Context and Background
Ever wondered why Dickens wrote such a socially conscious Christmas story? His own childhood poverty shaped everything โ when his father was imprisoned for debt, 12-year-old Dickens worked in a blacking factory. This brutal experience made him a lifelong campaigner for social reform.
The Industrial Revolution was creating massive inequality across Victorian Britain. Whilst some grew wealthy, millions were trapped in overcrowded slums with dangerous working conditions. Dickens believed literature should both entertain and educate, so he used his Christmas tale to expose these injustices.
The Poor Law of 1834 made life even worse for struggling families. Workhouses were designed to be so miserable that people would avoid them at all costs โ but Dickens presents them as cruel deterrents rather than genuine help. This context explains why Scrooge's early attitudes seem so heartless.
Thomas Malthus argued that poverty was natural and helping the poor was pointless โ he even referred to them as "surplus population". Dickens directly challenges these views through Scrooge's transformation, showing that society can and should care for its most vulnerable members.
Key Point: London's population exploded from 1 million to 6 million by 1900, creating the overcrowded, disease-ridden conditions that Dickens vividly describes through the Ghost of Christmas Present.