Fezziwig, Scrooge's first employer, appears in the second stave of A Christmas Carol. The first glimpse of Fezziwig's character shows him to be a jovial and happy person:
He rubbed his hands; adjusted his capacious waistcoat; laughed all over himself, from his shows to his organ of benevolence; and called out in a comfortable, oily, rich, fat, jovial voice.
This provides an immediate contrast with the present-day Scrooge who is miserly and mean-spirited by nature and who turns away every man who visits his office, even his own nephew, Fred, who invites him for dinner on Christmas Day.
In addition, unlike Scrooge, Fezziwig treats his employees well by keeping the office "snug, and warm, and dry" during the cold winter days. Scrooge, in contrast, is so mean that poor Bob Cratchit has only a single coal to burn and has to use a "white comforter" to keep himself warm.
Furthermore, unlike Scrooge, Fezziwig is eager to stop work in time for a Christmas party, to which he has invited all of his family, friends and employees. Compare this with Scrooge who is reluctant to let Bob have Christmas Day off and certainly would not consider throwing a party to celebrate the season. In fact, he tells Bob (in Stave One) to "be here all the earlier the next morning."
It is only after the visits of the three ghosts that Scrooge comes to resemble Fezziwig in his dealings as an employer. He has become kinder and more considerate: he sends a prize-winning turkey to Bob's house on Christmas morning, for example. Later, he visits the Cratchit's home and promises Bob a pay rise - a promise which he keeps. He also becomes a "second father" to Tiny Tim, just like Fezziwig was to the young Ebeneezer Scrooge, all those years ago.
No comments:
Post a Comment