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Simile
Explanation and Analysis—Scrooge's Transformation:
At the beginning of the tale in Stave 1, Dickens uses negative similes to establish Scrooge's character. Apparently, Scrooge is:
Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster.
Flint and oysters are not very palatable things to be compared to. Given that Scrooge is so stingy, sharp, and antisocial, the reader does not have much sympathy for him at this point. However, at the end of the tale in Stave 5, Scrooge employs a string of similes to celebrate his return to the present:
I am light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a school-boy. I am as giddy as a drunken man.
This self-description provides evidence of his transformation. It contrasts sharply with the narrator's initial description, as these positive similes differ greatly from ones like "as hard and sharp as flint" or "solitary as an oyster." Indeed, Scrooge has become a new man. Instead of being hard and sharp, he is soft and light. Instead of being a crotchety old man, he feels like a schoolboy. He becomes nearly inebriated with joy.
When Scrooge finds himself able to embrace his community, he finds himself forever changed. Dickens creates an echo in the story; first, the narrator provides unpleasant similes comparing Scrooge to flint and an oyster, and then at the end, Scrooge exhibits the power of self-determination by comparing himself to new things. This might seem like a small detail, but regardless of whether or not the reader consciously juxtaposes these similes, they underscore Scrooge's transformation and provide evidence of a true change of heart.
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