisp air laughed to hear it.
This moment stands in stark contrast to the dismal day at the counting-room described in the initial pages. It contains a fanciful bit of personification that mirrors the delights of childhood. The laughing air suggests compatibility between nature and happy children and reminds old Scrooge of youthful joy.
The last line of A Christmas Carol in Stave 5 personifies Scrooge's heart in a very similar way:
His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him.
Personification creates a parallel moment that shows how Scrooge was able to internalize the ghosts' lessons. At first, Scrooge could only listen to laughter in the past. Now he laughs in the present. It seems strange to personify an internal organ, but here it is an important reminder that Scrooge is aware of his own heart and is satisfied by creating emotional value (unlike at the beginning of the story, when he cared only for money).
Related Themes:
